NGOs have played a key role in development since the end of World War II, and more so since the 1970s. Like elsewhere in the world, the state and the market catered to the different needs of people in Pakistan. With the arrival of foreign funding, NGOs emerged as a channel for dispersing resources to far-flung communities. However, NGO fieldworkers are not valued. They suffer from personal and professional problems including job insecurity, poor salary structure, unhealthy working environments, and harassment. Vulnerability of the NGOs and their fieldworkers has further increased with the growth of terrorism.

The commercialisation of water services in Kisumu, Kenya has resulted in fewer managerial changes than had been anticipated. Challenges include perceived political interference, inequitable treatment of different groups of residents, and little inter-agency coordination. A survey was conducted, focusing on the informal settlements, to help understand the root cause of the management flaws. It revealed: six different water supply routes; that 47 per cent of the residents' source water came from kiosks; that women's numerical strength is insignificant in management; and mitigation of cartel problems and disputes by non-water-associated personnel. The present article suggests an integrative managerial management structure where the community takes the lead.

Child protection has focused on responding to interpersonal violence and abuse. This approach can detach children from the broader socio-economic and political structures which shape their life chances, by concentrating on the symptoms of risk rather than the underlying causes. Drawing on the Young Lives study of childhood poverty, this paper argues that poverty and inequalities are at the heart of childhood risk, shaping which children are at risk and access to sources of protection and therefore to children's life chances. In order to protect children better, the child protection field needs to engage with the structural nature of risk.

Access to piped water is highly unequal in Mexico, and indigenous municipalities are particularly disadvantaged. The present article identifies the different factors that contribute to the unequal access to piped water across Mexican municipalities for the period 2000–2005, using regression analyses. The findings show that indigenous populations experience lower piped water coverage than non-indigenous populations, even when one accounts for population density (the main explanation that the government provides for indigenous populations' lack of progress) and other relevant factors. The present findings also show that one of the reasons for this lack of progress is that indigenous municipalities receive fewer per capita transfers from the central government non-indigenous municipalities, all else being equal.

The term sustainability has grown increasingly popular as development experts seek to measure the long-term impacts of their projects. Although there is no commonly agreed definition of sustainability, the word has become a common catchphrase. It is often used to describe the desired goal of lasting change within institutions, communities, and projects. We provide a tool to aid in the evaluation of the sustainability of development projects. We have applied our indicators to two specific projects to demonstrate their utility.

The aid effectiveness agenda has placed much emphasis on issues of recipient ownership, alignment, and donor harmonisation. It has affected the policies and practices of many donor agencies and promoted a drive to consult widely with partners in governments and civil society and encourage their active involvement in aid-funded development activities. Yet, when we look closely at small island states – in this case Tuvalu – we can see how this participation and consultation is placing considerable burdens on such agents and institutions to the point where their effectiveness and even their putative ownership is compromised.

A major challenge for the research community is to take knowledge or evidence generated from research to the practitioners for translation into tangible practice. This paper describes how an indigenous Bangladeshi NGO addressed this challenge and made use of research in developing two of its most successful projects – the oral therapy extension programme and a grants-based programme for improving the lot of the ultra-poor. A study of the projects reveals that early involvement in identifying research issues and designing studies, communication between researchers and practitioners, relevance and timeliness of research, and customised dissemination were the key factors underpinning success.

Impact and sustainability of programmes are critical issues facing the development community. Heifer International has honed its approach over more than 60 years. Heifer's approach includes: use of holistic, values-based, and affirmative community development process; Heifer's Cornerstones – values and principles to guide work, including ‘passing on the gift’; and measurement of impact at three levels – values, attitudes and knowledge; living conditions; and policy and systems change. The present article shares the experiences of Heifer International in addressing the key questions of assuring programme impact, sustainability, and the spread of benefits through Heifer's unique practice of ‘passing on the gift’.

This article explores divergent perspectives on female early marriage and genital modification in Ethiopia. It contrasts international norms and research evidence with local understandings, the latter focusing on the part these practices play in securing family social heritage, well-being of girls, and their transition to adulthood. The article explains the persistence of these practices in the face of campaigns to eliminate them and questions assumptions behind the international child protection model. It points to unintended adverse consequences of interventions that do not pay sufficient regard to local meanings and social relations, and suggests how policy might be approached differently.

Although herders in Mongolia are embracing modernity, their livelihoods remain largely dependent on the weather and resulting grassland conditions. In recent years, natural resource degradation has made livestock production more risky. Severe weather events such as storms, droughts, and extremely harsh winters have been on the increase. Timely and adequate weather forecasts could help herders to cope more effectively with these changing circumstances. The Erdenedalai weather and early warning network in the Gobi desert represents a unique initiative to read the weather more carefully. Through collective action, the network is contributing to reduce risks and improve pastoral management practices.