One case study that interested me can be found at the following web address: http://allafrica.com/stories/201602150493.html. It describes how some people in Ethiopia are raising money to build a dam by having a lottery. The lottery system was modelled after the American system where an individual purchases tickets in hopes to win one of the many amazing, worth-while prizes. These useful prizes included things like motorcycles, seven laptops, five TV sets, two refrigerators and a purifier. This makes their lottery unique because it is not just money that they could win, it is useful “tools” that will help them advance in life.The author goes so far as to say that it is an “historic” event in this country; never before has Ethiopia had such large-scale lotteries to aid a community. I find it to be very neat that the lottery is supporting the environment; the people are considering “sustainable development”! With the money raised from the lottery, it will fund the construction of the Grand Renaissance Dam on the Blue Nile River in Grand Ethiopia. These people are thinking ahead to future generations by providing a means to have ample supplies of water. I think that this a very inventive and unique way to effectively raise money for their environment and its people. The people feel good about spending money to help fund a community project.
A second interesting case study that I read can be found at http://education.nationalgeographic.org/news/case-study-friends-lake-turkana/. Interestingly enough, this study also takes place in Ethiopia (and parts of Kenya) and is about the construction of a dam. The Gibe III Hydroelectric Project was started in 2006 to create a hydroelectric power plant and was funded by the government. An environmental justice organization called “Friends of Lake Turkana” (FoLT) are fighting the construction of the Gilgel Gibe III Dam on the Omo River on the grounds that a dam upstream from Lake Turkana would radically alter the landscape of the lake region, change the chemistry of the lake, and devastate the lake shoreline. All of that, they continue, would have a huge impact on the local environment and fishing and agriculture economies and, therefore, cannot condone the dam . They also maintain that the dam would cause an alteration in the huge animal populations of the area. FoLT people do not want their government funding the dam.
These two studies are alike in that they both took place in Ethiopia and involve the construction of a dam. Both communities are trying to decide what would be ethical as far as the development of their society. The case studies are not alike, however, in who is funding the dams and how the communities “feel” about the projects.
As I read my first case study, I couldn’t help but think of The Pennsylvania Lottery run by the Pennsylvania government which is used to benefit “older Pennsylvanians”. In both the PA Lottery and the one in Ethiopia, people buy chances to win prizes (monetary or physical prizes) and the proceeds are used to help residents who may not have a lot (both monetarily and physically). These two lotteries are trying to decrease health disparities between young and old, or haves and have nots. The lotteries are used to, in a sense, “sustain” a group of people and positively develop their quality of life. It’s neat that both sides of these lotteries (the people of the winning ticket and the people who benefit in the long run from the lotteries) benefit from it.
Hi Sarah. I thought the lottery thing was really neat. It’s definitely a different way for a country to make money for something useful for the whole community. I wouldn’t even think about that as a way to raise money. Seeing how successful the PA lottery is, I also wonder how we could use the lottery to help our own environment. I also never really thought about how a lottery system can be unifying for a group of different people in the same country. I wrote about the causes and effects of the ban on plastic shopping bags in Ireland, India, and in PA. Here’s a link http://geog030.dutton.psu.edu/2016/02/26/ban-the-bag/
Hi, my name is Sarah, and here is a link to my blog post: http://geog030.dutton.psu.edu/2016/02/26/module-5-development-case-studies-8/. In my post I talked about the Tanzania Free Education Policy and curing tobacco use in Poland. I really found your first case study interesting, and I like how you compared it to the lottery we hold in Pennsylvania. I think it’s really neat that they were using a lottery system in Ethiopia to build a dam. Do you think they could use this system in other ways, in other countries too? That may be an easier way of getting money to do things for the good of other people, instead of just donating the money. It’s true that we do this in Pennsylvania, and it has worked so well for many years. By buying lottery tickets for a prize that you have little chance in winning, you are helping many other people who really need the money.