Expectations – Who really cares? 8/07/09
It is an underlying theme of development or humanitarian work that one should not commence work with a new community with preconceived ideas about what needs to be done. To arrive with an agenda and impose this on a community is (and many are afraid to say it) very much an imperial approach. When development is done well, a community’s real needs are identified through a thorough assessment process and projects are selected or prioritized accordingly. With this in mind (as well as an awareness of the fact that the road was nearing completion so execution rather than assessment would be required) I tried to have as few as possible but my main expectation was that the local people would have some desire to work towards a better life. I have been taken aback by what I can only describe as apathy of the Nationals working on the project but particularly the locals who will be benefitting from it. Simple things like lack of maintenance of the drainage already completed by the locals and an apparent unwillingness amongst the project staff to provide complete information are surprising. I hope my perception can change in the coming months.