"I wanted to describe the people, their mentality, their way of seeing the world. And experience taught me that from each spot in the world one sees the planet differently. A person who lives in Europe sees the world differently than a person who lives in Africa. Without trying to enter into these other ways of looking and perceiving and describing, we won't understand anything of this world." 

RYSZARD KAPUSCINSKI

I hate goodbyes. More so because I feel I have so much more to say and to contribute. Due to time constraints however, I guess this is the right time to sum up my thoughts on my posts. I would like to justify my philosophical, ethical and very personal approach by referencing my huge love for the visual-based reporting of my fellow countryman, Ryszard Kapuscinski, whose worldview strongly influence my own perspective on the developing world.

During the course of this blogging competition I attempted to portray the story of the helper and the helped. There is little to argue over in this matter - the centre and focal point of any Aid is a human being with its limitations and idiosyncrasies – development targets a human and it is a human who is responsible for the outcomes of that help. After all, development is not about really about the development economist sitting in his office in Geneva or New York, or even huge high profile fundraising events like LiveAid but about people like Mrs. Wilbroda Wandera in Kibera slum who wants to feed her family, or a former child abductees of LRA who needs psychological help.

I therefore find it of vital importance to first examine the helper’s motive: why is he or she helping? What made me one of you – a part of this competition? What, despite the apparent little demand for development stories that I came across during my adventure as a journalist in Africa motivated me to follow this path? What did I find rewarding?

Many things in the field were going extremely wrong, however among them I still found some success stories. I realized that many of my perceptions of Africa and Africans had been subject to stereotyping. Inspired by what I have seen and experienced I have created EIGHT MILLENIUM DEVELOPMENT MEANS of helping. I believe that implementing these MDMs should go along with pursuing Millennium Development Goals – we should never lose sight of means of help – after all, DEVELOPMENT IS NOT ONLY ABOUT WHERE YOU GO, BUT HOW YOU GET THERE . The EIGHT MILLENIUM DEVELOPMENT MEANS are:

Mean 1: ETHICS AND RESPONSIBILITY: Primum non nocere (First do no harm)

Mean 2: TRANSPARENCY: we need to constantly be open to outside examination and criticism

Mean 3: SIMPLICITY: the model of assistance should be understandable and not lead to confusion

Mean 4: COMMITMENT: helpers should be committed to helping others and not motivated by self-interest

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Mean 5: Focused on LOCAL INITIATIVES and THOROUGH RESEARCH instead of imposing our Western ideas on the ground

Mean 6: COLLECTIVE: a collective approach tends to bring more change

Mean 7: FRIENDLY

Mean 8: INNOVATIVE, CURRENT AND MODERN:  tailored to our new modern, marketing-driven world

It is also important to notice that we are never fully responsible for our partners faults and failings, as they too make their own choices  and we don’t have a license to be perfectly right in our decisions.

DURING TH!NK 3 I TRIED TO COVER AS MANY MDG’S AS I COULD:

• Goal 1: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
• Goal 2: Achieve universal primary education
• Goal 3: Promote gender equality and empower women
• Goal 4: Reduce Child Mortality Rate
• Goal 5: Improve maternal health
• Goal 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases
• Goal 7: Ensure environmental sustainability
• Goal 8: Develop a global partnership for development

I mentioned topics like: Agriculture, Aid, Crisis, Education, Environment, Equality, Health, Human Rights, Hunger, Media, Politics, Poverty and Technology

Finally, I would like to make a resolution and therefore, be a part of the change.

In case of any material award, I am going to donate it to a project of my choice in a developing  country. A non-material award is the experience I promise to use to the best of my abilities to help the people on the ground.

Indeed, development starts at home.

THANK YOU, TH!NKERS. A SHEER PLEASURE TH!NKING TOGETHER HOW TO CHANGE THE WORLD

Credits: UN Headquarters image: The Epoch Times