"I love that you've brought this to attention. An extensive database of uncommon but resistant and hardy plants/foods could be developed and organized by climate. Ease of growth and processing should also be taken in to account. I will try to…"
A crash course in changing the world.
Innovations in Sharing
Provide skills, not just finished technologies.
The current revolution in design for developing countries is the notion of co-creation, of teaching the skills necessary to create the solution, rather than simply providing the solution. By involving the community
throughout the design process, you can help equip people to innovate and contribute to the evolution of the product. Furthermore, they acquire the skills needed to create solutions to a much wider variety of
problems. They are empowered.
(#7 from Amy Adam's "7 Rules of Design from MIT's Guru of Low-Tech Engineering")
It doesn't matter where you're from, who your parents are, how much money you have, or what your religious beliefs are. What connects us all is simple: we're all people. Each of us is rich with experiences, knowledge, and skills, just by virtue of our humanity. A shared humanity that we can, well, share.
The world today is markedly connected - mobile phones, email, social networking sites - so many technologies all designed to bring people together. Sharing ideas, inspiration, best practices, skills, and support is easier now than it ever has been in the past.
I think the power in international development largely lies in our ability to connect and share. Of course what we're sharing also matters! But, with a little innovation, we can all find something of value to share.
I recently found myself on the border between Burma and Thailand working on a Trainer of the Trainer (TOT) program. (For some TOT resources see here: http://www.hrhresourcecenter.org/taxonomy/term/313.) The program was made up of Burmese migrants who wanted to better monitor and evaluate health programs that they were running inside conflict zones in Burma. (For more information about crossborder health in Eastern Burma, see this slightly dated but still relevant fact sheet: http://www.jhsph.edu/bin/a/l/MOM_Cross-Border_Fact_Sheet_2008.pdf.)
My favorite part of the program was that the participants then became teachers. They took their knowledge back to their respective organizations and trained other staff members in the skills they had learned. TOT models are lovely in terms of sustainability, and act as a great example of a way to share skills.
I truly believe that sharing skills is a great way to approach development work. However, I also think it's critically important to recognize that the transfer doesn't go in just one direction. I met incredible people, learned more than I've been able to process yet, changed what I value as important in life, and ended up inspired to do more.
I love Lila Watson's quote: "If you have come to help me you are wasting your time. But if you recognize that your liberation and mine are bound up together, we can walk together." Sometimes it feels like what's happening in other parts of the world is very removed from what concerns us. What I have learned from gaining so much by working abroad is that our liberation is, in fact, fundamentally connected.
I agree with Amy Adams that "providing skills" rather than imposing a solution is a great approach to development. However, I would make a small alteration to say that "sharing skills" is what's important. It allows us to tackle a wider range of problems. We are empowered.
The current revolution in design for developing countries is the notion of co-creation, of teaching the skills necessary to create the solution, rather than simply providing the solution. By involving the community
throughout the design process, you can help equip people to innovate and contribute to the evolution of the product. Furthermore, they acquire the skills needed to create solutions to a much wider variety of
problems. They are empowered.
(#7 from Amy Adam's "7 Rules of Design from MIT's Guru of Low-Tech Engineering")
The world today is markedly connected - mobile phones, email, social networking sites - so many technologies all designed to bring people together. Sharing ideas, inspiration, best practices, skills, and support is easier now than it ever has been in the past.
I think the power in international development largely lies in our ability to connect and share. Of course what we're sharing also matters! But, with a little innovation, we can all find something of value to share.
I recently found myself on the border between Burma and Thailand working on a Trainer of the Trainer (TOT) program. (For some TOT resources see here: http://www.hrhresourcecenter.org/taxonomy/term/313.) The program was made up of Burmese migrants who wanted to better monitor and evaluate health programs that they were running inside conflict zones in Burma. (For more information about crossborder health in Eastern Burma, see this slightly dated but still relevant fact sheet: http://www.jhsph.edu/bin/a/l/MOM_Cross-Border_Fact_Sheet_2008.pdf.)
My favorite part of the program was that the participants then became teachers. They took their knowledge back to their respective organizations and trained other staff members in the skills they had learned. TOT models are lovely in terms of sustainability, and act as a great example of a way to share skills.
I truly believe that sharing skills is a great way to approach development work. However, I also think it's critically important to recognize that the transfer doesn't go in just one direction. I met incredible people, learned more than I've been able to process yet, changed what I value as important in life, and ended up inspired to do more.
I love Lila Watson's quote: "If you have come to help me you are wasting your time. But if you recognize that your liberation and mine are bound up together, we can walk together." Sometimes it feels like what's happening in other parts of the world is very removed from what concerns us. What I have learned from gaining so much by working abroad is that our liberation is, in fact, fundamentally connected.
I agree with Amy Adams that "providing skills" rather than imposing a solution is a great approach to development. However, I would make a small alteration to say that "sharing skills" is what's important. It allows us to tackle a wider range of problems. We are empowered.
Views: 17
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Comment by Andrew Perry on March 9, 2010 at 8:21am
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Jenn,
This TOT model is a HOT model. I really dig the idea of self-propagating skills.
Nice share.
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Comment by Jenn on March 9, 2010 at 10:22pm
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Wow, Andrew, I worked on this everyday for almost a year and never once came to that conclusion. Thanks for that, I'll think of it every time I hear TOT now. :)
And you're right, it can be a great way to propagate skills. In the case of Eastern Burma where there is little education and virtually no healthcare (pretty much all the healthcare that is available is run by exiles in Thailand who risk their lives to go back into Burma and deliver services) it's especially great since it's also an active conflict zone. There's a big problem because outsiders with the knowledge and skills necessary can't get to the area to train people because it's too dangerous. So there are trainings in Thailand that villagers come to, and then they go back to their areas and train others, who can go to other villages and so on. It's not a perfect system, but it's a start!
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That's really nice of you to write, Pan! I'll be following what you write, as well. :)
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Comment by Catherine Gentry on March 26, 2010 at 7:13pm
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Excellent article. Thanks for sharing.
Comment
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