Respect them

Dr. Ernesto Sirolli is a passionate Italian, passionate about what helps the people of developing countries. He spent seven years with an Italian NGO (non-governmental organization) trying to help several African nations - and they failed in every project.

Those seven years shaped the rest of his life.  He explains his conclusions in his TED Talk:

Westerners have related to the people of Africa in one of two ways and he doesn't like either:

• paternalistic - you are our children
• patronizing - you are our servants

"If people do not wish to be helped, leave them alone. This should be the first principle of aid. The first principle of aid is respect."

"I invented a system called "enterprise facilitation." You never initiate anything, never motivate anyone, You become a servant of the local people who have a dream to become a better person. We meet at local cafe and become friends, find out what that person wants to do with their own money and their own energy. The passion that person has for her own growth is the most important thing. We help them go and find the knowledge."

"For once, why don't we listen to them?"