After spending much of my career involved in the management of oil and gas projects, receiving an invitation from Save the Children to view some of their projects made me curious. Curious from a professional point of view, regardless of the many other reasons why I wanted to go. So when I returned earlier this month to visit my old colleagues at ADIL in Aberdeen I enjoyed the chance to talk about the way the projects were managed, as well as about the overall importance of the charity’s work.
The projects we saw in Delhi and Rajasthan were on the surface very different from ones I had been involved in the oil and gas business. But then as I saw these projects, and observed the way Save the Children were selecting and managing them, I was struck by the similarities with the best of practices from my own industry.
The projects were not grand ventures, but rather attempts to find simple solutions to some profoundly difficult problems. We met local Save the Children staff as we travelled, hearing from them about their strategies and plans as well as actually seeing the projects. These are talented and dedicated people, and are part of an organisation that stands up to comparison with any of the organisations that I have worked for. And from what I saw I’m certain that they are making a difference to the lives of many children in India.
Save the Children have very clear goals in India, and their projects are well aligned with these goals. I loved the way they found innovative, simple solutions. I admired the patience of their execution, and the way they empowered the communities that they work with. The way they leverage government money, and their strict control of costs gets the most from every pound that is donated. And I saw many examples of the way they monitor performance on the projects, linking directly back to their goals.
We were able to see some wonderful projects, and it is clear to me that Save the Children are able to make a real difference to the life chances of some very deprived and vulnerable children. I came back convinced that this is a good effective organisation to support in the fight for the world’s children. In a world that has many important causes which need our support this remains one that is critical to all our futures.
Save the Children - India projects observed 