October 13, 2011 the winners of the prize for the best learning moments in International Development Cooperation were announced in Amsterdam.

The awards for Brilliant Failures in International Development 2011 were presented to a decentralisation project in East Africa and a micro insurance project in Nepal.

The Jury First Prize was awarded to Stichting Red een Kind. After successes in decentralisation in India, the organisation turned to East Africa, focusing on decentralising work efforts to its regional office there as well. However, the result was a confusion of roles, an extra layer of bureacracy, and more in place at cheaper cost. The context in East Africa was so different, that merely copying a succesful model from elsewhere was counterproductive. After one year and a half of redefining roles and responsibilities and simplifying organisation structure, Red een Kind succeeded in decentralising work to the region.

The Public Prize was awarded to Karuna Foundation. The organisation initiated a cooperative microinsurance system in two pilot towns in Nepal. After disappointing results and the absence of contributions from local authorities, Karuna chose to stop supporting the project. This painful decision, however, had an unexpected positive effect on related projects in surrounding towns. Town leaders became more proactive, independent and self-reliant.

The example from East Africa highlights the importance for a context-related approach, while the project in Nepal shows that discontinuing a project can at times, in time, result in a positive outcomes.

The goal of the Brilliant Failures award in the International Development sector is to promote learning possibilities and the power of innovation and transparency within the sector. In practice, projects can play out completely differently than expected. And that is okay, as long as the people and organisations involved learn from their mistakes. And from their mistaken choices and assumptions.
The potential for truly learning is a sign of power and entrepreneurial spirit, and it feeds innovation. But it relies on daring and open dialogue – with one another and with the general public.

The prize is an initiative of the Institute of Brilliant Failures (Instituut voor Briljante Mislukkingen(ABN/AMRO)), in collaboration with International Development NGO SPARK. Sponsers are, among others, the Development Branch of Partos, PSO, Woord en Daad and NCDO. Both Jury and Public Prize winners will be rewarded with a learning trajectory tailored by PSO.

Written By:

Bas Ruyssenaars
Vice President, Institute of Brilliant Failures
info@brilliantfailures.com