7 Worst International Aid Ideas
This link isn't humorous... they are real ideas that, with all good intentions, hurt more than they helped.
I think this is very relevant to the discussion we had today.
One other scenario that comes to mind- I believe Nick Kristof told us this story- is that George Clooney bought an expensive well for a community in Africa, obviously with good intentions. However, surrounding communities wanted access to this resource, and it eventually caused greater conflict than helped. (I'm having trouble finding an article immediately on this... anyone know more about it?)
Last thing- the most important aspect of Social Work I have learned thus far is that we aren't here to do things for people. We are here to help organize communities into their OWN action based on what THEY want to do. We are not here to be an outsider looking in, telling people what we think they need. Because, based on the few examples above, we don't know what they need and what will be helpful. We (I'm generalizing here) don't know their history or their culture. Unfortunately, a lot of good will can have many negative unintended consequences. When I started the Org and Comm class with Dr. Padilla, I believed that I had to come up with all of the plans and ideas and organize, but if something needs to be changed the community knows, and they know best what to do to fix it. I think it is a very Eurocentric thought process to believe that we know what is best for a cultural that is completely different from our own.
One last link....
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