Working with partners is hard. It can be very difficult for a group of volunteers to find the time to come together, unite around a common vision and work effectively together. To have that group of people extend their work out and create a meaningful relationship with a whole other group of people adds on new layers of challenge and complexity. It can be tempting for organizations to say they can accomplish their goals on their own and think they can move forward faster if they don’t have to take the time to develop partnerships. However, despite the challenges, work in partnerships brings much more benefits than working alone if the time is taken to build strong, lasting relationships. This belief is a core foundation of the IHF model.
Can you imagine sitting in your house on a Saturday when you hear a knock on the door? You open the door and find someone who is obviously not from the community who is there to tell you that they can see a real problem in your community and they are here to solve it for you. They tell you to come to a meeting they are having about improving the hospital in town so you don’t have to wait as long to see the doctor. You go to the meeting and listen to all of the great things these people are going to do to improve the hospital. Things seem to get better in the hospital over the next couple of weeks, but then the strangers leave and things at the hospital go right back to the way they were before.
This scenario is often the case when groups of students travel to other countries to do projects. They come with really good intentions, and they may see some improvements for a little while, but without their continued presence, the improvements don’t last. However, if projects are done in partnership, the chances are better that improvements will last. Both because it is more likely that someone will be there to follow up and make sure the project continues, but also because it is more likely the project will be something the community actually wants and needs, making it more likely to be supported. The university students in IHF chapters only have a limited time available when they can be physically present in the communities they partner with, so in order to make sure the IHF projects are sustainable and have a lasting impact, it is essential that the work be done in partnership with a local organization.
The IHF was founded after a group of college students decided they wanted more out of the volunteer experiences they had abroad- they wanted to be able to continue the relationships they had established and the work they had started. They also didn’t want to be seen as people who were here today, gone tomorrow. From this foundation, the IHF has grown to have established partnerships with organizations in five countries. This growth and the benefits that have come with it are all the result of our firm belief in the power of partnerships and our willingness to nurture them.
Welcome to the International Humanitarian Foundation’s blog, “Creating Global Change.” Over the coming months, IHF volunteers around the globe will share their thoughts on such subjects as the role of volunteers in development, the significance of partnership as a development model, and the ethics of development.
We hope you find our posts interesting, compelling, and entertaining. Please feel free to contribute your comments: our goal is to foster conversation about important issues in development. Check back every Friday for new content.
I’d like to start by welcoming you to the new IHF blog. Please check back often as we discuss some of the most pressing global issues we face and, more importantly, some successes the IHF (and some other groups) have had in addressing them.
Recently, I’ve had the opportunity to evaluate a number of technologies aimed at solving the problems of the developing world. These range from our very own smokeless stove program to complex water purification, to laptops for children, to pharmaceutical safety, to micro-enterprise initiatives. All of this talk of technology got me thinking.
We’ve found that technical solutions abound (if you look hard enough). This may sound odd as most global homes don’t have electricity or even access to clean water not to mention the internet or a phone line. But the engineering solutions to these measures of ‘development’ exist. Many organizations have solutions for solar power, for village-level grids, for water purification, and information distribution. So why are we still faced with the immense burden of disease posed by indoor air pollution and dirty water?
In my opinion, the deployment of technologies is where the innovation is needed. We’ve already spent countless dollars and hours developing solutions – well, partial solutions. But what good is a life-changing stove if it isn’t installed in a village home? Collaborative development, community-based implementation, and grass-roots ownership are key not only to the design of novel solutions, but also to the use, adoption, acceptance, and maintenance of long-term changes. Its time to move technologies out of the labs. I think we need far less effort spent on innovating and far more spent on innovative deployment. What do you think?
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