Urgent Evoke

A crash course in changing the world.

What they really need is sometimes very different to what they really want

Hi all,
I did not take this idea from "Exhibit A" (
33 secrets of social innovation) Because, I come from "the source of our concerns" and I have travelled all the way to the opposite shore of the western civilization, I think I am entitled to offer my own viewpoint.
I want to draw attention to an important subject that often arises in disscussions about the effectivenes of social cooperation programs. It is the fact that in many opportunities, when NGO´s bring aid to communities in developing countries, they find out that locals will not give their helpers the expected "warm welcome".
In other cases volunteers find out that locals misuse the infraestructures or spend the money allocated for "development" in unimportant goods such as ultimate technology (mobile phones, ipods), garnishing outfit, etc.
The disappointment that such behaviour may bring about, could be avoided if we, as cooperants try to understand that our analysis of the needs of a certain population might lack of the important point of view of the recipients of this humanitarian aid.
There is also the fact (and for me is very important) that people in developing countries need many basic things, but they also want to satisfy their "consumerism" tendencies like ourselves in "the first world" do. This should be regarded as natural human behaviour (not encouraged, only accepted).
We should be more undesrtanding with each other, because in every day life, every one of us know that what we want is not always what we really need.
In this sense, I would always take this facts into account on my managing plans & actions and I will support and redirect this behaviour to obtain positive outcomes in my future social projects.

Views: 16

Comment by ritaryan on March 31, 2010 at 12:05pm
you are a peacemaker...love your passion about not loosing the agents who are marked as "rude" or disruptive...i didn't see all the posts, but the little interaction i had with pan was fine,and he attempted to help me understand better how to play the game...nanotechnology, eh?...love science and neuroscience blows me away...hope you have a lovely day, best wishes, rita
Comment by Ternura Rojas on March 31, 2010 at 1:14pm
Hi Rita, thanks. my interaction with Pan was also productive, I think the misunderstanding comes from a cultural sourse, we latins can be often be taken as rude people while we are just being warm. Whenever I write in English I have to take this into account.
Take my word: if a friend of you from Spain, Bolivia, Colombia or Central America ever "ofends" you with a comment, this means they feel you very close. Is the proof that the person loves you as a sister and you are deep inside their harts!
I used to run away from misunderstandings (banning rude peolple) and that created even more problems in my life. I am now trying, little by little to get over that.
I am also very lucky because nobody from a country abroad or from a neighbor tribe killed or raped someone of my family. I want to love as much as possible, because many people just can't as wars left resentment inside their harts. See you around?
Comment by Iyamuremye Jean de Dieu on May 11, 2010 at 4:58pm
The title of this post is my solution!
Comment by Ternura Rojas on May 11, 2010 at 5:05pm
Please explain this and if possible, post a link thanks :-)
Comment by Chengyuan High School on May 19, 2010 at 2:32pm
I think this is truth. People in different area have different view, to enlarge our view and meet their need is the most important thing. And I think maybe we can privide them money, in that way we don't use the money subjectively.

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