It’s not “your” project

Discussing an economic and community development project in Uganda

By Dr. Francis “Tusu” Tusubira, a member of the Rotary Club
of Kampala-North, Uganda

How many times do we hear Rotary members say, “we have
our project in Kireberebe Kisunkaana?”

Let us get one thing right when dealing with economic and community development. And I will call this lesson one: it
is not YOUR project.

It is a community project that you are supporting. Along these
lines, I thought sharing a few experiential lessons is not a bad
idea.

Lesson two: A community where disease is a challenge will
lose so much time being sick that they cannot focus usefully
on any other initiative that will help them develop. You cannot
address economic and community development if you have
not addressed basic health.

Lesson three: A community that does not have clean water,
and which does not understand the relationship between “dirty
water” and disease will have resultant health challenges: diar-
rhea, eye diseases, cholera, etc. You might as well have a comp-
rehensive Water, Health, and Sanitation component as part of
your project.

Lesson four: We all know that illiteracy can be a major barrier,
if not a full block, to any efforts related to development. This really
means economic and community development must also look
at the literacy and numeracy environment (along with the ability
to interpret, create linkages, and apply what is read to personal
empowerment and development).

Lesson five: Poverty is state of mind. If you do not address the
mindset of those that have accepted poverty as their lot, all the
rest is a waste of time. This is an intangible challenge and the
solution must be in addressing the mind.

When the ground is fertile in terms of the elements above, enabl-
ers like skills development (chances are that these will relate to
agriculture and other income generating opportunities in rural
communities) can be introduced. Or all the elements can move
simultaneously to create synergy. Microcredit, for example, is an
enabler, not a solution. One realizes soon on in life (if one is lucky)
that money is never a solution. Giving money to the poor does not
make them rich: it makes them poor people with some transient
cash.

What is clear is that in all the above, dedicated expertise will be
required. So will partners with knowledge and experience in handl-
ing the different aspects. Cooperating organizations are now recog-
nized as one of the key features of sustainable economic and com-
munity development. This does not mean Rotary members do noth-
ing; they must also dig in and apply their skills. But being a Rotarian
is not a full time job so we need a helping expert hand.

So you see, economic and community development is a totality ap-
proach, not a one-dimensional intervention. Which leads to one last
lesson:

Lesson six: It is not the things we give to or put in communities that
create sustainability. It is what the community does in response to
what we do as Rotary members.

This is behavioral change. We are just catalysts, not part of the reac-
tion. It is NOT our project. It is THEIR project. Lesson six is not so
much a lesson, actually, as a truism.

Adapted with permission from the Rotary District 9211 bulletin,
The Wave.