No deal
We knew the picture was grim; in the last few months we've been fervently hoping that a miracle would happen, that funds would finally start trickling in. But no cigar. So what else was there to do but sit down, come to terms with the bleak reality, and wrestle with the ugly job of putting in place cost-minimization programs to help stave off extinction. (Sheesh, I know these sentences are ridden with hackneyed cliches, I am just too tired today to even think). Anyway. Our problem in our NGO is simple: money for development work in the Philippines is helplessly tied up in bureaucratic red tape, most NGOs particularly those involved in reproductive health, HIV/AIDS, women's issues, etc., are not only feeling the pinch - they are gasping for dear breath. A number of NGOs have started to lay off employees and some have actually closed shop. It is sad because there is so much money available out there for development work. One problem is that at some point in the last few ye...