We have rejected the idea since our first projects in the Himalaya 35 years ago that anyone sitting in the United States or other developed countries would necessarily have better ideas for lasting impact than people living in Nepal, Tibet, Tibetan refugee camps across the region, and India. Quite the opposite.
We looked for visionary local leaders, inspiring people like Dr. Aruna Uprety (see October 17 post: Sex Traffickers are Stymied When Girls are Safe in School) who leads our program to protect girls from human traffickers. Selfless people who are dedicated to making life a little easier for people in their struggling communities. We rarely placed workers or volunteers from the U.S. or other developed countries directly with our programs in the Himalaya. Our Kathmandu office has just seven people – our field director Bruce Moore and six staff members. We know those local leaders are out there.
Relying heavily on local talent was always a core principle for managing our investments in Asia’s emerging markets. Most employees of companies you back in emerging markets, including senior leaders, should be from the local culture. They understand things on the ground far better than you ever will if you are a foreigner.
So it just came naturally to look for smart local champions to lead our philanthropic programs in Asia – committed social entrepreneurs in the truest sense. Partners like these adjust continually to local realities, plan, forecast, and respond capably with our coaching and funding. Self-sufficiency is the goal.
“You can’t give somebody money and expect that it will alleviate their poverty,” says Dr. John Hardman, top administrator of The Carter Center before retiring recently. “They have a much better chance of sustaining success over the long term” if they identify problems and implement solutions themselves, with some training and advice.
“We have this firm belief that if people are just given a little bit of knowledge, encouragement, and skills, they can change their lives,” John continued. “All they need is the hope that they can do it, not that somebody is going to do it for them…Hope is the critical part.”
Those original programs with Sir Edmund Hillary to educate Sherpas in the Khumbu were our model and our testing ground. Sir Ed was our first local partner. He had a ten-year head start on in working alongside people in the Sherpa villages by the time we got going in 1981. He had built school-building foundations. He had hammered nails alongside Sherpas. He could identify families there best able and willing to support their kids’ success in school.
Here is the key point: Programs we support through our foundation must be rooted and led by genuine rock stars of local communities. We’re trying to educate people, open doors to greater opportunity, and help as many individuals as possible. The best ideas for achieving these goals come from local people.
Richard Blum
Thomas C. Hayes
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