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Thanks
for your note. I think that
the most important thing to
keep in mind when working with
women in developing countries
is that your role should be
"helping them to help themselves"--not
enforcing yourselves on them.
This has been a problem when
western people have set out
to "help" women in developing
countries. They have also wrongly
assumed that what is "western"
is for some reason "better"
than what these women know in
their own countries.
I
think the example of economic
development is a good one--this
concept of microlending was
pioneered in Bangladesh and
India and then came to western
world--from this example many
people realized that we in fact
did have a lot to learn from
those who are "less developed."
Also,
there has been much necessary
and recent attention focused
on sustainable living--as we
realize that living sustainably
is how we must live, there will
be even greater attention focused
on the developing world and
what we westerners can learn
from them.
Besides the economic development
model--or access to money and
credit--the one area that has
proven to make a difference
in the lives of women around
the world is access to education.
Those women who have access
to education are more likely
to have fewer children, to have
them later, and to have a quicker
path out of poverty. So access
to education is certainly key.
I hope that helps--sorry to
ramble.
—Amy
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