Yan Wu
What Happens When We Leave?
So this is to be the first of a couple blog posts, and in each post I am hoping to talk about some lessons I learned from working with Comet-ME. In the first post, I will be discussing the need for aid and development projects to think long term, and some strategies for making sure that these projects have a lasting impact. In case you are not familiar with Comet-ME (Community, Energy, Technology in the Middle East), our partner NGO, they are an Israeli group that provides renewable, off-grid power systems in the West Bank. These systems mainly consist of wind turbines and solar panels. They also provide other basic technology such as refrigeration.
Last year, during our first Skype meeting with the head of Comet-ME, Elad, I remember being surprised to hear that Comet charges money for their wind/solar energy systems, even though they could probably find sponsorship to provide their services for free. I was also surprised to hear that Comet-ME consisted of only three permanent members; they employ members of the local community for their larger hybrid wind/solar installation. So why does this NGO use local labor when they could probably find far more experienced personnel? Why do they force these impoverished communities to pay for a service that they could potentially provide for free?
As I soon came to learn, the answer lies in the need for all aid and development projects to have a long term focus. Aid organizations need to always ask: “What will happen to the community after we leave?” This long term thinking involves looking at both the long term impact of the project, and the longevity of the system they are implementing. First, Comet-ME needs to ensure that the community has the motivation as well as the technical knowledge to maintain their renewable energy systems, so that those systems will last into the future. By charging a fee for their services, Comet ME ensures that the community is invested in the renewable energy system. While their fee is usually small (less than the cost of building the wind/solar installation), the fact that community members had to spend their hard earned money will make it so that the community values the energy system. Charity also has a tendency to foster dependency on the aid organization, as community members begin to expect giveaways. In this situation, the aid organization actually does more harm than good.
Additionally, Comet-ME works closely with the community when installing their wind turbines and solar panels. This serves to provide members of the community with the technical knowledge necessary to maintain the wind turbine systems. Comet-ME has hosted wind turbine workshops for members of the west bank, helping to transfer knowledge to potential engineers in the region. This is also a way to further involve the local community in the project. The idea is that when people help build something themselves, they are much more likely to care about it. By working closely with the local community, and ensuring that they are heavily invested in the renewable energy program, Comet-ME is making sure that their wind turbines and solar panels will still be functional in ten, twenty years.
Thinking long term also requires looking at a project’s long term impact on the community. For Comet-ME’s renewable energy installations, the impact is relatively straightforward, as access to electricity brings numerous benefits. Electricity allows for the use of light bulbs, flashlights and other artificial lighting, which enables community members to read, write, and work at night. Artificial light helps to stimulate education, as almost all of these communities are agricultural and community members work during most of the day. The only time they have for reading and writing is at night. It also increases productivity since farmers can now work into the night if necessary. Additionally, electric lighting eliminates the need for burning wood or oil for light, improving the health conditions of community members.
Electricity also enables the use of laptops, cell phones, and other electronics, facilitating communication and the flow of information into these communities. Access to information and technology is the one of the cornerstones of long term economic development, and it is simply impossible without access to electricity. There are many more benefits to electric power, more than I could possibly list, or even think of. However, let us now look at another part of Comet-ME’s work.
One of Comet-ME’s other main projects is refrigeration, the project that we at Princeton Comet Connection worked on last year. The long term impact of refrigeration is slightly less straightforward. After all, these communities have other pressing needs such as sanitation, heating, etc. that might seem more urgent. Nevertheless, given the local environment, and the needs of the community, access to refrigeration actually has a very high long term economic impact.
Many of the communities in the West Bank export goat butter, milk, and other dairy products as a primary source of income. Without refrigeration, they are forced to sell their products right after they are produced, as dairy spoils very quickly. Also, a great deal of waste occurs as dairy products can spoil before they are brought to market. With refrigeration, farmers can store their products for a period of time, providing a great deal of flexibility with regards to the dairy markets while preventing spoilage and waste, which leads to increased revenue. Refrigeration also enables families to store other foodstuffs, reducing waste and improving health through a more flexible diet. All of this increases the long term revenue and disposable income of the region, which has a substantial impact on its long term economic growth and development.
Thinking long term might seem difficult. After all, no one knows what the actual impact of any given project will be ten years into the future, as any number of unexpected events can throw a project off course. However, it is possible to identify feasible, high impact projects by doing the necessary groundwork and research. This requires spending time in the community, speaking with both community leaders and ordinary people. It also requires looking at closely at the local environment, and thinking about how the environmental factors such as terrain and weather patterns might impact any potential project. Only then will one have the knowledge necessary to find a project that is both feasible given the constraints of the local environment and is something that will have a high impact on the long term welfare of the community.
For example, Comet-ME always performs a thorough assessment of the community before they begin a new installation. They conduct community surveys, and closely analyze the environment. For the refrigeration project, they conducted a survey across all the communities in which they currently work, asking what technology would benefit community members the most. The response was overwhelmingly in favor of refrigeration. Also, Comet has been working in the region for over five years now and now has an intimate knowledge of the region. This type of familiarity with the community and the environment is crucial to the success of design projects in general. It takes years of close interaction to build the necessary knowledge base.
So whenever you are thinking about starting a new aid project, always ask yourself and your team, “What will happen when we leave?” If you don’t have an answer to that question, it is probably a good idea to stop and think about the long term effects of your project. Of course, try not to spend too much time on discussion. At some point, when you have done all the preparation you can do, move towards some real action.
What Happens When We Leave?
So this is to be the first of a couple blog posts, and in each post I am hoping to talk about some lessons I learned from working with Comet-ME. In the first post, I will be discussing the need for aid and development projects to think long term, and some strategies for making sure that these projects have a lasting impact. In case you are not familiar with Comet-ME (Community, Energy, Technology in the Middle East), our partner NGO, they are an Israeli group that provides renewable, off-grid power systems in the West Bank. These systems mainly consist of wind turbines and solar panels. They also provide other basic technology such as refrigeration.
Last year, during our first Skype meeting with the head of Comet-ME, Elad, I remember being surprised to hear that Comet charges money for their wind/solar energy systems, even though they could probably find sponsorship to provide their services for free. I was also surprised to hear that Comet-ME consisted of only three permanent members; they employ members of the local community for their larger hybrid wind/solar installation. So why does this NGO use local labor when they could probably find far more experienced personnel? Why do they force these impoverished communities to pay for a service that they could potentially provide for free?
As I soon came to learn, the answer lies in the need for all aid and development projects to have a long term focus. Aid organizations need to always ask: “What will happen to the community after we leave?” This long term thinking involves looking at both the long term impact of the project, and the longevity of the system they are implementing. First, Comet-ME needs to ensure that the community has the motivation as well as the technical knowledge to maintain their renewable energy systems, so that those systems will last into the future. By charging a fee for their services, Comet ME ensures that the community is invested in the renewable energy system. While their fee is usually small (less than the cost of building the wind/solar installation), the fact that community members had to spend their hard earned money will make it so that the community values the energy system. Charity also has a tendency to foster dependency on the aid organization, as community members begin to expect giveaways. In this situation, the aid organization actually does more harm than good.
Additionally, Comet-ME works closely with the community when installing their wind turbines and solar panels. This serves to provide members of the community with the technical knowledge necessary to maintain the wind turbine systems. Comet-ME has hosted wind turbine workshops for members of the west bank, helping to transfer knowledge to potential engineers in the region. This is also a way to further involve the local community in the project. The idea is that when people help build something themselves, they are much more likely to care about it. By working closely with the local community, and ensuring that they are heavily invested in the renewable energy program, Comet-ME is making sure that their wind turbines and solar panels will still be functional in ten, twenty years.
Thinking long term also requires looking at a project’s long term impact on the community. For Comet-ME’s renewable energy installations, the impact is relatively straightforward, as access to electricity brings numerous benefits. Electricity allows for the use of light bulbs, flashlights and other artificial lighting, which enables community members to read, write, and work at night. Artificial light helps to stimulate education, as almost all of these communities are agricultural and community members work during most of the day. The only time they have for reading and writing is at night. It also increases productivity since farmers can now work into the night if necessary. Additionally, electric lighting eliminates the need for burning wood or oil for light, improving the health conditions of community members.
Electricity also enables the use of laptops, cell phones, and other electronics, facilitating communication and the flow of information into these communities. Access to information and technology is the one of the cornerstones of long term economic development, and it is simply impossible without access to electricity. There are many more benefits to electric power, more than I could possibly list, or even think of. However, let us now look at another part of Comet-ME’s work.
One of Comet-ME’s other main projects is refrigeration, the project that we at Princeton Comet Connection worked on last year. The long term impact of refrigeration is slightly less straightforward. After all, these communities have other pressing needs such as sanitation, heating, etc. that might seem more urgent. Nevertheless, given the local environment, and the needs of the community, access to refrigeration actually has a very high long term economic impact.
Many of the communities in the West Bank export goat butter, milk, and other dairy products as a primary source of income. Without refrigeration, they are forced to sell their products right after they are produced, as dairy spoils very quickly. Also, a great deal of waste occurs as dairy products can spoil before they are brought to market. With refrigeration, farmers can store their products for a period of time, providing a great deal of flexibility with regards to the dairy markets while preventing spoilage and waste, which leads to increased revenue. Refrigeration also enables families to store other foodstuffs, reducing waste and improving health through a more flexible diet. All of this increases the long term revenue and disposable income of the region, which has a substantial impact on its long term economic growth and development.
Thinking long term might seem difficult. After all, no one knows what the actual impact of any given project will be ten years into the future, as any number of unexpected events can throw a project off course. However, it is possible to identify feasible, high impact projects by doing the necessary groundwork and research. This requires spending time in the community, speaking with both community leaders and ordinary people. It also requires looking at closely at the local environment, and thinking about how the environmental factors such as terrain and weather patterns might impact any potential project. Only then will one have the knowledge necessary to find a project that is both feasible given the constraints of the local environment and is something that will have a high impact on the long term welfare of the community.
For example, Comet-ME always performs a thorough assessment of the community before they begin a new installation. They conduct community surveys, and closely analyze the environment. For the refrigeration project, they conducted a survey across all the communities in which they currently work, asking what technology would benefit community members the most. The response was overwhelmingly in favor of refrigeration. Also, Comet has been working in the region for over five years now and now has an intimate knowledge of the region. This type of familiarity with the community and the environment is crucial to the success of design projects in general. It takes years of close interaction to build the necessary knowledge base.
So whenever you are thinking about starting a new aid project, always ask yourself and your team, “What will happen when we leave?” If you don’t have an answer to that question, it is probably a good idea to stop and think about the long term effects of your project. Of course, try not to spend too much time on discussion. At some point, when you have done all the preparation you can do, move towards some real action.
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