As many of you know, we here at AidData have made it a priority to pursue information on emerging donors and South-South Cooperation partners. We've seen how Arab donors can have a huge impact in a single country, or how Brazil is leveraging comparative advantages from its own experience to assist other developing countries. But there's one unique case that stands out from all the rest, allowing us to add a new donor and a new recipient in one blow.
Last year, we stumbled across the Qatar Katrina Fund, which was established a few weeks after Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast 5 years ago this week. The government of Qatar allocated $100 million to health, education, and housing projects across the Gulf Coast. Not only did they allocate the money, but they were transparent through the entire process, publishing extensive project descriptions, maps, and audits of their work.
You can view these projects through the AidData Search Result Widget right here. Hopefully the benefit of the Fund's work will go beyond its immediate grantees and serve as another demonstration of the power of transparency.