Standing on the Curve: Unequal Development

World economic development has reached an inflection point. We are standing uncertainly at a point on the curve where parts of the globe that used to be called the ‘third world’ will now power the global economy. But deep structural problems still remain in huge swathes of the emerging economies, even as they produce millionaires faster than anywhere else in the world. 1 out of 4 people in the world still do not have access to light. In Indonesia, the biggest and potentially most dynamic country in Asia Pacific, 2 out of 5 Indonesians still live in darkness. The contradictory nature of development as sketched so far illustrates the classic problem of globalization –inequality.

A Third Way in Addressing Energy Poverty

Inequality of development as expressed through energy poverty can be addressed in many ways. Commonly, they take the form of large, national-level renewable energy projects in partnership with blue-chip international bodies like the World Bank. Many well-meaning NGOs and philanthropic foundations are also doing good work on the ground.

There is another way. We can tap into the energy of youths and young professionals who are not development experts, but are willing to invest their time to help tackle poverty. Why is this necessary? The scale of energy poverty is too large that no net is large enough to wrap itself around the problem. Public institutions remain weak in the emerging economies. NGOs have finite resources and cannot spread themselves thin. But before this idea becomes a viable ‘third’ way, we need to rethink our approach towards youth-led development projects.

“Schools are Easy. Learning is Hard.”

In Singapore, many youth expeditions to developing countries are not structured to be sustainable. A typical project, for example, involves starting a library. Participants feel fulfilled. They may also obtain a new cultural experience and come back enriched. But it is unclear if the village benefits in the long term. There is little reason to create libraries if resources are also not invested for something more complex, time consuming but essential – inculcating a reading culture. Similarly, there is little reason to focus on building new schools when money can be better spent on raising the quality of rural teachers. As Slate’s correspondent Annie Lowrey similarly notes, “Schools are easy. Learning is hard.”

Such trips are designed, consciously or otherwise, with the participant’s self development primarily in mind. For youth-led renewable energy initiatives, the aim can still be achieved if such projects are designed to be sustainable and measurable.  The following questions may act as a useful guide:

• Can the system sustain itself?
• Does the solution help create a sense of ownership in the village?
• Can the impact be measured in both the short and medium term?
• Can there be regular monitoring and follow up for at least a year after the project is executed?
• Has the project adopted best practices from the field of business and development to make it sustainable?
• Given the vast intellectual resources of the university, has the project attempted to innovate and produce a new solution or approach to the problem of energy poverty?

For the past one year, I have been working with a small group of dedicated youths and young professionals to introduce solar powered lamps in the Riau Islands. We adopt a social entrepreneurship model. The lamps are not given away for free but are paid for through a simple installment scheme. A lot of time is also spent educating, interacting and convincing the villagers on the benefit of the lamps.

The money earned from the system is then used to buy another batch of lamps. This model creates an unwritten social obligation: If you do not pay for your lamps, we cannot order a new batch for your neighbors and friends. This system also prevents the creation of new power structures that make the village dependent on foreign aid. Recently, we have created a new distribution channel by training several women to be our solar lamp entrepreneurs.

As of July 2011, we have reached over 220 households across 3 islands. In the overall scheme of things, this project remains small scale. It is also challenging. We make mistakes along the way and learn the importance of adapting while in the field. A lot of effort had to be put in and the team must be committed to see it through. But we have also learnt that non-experts like us can adopt best practices in the field and make them work. Imagine the multiplier effect if hundreds of youths organization adopt such an approach or commit to similar projects.

The problem of energy poverty is so severe that we need many hands on the ground. Youths and young professionals can be an integral part of this solution. But before we intervene, it is useful to remember that there is probably a good reason why the library remains unused or why the energy-guzzling computers donated last year remain switched off.

Fairoz Ahmad is a co-founder of and advisor to Nusantara Development Initiatives (NDI), a youth organization working on renewable energy projects in Indonesia. He holds a Masters of Social Sciences from the National University of Singapore.