So what is he doing? That's the question someone asked me recently when I was briefing a potential partner. I had to think about it for a while. Because I had to translation this rural poor Congolese man's action into a developed world action.
In the developed world, we have many specific and varied tools to do a job. We do not just have one Phillips or one flathead screwdriver in our tool box. We probably have many of each type with different sized blades, different shaft lengths, and different handles.
But it in rural poor areas of Congo, you have fewer tools. Therefore, your tools do multi-tasks or multi-functionals. You can use a hoe to plant crops, dig a hole, or cut a log pole from a longer tree. Or you can use a machete to dig a hole or cut a tree down.
The poor make do with what they have. They survive.
Comments