When Haven Ley of the Bill and Linda Gates Foundation came to speak, a number of questions arose after her presentation. I didn’t know very much about this foundation beforehand and was rather impressed by the number of causes they dedicate their work and effort towards. Haven is the program officer of the Agricultural development program. Her job includes presenting a project intended to aid a certain community with a new technology for example that will facilitate the agricultural development in this community. The areas targeted include Sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia.
Every country has a distinct culture and distinct cultural behaviors that may not seem obvious to an outsider who is accustomed to a certain way of life, and this is mostly true of westerners who wish to share their discoveries with those who don’t know about them yet. While this may seem like an impressive and grand gesture, sometimes, it requires a little more consideration, and this is part of what Haven does. One of the groups receiving a the Gates Foundation grant used the bicycle as a watering tool so that people who farm could bike up and down and water what they need, accelerating the process and saving time and extra labor. A great innovation, to most at least, this project fell through in Ethiopia. In their culture, as is the case in the majority of sub-Saharan countries, women make up the greatest number of farmers. What is distinct here is that it is not socially acceptable for a woman to ride a bike. “Men don’t want to see them riding bike and the women themselves don’t want to ride them” said Haven. Inevitably, no one used the bikes in Ethiopia.
What is fundamental in this story is the mere importance of communication. How can we ignore how a culture may respond to a concept another is trying to introduce or impose in the community? Where is the middle man who is able to communicate between the two cultures involved? Where is the desire to truly understand and work together?
The failure of a project such as the bike project is indicative of a failure at communication. This is what needs to be fixed.