Thoughts on Development

I've been in Peru nearly two months now and am learning a lot. Among other things, I am now convinced that what the developing world needs most is not money, aid or preferential treatment, but effective leaders. To quote a recent email I received from a friend at a faith-based nonprofit, "Without sustained, capable leadership, organizations (and countries) suffer ineffectiveness. And then everyone suffers."

There are tons of smart capable Peruvians here, who given the opportunity would transform their country. There are also quite a few idealistic Americans or Europeans like me who are here working with aid or volunteer programs, which is all great, but we have to distinguish between whether we're just alleviating the effects of the problem, or getting at the root of it - especially since we're only staying a few weeks to a few years. I'm getting more and more interested in the wider impact stuff - it's too frustrating to work on the smaller impact stuff otherwise.

A friend sent me this article and it's so intriguing I have to share it:
http://www.american.com/archive/2007/july-0707/africans-to-bono-
for-gods-sake-please-stop (if the link doesn't work, copy and paste the entire URL into a browser). Have I mentioned I'm a fan of William Easterly?

I think all of us at the mission agree that we'd like to "work ourselves out of a job" and start something that is very sustainable. Of course this is easier said than done. But after being here two months I have high hopes. My favorite part of my "job" so far is working with and befriending people like our Peruvian administrator, architect, clinic director & university ministry leaders - these are the people who will change Peru, and our job is to help them get off the ground.

As for any of you who are thinking about going abroad, I think the first step is being committed to learning the language and culture, and viewing yourself as a guest in a host country. If you're ready to do that, there are plenty of volunteer opportunities to get your feet wet. Once you know more of the language and culture you can start forming relationships and working with people and organizations long-term: visiting them, giving to them, financially or otherwise supporting them. And if you feel "called" to go abroad yourself, especially if you have some experience and some new ideas and skills to contribute toward bettering institutions long-term - then it may just be time to quit your corporate job!