Three years ago during a visit to Al Adiseyah, a small rural village in northern Jordan, the leader of the local social welfare committee described the problem that the area citrus farmers were having in obtaining a good price for their lemon harvest. Working with a Jordan based NGO we have attempted to assist the farmers in resolving the issues. In the process we have had several false s
tarts because we forgot one of the lessons that we should have learned from observing economic development in Central America. The Americans would come into these countries and say you have these problems and we can come and solve them for you. The Communists, on the other hand, would come and sit in the coffee shops and say “you people shouldn’t be living like this.”A better solution was when advisors would try to motivate the local people to identify their problems and take action to solve them. Once we engaged with the local community and not just the leaders we were able to find a solution that works for them. Twelve young single women have formed a group to produce concentrate for lemonade from the lemons that can not be sold at a reasonable price in the fresh market. The young women are able to increase their family’s income by about 10%, but beyond that they feel empowered and as one said “we are not just sitting at home waiting for a
husband”. In this part of the world there are many cultural barriers to full participation by women in much of community life. These barriers have the effect of marginalizing half of the brain power of the population and they place these countries at an economic disadvantage. It was amazing to see the change in the dynamic within the group once the men left the room. As an American man I was able to be an honorary woman and observe this change. These young women have been encouraged to speak up for what they want and to try to achieve it. By doing this we may have created some problems for their fathers, brothers and future husbands. We in the west tend to define a “better life” in economic terms and we are surprised that in other cultures a “better life” may be defined in other ways. We all define a “better life” and success in our own way and in our own terms. For me success in this project will be when we can call these women and ask them to come and work in a bazaar or farmer’s market to sell their product and they can say yes and come without having to ask permission from their father, brothers or husband.
tarts because we forgot one of the lessons that we should have learned from observing economic development in Central America. The Americans would come into these countries and say you have these problems and we can come and solve them for you. The Communists, on the other hand, would come and sit in the coffee shops and say “you people shouldn’t be living like this.”A better solution was when advisors would try to motivate the local people to identify their problems and take action to solve them. Once we engaged with the local community and not just the leaders we were able to find a solution that works for them. Twelve young single women have formed a group to produce concentrate for lemonade from the lemons that can not be sold at a reasonable price in the fresh market. The young women are able to increase their family’s income by about 10%, but beyond that they feel empowered and as one said “we are not just sitting at home waiting for a 
husband”. In this part of the world there are many cultural barriers to full participation by women in much of community life. These barriers have the effect of marginalizing half of the brain power of the population and they place these countries at an economic disadvantage. It was amazing to see the change in the dynamic within the group once the men left the room. As an American man I was able to be an honorary woman and observe this change. These young women have been encouraged to speak up for what they want and to try to achieve it. By doing this we may have created some problems for their fathers, brothers and future husbands. We in the west tend to define a “better life” in economic terms and we are surprised that in other cultures a “better life” may be defined in other ways. We all define a “better life” and success in our own way and in our own terms. For me success in this project will be when we can call these women and ask them to come and work in a bazaar or farmer’s market to sell their product and they can say yes and come without having to ask permission from their father, brothers or husband.
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