A crash course in changing the world.
Don’t fight culture (If people cook by stirring their stews, they’re not going to use
a solar oven, no matter what you do to market it. Make them a better stove
instead.)
Culture is a relatively unexploited resource for human development; it is a channel by
which we can learn what will be the most and least effective in a particular
setting. Like the example of the stove and oven, culture can magnify or
diminish the usefulness of a project.
People are nothing in the absence of culture, which is why developments that do not
account for culture also mean nothing. Every aspect of daily life, from the way
we wash to the way we get to school, are expressions of culture, and if we want
to make a real difference it is absolutely necessary to cater to cultural
specifics. For example, teaching people to fertilize their crops using chemical
fertilizers will always make less of an impact than teaching people how to use
animal and plant wastes that are readily available in their culture to do the
same.
By tailoring projects to fit into the preexisting characteristics of a culture we
can give the target population the opportunity to make it their own. People are
much more likely to embrace a project if they can identify with it.
Furthermore, they are also likely to use it to its fullest potential, beyond
even what you had originally intended for it!
This is a wonderful suggestion for social innovation. Not only does it enhance the effects of development projects, it serves to cultivate and celebrate
diversity.
© 2024 Created by Alchemy. Powered by
You need to be a member of Urgent Evoke to add comments!
Join Urgent Evoke