Southeast Asian villages profit from preservation
Social enterprises have become a more popular way of developing impoverished villages. There is a compelling argument that building thriving businesses is more sustainable than donations and handouts. It also empowers locals to take more responsibility over how to develop their towns.
Tourism is a natural fit, and also creates jobs at many levels of society. The Wall Street Journal profiled two Southeast Asian villages in this article: A Fresh Start.
I’ll confess that the selfish side of me wants to visit these villages before they get too developed. All too often, backpackers are the vanguard for the package tourists. Given that these places are still relatively obscure, there should still be ample time to get in before they’re “discovered.”
In your travels, have you seen any examples of social enterprises? What’s your opinion on them?
February 12th, 2010 at 11:13 am
This article reminds me about what is happening in Haiti. Everyone has jumped on the donation bandwagon, but what about their daily life? Many people are unaware of Haiti’s history and present. What about their future? Not many people know how thar tariffs are imposed on Haiti or who’s imposing them. And, people wonder why the country doesn’t thrive.
As long as social enterprises respect the area and culture, it’s good for the people to be able to thrive. There’s no harm in helping people. However, when you impose your thoughts and beliefs on how countries should be run, you run into trouble.