With the birth of Informed Hope in 2002, our foundation proactively illustrates the importance of sensitively encouraging change that makes cultural sense. Our ultimate goal is to work with countries and strategize the best techniques and interventions to implement change. We believe doing so not only promotes a country’s healthy, collective energy but also contributes to the world’s well being. With cultural sensitivity as our operating force, no two interventions look the same. A country’s unique needs will determine the type of intervention we use; no two countries are identical and neither are interventions.
How does this work? Since part of our motto is to be proactive, we do not wait for countries to contact us. We have a research team working around the clock gathering data on countries around the world; we look at statistics, articles, official websites, and phone local officials. This data seeking focuses on the perceived needs of a country, which exist on various levels. Need could mean people are starving—intellectually and/or literally; need might translate as colored pencils for drawing; or need may imply a safe place to learn reading, writing, and arithmetic. In other words, need has various needs.
After using our research to identify a need or needs of a country, we then attempt to start a dialogue with a chosen country’s government. Because our foundation focuses on children, who are ultimately born into a system, we do not seek to “rock the boat” and attach governments. While the ideal would yield political change, we focus first and foremost on helping children. Once we have determined a country in need, we positively approach the government. Instead of framing the needs as resulting from an ill government, we stay positive by presenting our intentions to help children. Language matters. We are meticulous with the words we use, how we craft our proposals, and the ways we articulate ideas. We express our interest as wanting to move towards a collective goal that will benefit both a government and its people. Once identifying need, understanding how we can best be of service is crucial. Again, the operative question is: how can we be of service in the most culturally sensitive, proactive, and realistic ways?