Devex: The ‘butterfly effect’ in international development
Simone di Vicenz, program impact adviser for resilience at Christian Aid and program manager and monitoring and evaluation coordinator at the Living Earth Foundation

“It is said that a butterfly flapping its wings can cause a hurricane on the other side of the world. … The ‘butterfly effect’ can easily be applied to international development, since setting up durable aid initiatives is a complex matter in which the best of intentions may not necessarily yield positive results. … Development is a constant learning curve and there is still some way to go, but we, along with other international agencies, are committed to ensuring that future intervention initiatives are as relevant to people’s real priorities — and therefore as sustainable and appropriate — as possible” (4/21).