FutureGenerations

Future Generations Afghanistan Country Director, Aziz Hakimi, writes an occasional paper on the strength of involving communities to determine their own needs and priorities. The paper discusses the use of the SEED-SCALE approach to implement community development.  SEED-SCALE stands for Self-evaluation for effective decision making and systems for communities to adapt, learn, and expand.

Niger was all but given a death sentence in the 1970s when drought-propelled desertification, rapid population growth, and unsustainable farming practices threatened ecological collapse and mass human suffering. Women on average each gave birth to more than seven children, and the population was expected to double in the next two decades. Families who had worked their land for generations could see the tell-tale signs: it was taking longer and longer to get to trees and fresh water, and the Sahara desert was getting closer and closer.

Educators are to implement best-practice curriculum and instruction that meet the needs of a diverse population and prepare students for an ever-changing global milieu. With the end of the bipolar Cold War order, followed by spiraling conflict since 9/11, the world faces an uncertain crossroads. In one direction, there are paths leading toward fragmentation. Bonded communities of ethnicity, nationalism, and culturally-bound knowledge reinforce boundaries and fears of unknown others.