Do we need ethic to work with the local people?

Our way or their way?

Most of development works are done with a set of imported approach including resources and value. We bring something new, something foreign to a specific place, specific communities and hope that they will adopt what ever changes we offer them and thus transform themselves.
And quite often "our way of doing thing" versus "their way of doing thing" are at odd. In my observation, many time we disregard their custom, their system, their way of making decisions, to make sure that we are doing our activities to fit  our own standard.

Most of local communities or indigenous communities has system in place that they follow for hundred of years, perhaps since the time of their ancestors.

For example, in rural Indonesia, the tribe community makes decision through communal gathering, most of the time they start with prayer, serve food, go thorough discussion of the topics, and sometimes followed by performing traditional ceremonies.

This process can be rigorous at times and we often left with little patient to go through the process and adopt at their ways of doing the things. Sometimes it's due to efficiency as traditional ceremony can not be part of our budget. Instead we hand-pick those who we consider as the key persons and harvest on their point of views on certain issues and based our project on those who we talked to.

This practice sometimes can hinder our efforts to help the most needy. Those who are marginalized or don't have voice nor influence but to surrender to the decision of others that imposed upon them. And how is this approach in tune with our most clear objective? to target the inequity?

On the other hand, to completely follow the traditions of the local community might  not be effective as well, especially when it comes to certain issues like gender and women participation in making decisions, due to the patriarchal system that they adopt.

Tangible change vs intangible change?

It's easy to judge our success by seeing things that are tangible, for example latrines are in place, the water system runs to the village, materials are distributed. But how about things that are beyond our eyes? What has been change in their systems due to our presence? are there changes at all? if so, is it positive? how does this affect the community? and most important things are they going to maintain the positive impact of our intervention and solid as a community?

Framework of ethics to work with the local

It seems, we need a certain framework or guidance on how we conduct our business, especially to work with the local community. And consider if it is important to value their systems. Does it make sense to adopt to their way of doing things and why? and to consider how our intended good will  do good than harm?

This reminds me of my journalist friend, Susi. In between our morning tea at work, she asked me a mind provoking questions, why do we need to change the way how the local or indigenous people do their business? they have survived so far, how do we know that we are better than them?

I guess she has a point there, however when it comes to certain aspects like saving lives, helping prevented maternal mortality, helping them to live peacefully in their forests, we probably can offer some interventions.