In economic terms, development is defined as having an annual increase in a countries GNP at a growth rate greater than the growth of it's population. So the focus of development has been on economic growth, with the assumption that it will automatically “trickle down” to better education, health, social welfare etc. However, there are a couple of major issues with this as I see them. One, this trickle down affect never reaches the less fortunate. As I've seen in Africa, there is not an equal sharing of the benefits of development. This is largely due to corrupt governments and the lack of priority of those with access to the benefits to equally distribute them to the poor. Thus, many development efforts only contribute to a wider disparity in income between people within the same country. The other major concern, is the negative impact development has on the social and cultural fabric of the rural regions. Many of these areas have struggled to maintain their rich traditional heritage and values under the pressures of moving to public and more modern sectors, seeking wage employment and higher income, thus abandoning their tradition and self-sufficiency.
So I began to ask myself, how can we find an effective way that allows the poor to express their needs to the “haves” of the world and begin to benefit in a way that they become empowered and not remain in a dependency role and without sacrificing their rich traditions. Because of the severe lack of good education here in Africa and the access and knowledge of many of the innovations and technologies that are currently transforming the rest of the world, I believe that a crucial tool to helping accelerate development, the Internet, is not at their disposal. Well there are tons of artisans, craftsmen, local businessmen and women who have been specializing for centuries in hand crafting various symbols of their heritage that normally only get attention from foreigners that have come to travel through their region. Meanwhile, there is not enough income generated through sells to their fellow locals, who are themselves impoverished and/or specializing in similar crafts. So I thought how can we help bridge the digital divide and help to raise the poverty level of the poor, while at the same time not interfering in their way of life?
That's when I came up with the idea of "the website" (sorry no name yet), a marketplace exclusively for the poor to showcase to the world their gifts and talents. I want to make sure I tell the stories of the local people, in their own words, to bring familiarity to them and the world they live in. This will give them access to a wider audience and also allow people to directly contribute to their well-being by purchasing their products. And for the poor, they gain empowerment and are able to participate in their development. I see many NGOs come to developing countries, bring in their experts, and then make the mistake of not consulting and getting the opinions of the poor and allowing them to actively participate in their own development. This is a big problem, as I've seen in Africa, many of the poor are rendered powerless and have become totally dependent and hopeful that other nations will help them. That's why the US presidential election was so important here, as many people have so much faith in Obama and that he will be the Saviour of Africa and somehow end poverty. Therefore, I believe that in addition to seeking to improve the physical needs of the poor, such as food, health, sanitation, etc. we must also attend to the healing of their self respect and sense of importance. Anyway, I have lots of ideas about the website design and features that will contribute to it's success. It's to much detail to cover here, but will do so later.
Gimme yo input!
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