Some of the sessions in the past week and a half have been excellent – others have been, well not great. An example this afternoon of the worst kind.
A very well intentioned American woman just decided in 2011 that she would set up a basic micro-credit organisation in an African state. She did this without reference to other organisations working in the country or other groups already working in this way. She did however ask the people in the area where she was working what they wanted, which was a start.
The audience listening to this not great talk contained skilled and experienced women from Bangladesh, Pakistan, Brundi, Kenya and India – to name just five – who were all running sophisticated, long term and successful micro-finance initatives. And yet it was the western woman who had been asked to speak to share her knowledge.
Why haven’t we in the West not yet learnt how listen?
Jill Hopkinson 
Some people from a certain country think that they are the only ones to have solutions. Even many Christians from there feel that way and act as bulls in china shops. When I worked in Turkey they set back the cause of the indigenous Christians. In near east countries often more harm is done than help received. It is a lesson for us all to listen (as you have said) and to consult, and be willing to keep out if that is the best action we can take.