We cannot create solutions without the people we are creating the solutions for. That means we first have to learn from them, learn about their needs and the specificities of their cultures; we have to listen. If we work for getting internet access to an area where people's main worry is access to drinking water, we didn't listen to their needs. If we distribute white mosquito nets to limit malaria infections in a place where white is associated to mourning, people are not likely to use them.
That also means designing the solutions together with the people who will benefit from them. More people have more ideas, and the people who have lived in a place for their wh*** lives will be more aware of the local specificities than an outsider can ever hope to be. Through this process, we can learn problem solving skills and technologies from each other, which will be useful for all the involved people in tackling future problems.
Finally, we have to teach. If we install a water pump in a community, but noone there is able to repair it when it breaks down, it will increase the dependency of that community on outside help instead of helping them gain more independence. The members of the community should not only be able to repair the pump themselves, they should also be able to build another one in a neighbouring community without outside help.
By creating the solutions while aware of the needs and cultural specificities of the community we are trying to help, we are creating solutions that work. By designing the solutions with the people we are designing them for, learning their skills and teaching them our skills, we are spreading the ability to evoke.
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