I come at this from the humblest of perspectives. The following is based on personal experience and study, which, in the grand scheme of things, is nothing compared to the experts out there – most importantly, the Africans who receive aid and then the professionals and academics who keep the industry on its toes. Among others, see Aid Watch, Texas in Africa, Project Diaspora and so forth.
Dear Jason Sadler,
There are already a lot of intelligent people who have criticized your idea and offered valuable input. It would be very, very wise to take advice from them. This includes Texas in Africa, Project Diaspora (TMS Ruge), Good Intentions are Not Enough and so on.
Regardless, as you are soliciting thoughts, I would also like to weigh in. I have copied one of my colleagues here (Joseph Okumu, Executive Director of BOSCO Uganda), as well as TMS Ruge, both Ugandans who can help further this discussion in their own right.
For those of us who have worked in the continent as foreigners (and I am limited to East Africa – which holds some of the countries you indicated would receive t-shirts), this initiative – put bluntly – is a regretful waste of your time and money, others’ time and money, and the resources that go into shipping products and paying customs to/in another continent. And, as you seem a person aware of the value of time, perhaps you might be able to direct your resources into better and more informed investments.
There is a massive used clothing market here in northern Uganda where I live right now – and I’ve seen the same thing across the East African region. While this market perhaps benefited from the original dump of clothing aid which offered products to sell as a derivative, its expansion – and thus the provision of new jobs – is equally hampered by these free products.
A continued aid dump limits local innovation and opportunity. Instead of working towards locally sourcing (new jobs) products to make X and Y pieces of clothing, these countries absorb the free-hand outs from elsewhere and thus fail to develop new industries that would offer additional employment and income. Most people I know here are eager to implement new businesses that rely on locally made resources (which has the potential to be cheaper) and begin successful local, regional and international trade. Why not help out instead of hinder?
You might argue that there are people who are so poor that the above has no relevance to them – they just want their children to have a shirt and shorts on at all times. Well, this is somewhat true. However, these are the extreme poor and are best helped through specific organizations that have a long lasting relationship with these fragile communities. Either way, these communities will take your shirts – and then sell them to a used clothing broker to cover more immediate needs like health costs and food.
On top of the other suggestions you have received, perhaps you could consider using donated funds to fuel micro finance (or full scale industry) initiatives that encourage local production through more experienced organizations or businesses (Acumen, for example).
Another example. There are hundreds of fabulous tailors in the used clothing market here who, instead of selling used clothing for little profit with little potential for expansion, make beautiful dresses, skirts, shirts and otherwise from regionally-sourced cloth. This both leaves room for innovation and provides jobs to people around the continent in clothing production. Perhaps you could invest here.
You could also consider visiting the region before going full-speed ahead with this project and meeting with organizations like BRAC, which are very experienced in economic development and were built from their own struggle against poverty and conflict in areas like Bangladesh.
Personally, I think the best way to measure a project’s worth is to determine whether or not your project and yourself will be necessary in the long-run. You should always have in mind that building local capacity means handing the reins over to a local person in the country of origin. You should also have in mind that becoming irrelevant means building the skills and capacity within a country to achieve the same goal. In this case, 1millionshirts is trying to solve a problem that cannot be solved externally, but only through targeted local development that gives people new jobs and trains them in marketable skills thus reducing poverty.
An onslaught of criticism to an idea you work really hard to build and implement is not fun. However, the bigger picture should make us all wiser and humbler. With continued dependency on aid and free hand-outs, these African countries you target might never emerge from poverty and make the same strides as emerging economic powers. Perhaps you could read Dambisa Moyo’s book Dead Aid, which is a good, if not simplistic, introduction to this fact.
Lastly, and I find this quite funny, I used to visit Toy Market in Nairobi. It’s a huge clothing market with hundreds and hundreds of used clothing stalls. At the peak of the day, the most common customer is a foreigner, re-purchasing the clothes that some well-intentioned American donated. This applies to clothing markets in Nairobi, northern Uganda and beyond. Worth a laugh, no?
[NOTE: There are a myriad of reasons why some countries are failing to emerge from poverty. The above is a simplistic snapshot of one such factor. For more information, please consult those who have dedicated their lives to trying to understand and influence the process of poverty. There are too many such people/organizations to name, but do note Yunus, BRAC and founders, Kiva (despite recent controversy), the Aga Khan Development Network, Samasource and Acumen Fund. All come with their own baggage, but are worth delving into if you want to move beyond the surface argument.]
It would probably help this discussion a huge amount if Jason were clearer about the organisations that he’s been talking with about this project; you can find the list on the project’s website. Without wanting to be unnecessarily dismissive of those organisations, it does not look like a particularly good sample on which to base one’s endeavours.
That was a thoughtful (and balanced!) letter. I’m looking forward to hearing how the online conference goes – any chance you (or anyone) could post the salient points? It’ll be interesting how this develops – it seems that this is a watershed moment regarding development aid/debates (as Chris Fabian originally commented) on the meeting of social media/immediate knowledge transfer by practitioners all with varied expertise.
Also, completely unrelated to the 1million shirts debate, I wanted to say how fantastic your photographs are. If you don’t mind me asking, what kind of camera do you use? (not that a good camera automatically = great pics……you clearly have a really good eye!)
Hey Avam, Thanks for the comment. I also look forward to seeing the continuation of the debate. I have just moved to Syria, so not sure where you will be able to locate those salient points. Will look around. Do keep an eye on the Texas in Africa blog, of course. Otherwise, I use a Nikon D80, nothing fancy! My wide angle and 50mm take the best shots I find. Cheers!
What is popular isn’t always right and what is right isn’t always popular.
Well, Jason, it’s great that you are now looking at ways to turn your project into something positive. But I also think the critical tone of TMS Ruge’s blog post and comments has been just right. Frankly, yes, I think we *do* want to discourage the proliferation of well-meaning but ill-thought-through schemes in the future. Isn’t “do no harm” a better principle than “just do something”? When a project seems highly likely to cause harm, not doing it at all would be an improvement. Passion is just not enough: doing something useful requires a lot of time, patience, and humility to learn from the wealth of experience already out there.
I vote for a quick and amazing reincarnation. The attention this issue has gotten is enormous. If Jason can combine his marketing savvy, resources of t-shirts and the expertise of the top professionals in the aid industry into a well-intentioned AND well-researched AND well-designed program everyone would benefit. There have been some interesting ideas about how to leverage the t-shirt inventory and the market reach already, and I am sure with some collaboration, these could be fine-tuned to a project that does more good than harm.
THAT would be a huge success for everyone and an incredible story of the power of networks, and the redemption to be found in listening. A “bad boy goes good” story. In fact, I could see a book deal out of a story like that. And I bet you could get Bill Easterly or Dambisa Moyo to write the forward.
Best of luck,
Katherine (@solarafrica)
Thank you Siena for taking the time to post an intelligent, factual and much-needed response to the ridiculous million-Tshirt project. The well-intentioned but horribley mis-informed out there need to be educated, not yelled at (as much as I’d like to do so). You approached the matter with a great deal of respect, sesitivity and grace towards the person(s) your response was directed at. Well done.
This is an incredible opportunity to make lemonade out of lemons. Through the innovation of social media and the interest of passionate people there is now the chance to “build a better mousetrap”. Discussion, debate, and dialog is good if everyone is respectful and willing to listen. Good intentions are certainly not enough. People don’t know what they don’t know. Thank you to everyone represented here for being a part of this.
Well, I am going to have to reason this from a local insight perspective.
Jason, your idea is not that bad [not the worst] but honestly lets face the truth here; Africa faces very many problems today and most of these revolve around food shortages, disease, limited access to safe water, poor sanitation as the most important among others NOT lack of clothing. Basically these are the ones that we [everyone] need to solve urgently.
But even then, I don’t believe that FOREIGN AID would be the best way of solving such problems. By BEST WAY I mean SUSTAINABLE way!
I think its about time the World realised that we are NOT living for today’s satisfaction – But we are Planning for the Future!!!
Jason, the 1,000,000 TShirts project would be good in the short run. But is that what the people in Africa want most now? Maybe you have not set your priorities for FOREIGN AID right. All this money you are going to spend on export the shirts and customs would be probably make a better deal if invested in developing rural agriculture or even something else that benefits wider communities in the long run.
If I were you, I would rather TEACH a man how to make his own shirt but NOT give him a shirt. HOW?
Invest in SOCIAL VENTURE, inspire the people to start SMALL but INNOVATIVE projects that can help them generate income while solving the most pressing problems.
I don’t think the idea of TSHIRTS is anywhere close to social innovation.
FOR YOUR INFO: We have people in Uganda who would donate MORE than 1,000,000 shirts or Tshirts to people in Uganda [and beyond] considering very many people already have clothes that they don’t need in their homes here.
Now From all that let me SUM IT UP ALL POLITELY by saying:
AFRICANS NEED SKILLS TO SOLVE THE EXISTING PROBLEMS NOT JUST AN ALREADY TAILORED SOLUTION like T-Shirts!!
I wish more people responding like you. Your words are valuable and extremely helpful, thank you for taking the time.
Jason,
I don’t blame you for asking that. The thing is that people who live and/or work in ‘developing countries’ have been hearing about ideas like yours for a long time, and seeing them fail over and over again, or seeing them do harm to the people and the economies that people think they are helping.
At first glance if you are not someone who works in this field, you probably wouldn’t have any idea why sending t-shirts to Africa is a bad idea. You certainly wouldn’t know it from reading or seeing television news about similar projects by celebrities or big companies or watching commercials by sponsorship organizations or other charities trying to raise money. But those celebrities and big companies have equally bad ideas. And those charities are not telling the whole story, they are telling a part of the story to motivate fund raising. All of those people have PR agencies to promote their ideas and make everyone think they are good ideas or think that everyone in Africa or Asia or Latin America is poor and needy and half naked. And most of them don’t respond to criticisms of their projects on twitter or blogs so there is really not a lot of useful conversation. They just keep doing their bad projects or showing images that don’t reflect the full reality, and doing more harm than good because they refuse to listen or see the bigger picture of what could really help in the right way.
The people who are criticizing you all have some serious credentials. They are not just jumping on the bandwagon and following what other people say. These are some of the most knowledgeable people around on this topic. And i think they are worn out by explaining the same things over and over to people, and then waking up the next day and seeing someone committing the same mistakes once more, and by seeing celebrities promote themselves by doing these kinds of projects, and promoting bad ideas that are not helpful.
I think you might just be the straw that broke the camel’s back on this, and people felt like enough is enough, so you are kind of taking the heat for a lot of other people who are promoting similar ideas, like the organization that is collecting 50,000 shoes for Haiti, the one that is collecting bicycles for poor kids, etc.
You’ve heard all the arguments by now about why sending 1million shirts to Africa is a bad idea, and so I won’t repeat them.
So getting to my point here — you have a golden opportunity. You’re in the spotlight. You have some of the top professionals in this area who are scheduling a call with you. Instead of blowing you off, they are willing to talk, to see how this moment can be used to get a point across to a lot of people. Normally you’d never have this type of professional expertise on one phone call at the same time, for free, willing to help you turn your good intentions into something that will help much more than your original idea.
So take advantage of it, and be that guy who says OK, this isn’t my field of expertise, but I want to do something good. Take the advice and really figure out how to something good. I mean, your goal is really helping as many people as you can, right? So if what you do is good, then you’ll have all these people talking about you in a positive way. Win-win.
Jason,
I absolutely don’t think anyone is upset or thinks it is “bad” that you want to help, and use your tools, resources, and talents at hand to do so. Please notice that no one has confronted that point. This is something the people who seem critical of 1 Million Shirts undoubtedly know well, as they have dedicated their lives to making the world a better place in various international development areas.
You raise the point a few times in several blog comment responses today that 90% of people support – why do they think it is a good idea, when only 10% have become vocal that 1 Million Shirts is a bad idea.
Instead of arguing these points, I would like to ask: are you asking the right questions?
- Who is the 90% supporting the endeavor right off the bat? Why do they seem so eager to support it? [Being in nonprofit work myself, it seems that most people don't take the time to do their due diligence before supporting a cause; often, the best marketing and flashy exterior will capture the attention and "support" larger audience, even if the substance is not completely there or the work is not sustainable]
- Who is being critical? Why? [Doesn't it carry some weight that all of the initial uproar and [constructive] criticism that has emerged is from the experienced development community? They aren’t trying to attack you as a person, or even your t-shirt business, but rather trying to be the hawk for aid gone bad all over Africa – wanting to break the cycle, to encourage smart investment, aid, and development…]
- Who has the most expertise for you as a striving social entrepreneur to glean from?
…And some questions that have been alluded to several blog posts:
- What is the most effective way to really help [in Africa]? [cost, resources, impact]
- What is the greatest need?
- What do the people want [in the areas where you want to help]?
- What does sustainability look like there?
- How do you implement it?
A post just came out from Mobile Active about how good this conversation is for the development community. I hope you will see the good things that have and will come from this heated discussion. There is room for growth here. And honestly, I hope you know that if you do change directions with some of the great suggestions and expertise you’ve been given today, you’ll have a whole new group of people behind your work. I would guess that all of the people being critical or participating in this discussion are not out to see you fail, but rather, like you, want to truly help others and make a lasting, smart, sustainable, positive difference in our world today.
Cheers,
Erin Swanson
@explodingsoul
Erin – I wish I could say I believed you that people were actually behind me and not out to see me fail. Because the title of the post you reference on Mobile Active is “1 Million Shirts – How to Fail Fast and with Scrutiny”. Also, the second paragraph explicitly says “Obviously this is a bad idea”. Is there some good in the article, yes.
The biggest issue I have with all the critics is not that they are critical, it’s that they are cynical and ignorant. I strongly believe people like Siena are behind me and will probably donate a t-shirt or 2 if there are better plans of action put in place for those shirts. But you can’t possibly tell me that people like TMS Rogue who has commented here and contradicted himself here will ever change his mind. I hope I’m wrong in assuming that, because I am open to listen, to learn and happy to forgive those who personally attacked me. I’m not losing sleep over it, but everyone wants me to change and I’m willing, are they?
My last question for you: How many people in my situation do you think would even still be engaging in discussion with the critics? Especially with the majority of negative remarks and personal attacks on my competency as a human being. I’d venture to say 99% of people would have given up or just blatantly ignored them and moved on. I have not.
No matter what, thank you for taking the time, I appreciate it.
Hey Jason,
Sorry it has taken me a while to reply to your previous comment!
First of all, there is much wisdom in the doctor analogy. In the field of doing good, there are experts. They are not fool proof in their approach, by any means, but they do know more and often better than the majority. While many people may be on board, I would take their advice first and foremost. Also, as I mentioned earlier, the support of two NGOs does not necessarily outweigh the long-term harm either.
Secondly, I am behind your energy and entrepreneurship. But unless 1millionshirts becomes a sustainable plan of action vetted and approved by respected seasoned development/aid workers, I, regretfully, will not be supporting this idea. The bottom line will probably always be that clothing, for good reasons, is not a priority in terms of human wellness, safety and development. There are many ways to turn things around though, as people have been discussing, so I do look forward to what the future holds in terms of your ambition for change.
Hopefully the discussion went well last night (or your lunch). Do fill me in!
Siena
Your ego is suffocating. “They want to see ME fail… everyone wants ME to change… people in MY situation…” Bro, get over yourself! Not only do you have minimal experience in int’l development professionally, but you clearly have a limited exposure to the history and dynamics of the sector itself. Amazing, then, that you have the gall to roll in and presume to thumb your nose at professionals (of which I am one) who tell you earnestly, if a bit frustratedly: this is not a good idea. Please stop. You are doing more harm than good.
Wonderful discussion, Siena. You’re not quite as entertaining as the more snarky aid critics, but you are a much more productive communicator. Your blogroll appears to be an Easterly crowd of aid critics that I think most Westerners are completely unaware of. As a teacher, I’d say 100% of my students would never even think to question the effectiveness of a charity. In their minds, the only question is how willing are you to give or work for a cause. Problems are solved with donations and accomplishments are measured in dollars. I almost feel sorry for Jason as he has naively and perhaps carelessly jumped into an ambush from very well educated critics and he is in way over his head. I’m sure he has good intentions to do great charitable things, but I doubt he cares enough to actually read any books on the developing world, but maybe I’m wrong. And to be honest with you, I’m not sure he needs to. He’s a social media entrepreneur. He should partner with an aid organization and come up with a better plan than this current disaster.
Jason,
If you’re reading this. You unfortunately put yourself in a tough spot. The fact of the matter is that many books have been written recently that point out all the negative effects of aid, and your 1 million shirt campaign is the perfect textbook example of a bad aid project according to this train of thinking. It’s nothing personal, you’re not the only one getting heckled, and the organizations you’re working with should have known better. Find a way to make a stronger connection to the people you are trying to help and better ideas will evolve.
After reading your extremely articulate and well-reasoned post and responses, I can only say that I truly hope that Jason and the 1Millionshirts team consider what you’ve said, and consider the other reasoned arguments to that effect.
Jason, I admire your enthusiasm and respect and envy your entrepreneurial spirit. I’m only a recent graduate of int’l development studies who has done minimal work and study in some African countries, so I am hardly an expert (and barely even a novice). What I can say, however, is that four years ago, before starting my degree, I would probably have been one of the 80% (or 600 people) who would have supported this project, simply because it sounds really ‘helpful’ to the untrained ear. Four years of careful study and experience have helped me to break my own stereotypes and assumptions down, and now it is practically impossible for me not to apply my critical thinking skills to questions like these . I don’t mean this to sound arrogant, but most of the people coming forward and offered criticisms are those who have dedicated their lives, in some way or another, to the complex world of development. Not all of them are correct in their critiques, and clearly not all of them are totally tactful in their approach, but many of them are what you might consider ‘experts’ in a similar way to someone who studies engineering or marketing are experts compared to the average person. Even if I might not place as much trust in the opinion of a fellow development worker on some project or approach as I would in an electrical engineer to design an electrical plan, I think it’s hasty to ignore the value of their critiques since many have a lot more experience than the average person.
I apologize if this doesn’t help answer the question about what to do instead. but I guess I just wanted to urge you, Jason, to really consider what Siena had stated so well here. Yes. Please consider a) that you might be able to use your awesome marketing skills and established network in a different way upon advisement by some of these critics outside of the 2 NGOs you have consulted or b) that dropping this project altogether wouldn’t be a defeat, but an opportunity to engage your captive audience on the realities of development and help those of us trying to break the stereotypes of Africa, aid, and ‘poverty’ reach even more people.
Best and good luck.
Thanks, to both Jason and you, Siena, for a well-reasoned, thoughtful way to respond. I think one of the reasons why we are all reacting strongly is that some of these efforts that Jason exemplifies with the 1 Million Shirt campaign has driven us batty for a long time. That notwithstanding, the discussion has generated a number of very useful blog posts and suggestions and resulted in a discussion about what constitutes effective aid versus self-promotional, harmful, and misguided charity. And Jason – no one has this figured out completely, by the way.
To reiterate – it would be good to have a PUBLIC, multi-lateral discussion – with Africans, with aid workers, and with you and other charity efforts like yours about what makes sense, what does not, and why. The invitation stands that I extended on twitter for us to organize it, have a neutral facilitator who can engage people without judgment, and engage in a respectful and smart conversation that is actually productive. @texasinafrica and @talesfromthhood have already indicated their willingness to engage, and I hope you, Siena, and maybe @tmsruge and others (this is an open invitation!) will as well! Offer stands
Jason – the door is and has been wide open.
Best,
Katrin
Sounds great Katrin. Looking forward to this!
I am 100% in for a call and we’re trying to organize on our end. People from HELPint.org are in Haiti and Ken from WaterIsLife is ready to speak whenever. I’ll try to respond to everyone on Twitter and set up a time on Friday?
I do like the idea of an extended debate on these issues so count me in I am @ethnicsupplies
As of right now your opinion is the only one I care about. That and Dave (DRC).
Why does everyone have to beat someone down? Why does everyone have to laugh and be sarcastic when someone, who is new to this world, is trying to help? I didn’t create this idea on a whim, I talked to charities (whom I partner with) who have experience in countries and with people that I do not. I don’t have the power or the pull to get $1,000,000 donated, or 1,000,000 pounds of rice (if that’s needed). But I do have the social media presence and pull to get people to donate shirts. I’ve been told by more people that shirts are needed, then by the few who can’t write a blog post like yours.
I’m digging into the issues you’ve raised, but if 1 person can help children get t-shirts because they have that ability, shouldn’t they do that? I don’t have the ability to get money or to get food, it’s not my world. Why can’t I use my resources to make a dent in another issue at hand? If I thought I could get $1,000,000 donated I would… but I’m not a celebrity, I’m a guy that makes a living through t-shirt wearing. That’s my life and how I think I can help.
Hey Jason. Great to hear from you. Thanks for taking the time (particularly with the storm you’ve whipped up on Twitter!)
First of all, as David said, you have the resources to do something. Which is important in itself. The fact that you want to donate your time to do something further differentiates you from almost everyone else. However, there is this golden rule of “good intentions are not enough” (and I’m not referring to the blog). If we all acted on what our hearts determined was right, we would probably do a lot of damage. The perceived needs in one area of the world differ from elsewhere etc. Thus, listening is the most important first step.
Of course, many of the players of development and aid are a fickle and opinionated bunch. I have spent under two years in this field and I have a limited grasp of what is right from wrong. There is a lot yet to be agreed upon, particularly because we are dealing with humanity at its core – poverty both leaves people vulnerable and thinking short-term. At the same time, criticism is inherent to the discipline for the same reason with human lives in play.
At the same time, I can also confidently say that the critiques you are receiving on Twitter are both honest and, in most cases, bang on. Stepping away from criticism and seeing that it is not an affront to self (something I struggle with all the time and wonder daily if I will ever resolve) is the first step into ensuring that your resources and hard work can best be applied to alleviate poverty, whether in the US or abroad.
First of all, I think you could join the online debate that @katrinskaya is proposing. Several of those attendees, while harsh on their blogs, are sympathetic to the idea of helping – providing it is done in a sustainable, forward-thinking and long-term fashion that looks beyond the short-term picture. They would be able to advise you on how best to sink your resources to make the difference you want to see.
Second of all, I think you might find it useful – if not done already – to embark in a thorough study of the field of development and aid. Try to get a better understanding of where all these individuals are coming for. Sample the voices of Ugandans, Congolese, Somalis – particularly those in the Diaspora who continue to support their families back home – and get a varied idea of how they see their communities, countries, regions growing. Coincidentally, the rage that is growing around development and aid will fuel your audience and perhaps offering a fundraising potential through learning. I can assure you TMS Ruge is a nice guy, willing to talk, and with lots of great pointers.
Thirdly, do consider the intentions of the organizations you are partnering with. I do not know them well enough to comment pointedly, but many aid organizations put more emphasis on the support they can receive immediately over the long-term impact of this support. Nature of the industry, one often relying on free help, I suppose.
Fourthly, positive and negative responses considered, I would think about hitting the brakes and considering where you could throw your weight more effectively. Duplication is a big problem in this industry. We have many, many organizations doing the same thing, fundraising for the same goods/services etc. The more that open, the more cumbersome and less effective the work becomes. If you wanted to stay in the line of the clothing industry, do look at already existing initiatives – like the Liberian group already making shirts. Or, you could visit opportunities for investing in the textile industry in Uganda, supporting microfinances that loan to tailors etc.
Finally, I hope that this barrage of criticism will not stop you from learning and growing. When receiving this amount of criticism, I often feel like I must plough over it all, otherwise I will be in the wrong. Fortunately, in this field, there seems to be no distinct line between right and wrong – there is simply a balance that determines one action will do less harm than good. The overwhelming number of comments on Twitter suggest that another approach might be more favourable to the poor than 1millionshirts.
Because you have an invested crowd already, and NGOs behind you, perhaps you could consider changing this initiative – on popular demand – to a learning experience about aid and contributing to aid. You might draw on Good Intentions are Not Enough for advice and use your traffic to raise donations. You have been critiqued by a very, very small, but extremely knowledgeable, portion of the population that has an in-depth idea of how aid functions within the poor economy – capitalize on this learning process and help others learn as well.
Alright, that’s enough! Thanks for your time.
Thanks for the reply and again, for being the only person who takes this conversation seriously. Making fun and slandering in public places is not the way to discuss my idea. I don’t warrant people with responses who don’t care to speak like “adults”. I got in trouble for generalizing with the word “man”.
You mentioned reading into the negative feedback from a “number of comments”. At quick glance, there are about 20 people on twitter, 10 blog posts and 60 comments telling me why my idea is bad. There are over 600 people on Twitter who’ve said exactly the opposite (not including my audience). There are a few blog posts doing the same. Does the 80/20 rule apply here? Would you just say that all of the people saying good things don’t know what they’re talking about? And because someone has a blog and has been somewhere or done something in Africa at one time, they are right?
I understand the non-profit world is not like business, but the amount of negative criticism my personal business received when I launched to the success I have now is very and eerily similar. I had tons of industry leaders and thought-provokers telling me why I was wrong and a lot of people believing in why I was right. I proved them wrong, twice over. Again, I don’t have all the facts, but with only a handful of people telling me I’m wrong – does that make it wrong?
With all due respect, Jason, the answer is Yes. Those 20 people and 60 comments probably DO mean a whole lot more than those 600 people commending you for doing something to help Africa. That’s because those 20 people aren’t just people with blogs who’ve “done something in Africa at one time.” They’re people who have dedicated their lives to aid work, to learning what works and what doesn’t in international development, and they’re people who ARE African, and can tell you first hand what is needed in their individual communities.
As Alanna says in her most recent UN Dispatch post, “If you actually want to help people, you need to put your ego aside. ” It is much easier to listen to the 600 voices telling you that you and your project are wonderful. It is FAR more difficult to bite your tongue, push aside your ego, and listen to the critical voices. But helping people is never easy. I commend your good intentions, but think you need to do a bit more research before jumping in head first. Do your due diligence, just as if you were starting a new business venture.
I would also heed Siena’s gentle warning about researching your partners as well as aid work in general. Life straws are truly an amazing invention that can help save lives, but it looks like WaterIsLife doesn’t have much experience with the clothing issue. I look forward to reading their response to this controversy on the 1 Million Shirts blog.
As for HELP International, I confess that I first mistook them for H.E.L.P. International, a very different organization altogether. I’d be curious to hear HELP’s take on these discussions, since it seems from their website that they may have more direct experience in this area than LifeIsWater.
Overall, I’d also just like to ask that you treat your critics with as much respect and patience as you ask of them. And thank you for switching to “adults” rather then “men.” Much appreciated.
Becky
Jason,
You should be commended for starting a company as innovative as yours. I am sure you heard plenty of criticism since the start and looking at your calender, it appears you have found wild success. Because of this success you have been able to reach a much larger audience that most Americans. It sounds like you have two things you want to address (please correct me if I am wrong). First, you have extra shirts because of your business. Two, you recognize the fact that you reach a large audience and want to utilize your network for good.
It seems like your idea, and I do not know if it came as your idea or was suggested to you, is a marriage of these two things. The concern and reactions are based on the fact that what you have presented is a program that is based in little research or guidance. One suggestion is for you to go to a few of these countries and spend time learning about the various countries in Africa. With this you can come up with a more grounded and articulated plan.
Yes, you are receiving a lot of support but it is important to know who you are getting it from. I am not sure what you experiences were with launching your previous business, but in this case the 20% that is against is made up mostly of people who have had direct experience and have devoted their lives to this issue. Think of it like starting your own football team with never having watched a game and consulting two people on how to build your organization. I would assume that you would take an interest in understanding the game, the economics, the league politics, the players, college football and so on before announcing the development of your team.
It is encouraging that you have been willing to listen to thoughts on this blog. You have to remember that the comments are made with the same good intentions that you are championing. People do not want to see something fail and want to see something created that will be able to accomplish real development gains.
A last thought and/or idea: if you do in fact accomplish your goal of collecting t-shirts. Why not sell them on ebay and use that money plus the dollar you got in each package (or maybe ask for a dollar with each t shirt) to begin a well thought out NGO? You can even sell your previously work t shirts at a slightly higher price. Or you can create a collective of t shirt sellers that sell the shirts individually with a certain cut of the profits going to your newly created organization.
There may only be 10 or 20 people who have critised your idea publicly, but there are many more of us who read these blogs and broadly agree with their comments.
This is my first contribution to this debate (and I am not on Twitter). Although I was disturbed to hear about your project and have been following the blog discussions, I’m mostly content to leave comment to people who are wiser and more experienced than I am. And the video you posted earlier today at http://yfrog.us/5ml49z doesn’t exactly encourage new contributions: “For those of you who are watching this video and have never tried to do anything like this, you have no place in the conversation. Keep your mouths shut. Seriously, what right do you have? Because you’re a troll? Because you’re following someone? Because you’re a ‘follower’ and all you do is read things? Stay out of the conversation.”
You can’t tell people to “stay out of the conversation” and then comment that you haven’t heard from many people who are critical of your idea…
Yes, I strongly suspect that most of the positive comments you’ve had on Twitter are from people who have not thought through this issue in any depth. I’ve worked for international development organisations for a few years, and I feel that the general public in donor countries (judging by my friends and family) tend to default to an assumption that because a project or an organisation is well-intentioned it is achieving good things. Normally when people stop to think more carefully about outcomes and impacts, they end up with a more nuanced view.
I’m glad that your responses here show that you are taking the criticism seriously. And it’s great that you are listening and getting involved in this discussion: some charitable organisations have been implementing inconsequential or (arguably) harmful projects for years, ignoring the sort of criticisms you’re now engaging with.
Why am I not allowed to be passionate and respond to cynics and other people are allowed to personally attack me? It’s a 2-way street. Are you one of the people who I am talking about in my video? Obviously not. Are there 20 people on Twitter who have no experience and are just cheerleading? Yes. The don’t have a place in the conversation because they aren’t DOING anything.
I’m the biggest social media advocate there is, but there is a lot of abuse and lot of hiding when it comes to written word. Of the 1,600+ views on my first video (hatorade), 6 people took the time to call me and speak with me. 5 of them were cordial and engaging. 1 person was a troll and I don’t have time for them and they aren’t helping anyone.
I’ve said it many times, I’m listening and I’m trying to be creative and open minded. I have an avenue for which I believe I can help make a difference in t-shirts. Do the t-shirts have to go to Africa, nope, I never said they had to. It was an honest and lack of knowledge mistake, why should I be ridiculed incessantly for that? Why not help foster my creativity and enthusiasm?
If three doctors are telling you that you have a certain medical condition, but 200 of your friends and family are telling you that you are fine, who do you listen to?
Oops, others have already made that point. But I’d like to second the suggestion to visit some African countries. There is no better way to get a sense of what things are like on the ground.
Jason,
Speaking as an African, if you really want to help, start with the notion of doing no harm. You can achieve your mission by for instance sourcing these T shirts from African textile companies. This would create jobs and revitalize the textile industries on the continent. Uganda for instance has the only certified organic cotton and can you imagine the impact of your actions were to order 1 million t shirts from them? Madagascar, Tanzania and Malawi produce very good cotton too. So if you really want to help, “dumping” T shirts from elsewhere is really not the way to go about it and i suspect you know this already.
If I can help please let me know
Greetings from the DRC.
I like this guy; he has the push to see something through, but he also, apparently (judging from his video), doesn’t react well to criticism, and it looks like the critics are causing him to become entrenched his his views. I feel as though the dissenting points are right, but why knock someone down a peg when you can make the choice to lift them up? I hope your words get through to this guy, because he needs to hear constructive criticism; it’s the best way to move forward. Thanks for your thoughts! Well done.
Hey David! Thanks for your comment. Agreed on the need for a helpful balance. Not sure I’ll ever get that right. However, there are so many wonderful alternatives to starting something from scratch – particularly something that does not feed local economies – that it is hard to remove some emotions from the equation. I hope all suggestions are taken into consideration in the end. As you voiced, he sounds like a resourceful person with a contribution to make. Hopefully it can be directed somewhere effective. Hope all is well in the DRC!
Hello I have a question that I think is logical although one side of a conversation assumes one person in entrenched in their cause in a debate like fashion isn’t the other side just as in their motives. I will not comment on the logistics on what either side is trying to accomplish because I don’t know enough on it, but human nature I can understand very clearly. My question for you all is how do you go about from a non-profit perspective and scrap a project that has already accomplished a fair amount of participation and please don’t just assume you can scrap something like this easily if at all.
Hey David. This is a great question. I think you should direct this towards Twitter as well since my experience in a situation like this is limited. First of all, I do see where you are coming from – Aid is often NOT a flexible industry – donor money and expectations are earmarked and whether or not the idea is functioning, they generally get spent. However, in my response to Jason above, I suggested that he – perhaps – morph the current initiative into a learning/teaching process about aid. Currently Good Intentions Are Not Enough documents excellent ways to spend your charity dollars and energy. However, it would be interesting to see how this learning process unfolds in the Average Joe (not that Jason is, but you get my point
). I’m sure more coherent and pragmatic ideas will unfold via the Twitter stream, after the storm, so please stay tuned.
Hi David, I don’t think it should be about fully scrapping the idea. It is about taking the time to LISTEN, which as you said, he seem to not want to do.
As I said in my post on Project Diaspora, there are much more effective ways to put these shirts to use instead of putting fragile local textile industries and their attendant entrepreneurs at risk of dissolution.
He’s got the stage, but in this instance, he should use that stage to listen instead of bulldozing his good intentions through. This will do more damage in the long-run.
Let’s not forget that all this publicity helps his company. This is pure marketing disguised as charity. He took a book from Ashton Kutcher. He still has time to write a new chapter though.
When have I EVER said I don’t want to listen? In fact, my first video said to call me… 1,667 people have watched the video with my phone number in it. 5 people have called. 1 personal was cynical, the rest were great to speak with.
Wonderful thoughts, Siena. Thanks.
A very reasoned letter Siena, thanks for putting the matter in perspective. Especially from someone with as much experience as you have in the East African theatre. Let’s hope this campaign dies a slow death and he realizes that there are better ways he can implement change or awareness. Unless of course, this is all a ruse to promote his personal business.
This is the thing man… above you say good stuff and then here you say “let’s hop it dies a slow death”. What if you there is some merit here, something that can be done with shirts and my “stage”? How am I supposed to respect and listen to people who have good comments/suggestions/criticism and then say “let’s hope something you’ve worked on and have pride in dies a slow death”? Am I wrong in that regard?
Here’s the thing: people need a lot of things in my country, but somebody’s old shirts isn’t on that list. What are these nameless charities that you claim have told you it is a good idea?
Yeah, agreed with Jason here. What’s up with wishing it a slow death, which implies a long dragged-out period of suffering? Don’t you really mean a quick reincarnation into something you find more useful?
John, yes. Poor choice of words. I should have said, let this project fail fast, and out of the ashes, a new one rise. Given all the excellent ideas thrown forth, I don’t see how you couldn’t come up with a better alternative. This project is tailor-made for just that sort of happy ending. But only if its author is willing to listen.
I was always willing to listen because I have thick skin and genuinely want to help. How do you expect people to be interested in helping when you respond the way you have? Do you want passionate people to give up when they want to help but don’t have the perfect idea?
I look forward to sharing new ideas and figuring out to way to make an impact.
Well, Jason, it’s great that you are now looking at ways to turn your project into something positive. But I also think the critical tone of TMS Ruge’s blog post and comments has been just right. Frankly, yes, I think we *do* want to discourage the proliferation of well-meaning but ill-thought-through schemes in the future. Isn’t “do no harm” a better principle than “just do something”? When a project seems highly likely to cause harm, not doing it at all would be an improvement. Passion is just not enough: doing something useful requires a lot of time, patience, and humility to learn from the wealth of experience already out there.
Dear Jason,
I would love to see a little more humility in all of this from you. This is not about shirts, it is not about Africa… but most importantly, it is not about you.
You feel attacked and I understand that. But after several days of reading all sides of the argument on many forums and blogs (I don’t use twitter), I don’t feel that the majority of people are attacking you – only that the few that are have much louder voices.
The majority of people that have taken the time to contact you are experts in their field and have been through the politics, the agendas, the pitfalls WHILE they have been working overseas.
It may be interesting to you that your project has now become an assignment for our University’s International Community Development Course and this is how I have come to learn about your project. Both your project’s goals and the storm that has followed has taught us how people’s intentions can often cause more harm than good.
I live in Australia and work for a children’s NGO in Indonesia. We have a whole room of clothes that are going mouldy right now. I’m sure they were given for the right reasons but they were not asked for and there is nobody to sort and distribute them (plus nobody seems to want them). After the Bali bombings, so many donations were expensively shipped from Western countries that simply were not needed. What was needed was cash – cash to keep the economy going, cash to help the shopkeeper’s shops open.
The voices of your snarky opponents may be loud but so are those from your bleeding heart advocates. You focus on ane comment about a “slow death”, instead of the many, many comments that are showing you a better way. I’m not sure your skin is as ‘tough’ as you may think.
Maybe now could be the time to close your ears to it all and start to just quietly see what is really happening here…. and gently make some changes that will fit with what you want to do withi the guidelines of what you have been able to learn
It is going to take courage and confidence to let go of your ego for a bit… but I believe that you have been blessed with the most wonderful opportunity to learn and grow. I only wish I could have had so much public help on my own journey in learning about these ideas. Learning (and failing) alone is a lot worse.
I am very mixed on whether or not I feel sorry for you (for all the criticism), or envious at the learning curve you have been given. I know I am definitely jealous of your support!
Either way I really hope this will have a productive ending and I hope you can see what the numerous experts have clearly explained.
Best wishes,
Amy