Development
This topic speaks about the world development, what it is and how it relates to us
Learn how to fish is not enough
How (not) to do development
The goal of development is not that every materially poor person all over the world should reach the living standard of the middle class of e.g. the United States of America, which is characterized by high rates of divorce, drug addiction and mental illness. The goal is to help reach opportunities, provide a secure environment for living and empower people to stand up for their rights. Our perspective should be less about giving answers about what the poor need, and more about asking the questions and trying to understand the context of the situation - how the community is functioning and be open to different perspectives (like searchers). We shouldn't have a program or plan in advance (like Planners). It is also important not to apply our own cultural background in a context, we do not know much about.
In the history of development cooperation, we can see 3 basic approaches:
- Charity approach.
- Needs approach.
- Rights-based approach.
The charity approach to development is the oldest approach and after decades of doing charity, people realized, that this approach does not lead to development (in spite of that, some organizations still provide it). Second one was the needs approach, but also this one had its own limitations. The newest one is the rights-based approach to development which is trying to enable the poor (especially the poorest) to be the drivers of their own development.