Our guest speaker today was David Barth, executive director of World Accord – International Development Agency and a member of the Kitchener-Westmount Rotary Club. Through the introduction by Howard Pell we heard that David has a degree in civil engineering and an MBA but after his formal education and early years of work, his search for a more meaningful career led him to work with World Accord in 1998 and he became the head of the organization in 2010. In his tenure there he has remained steadfast to the organizational philosophy of putting people and partners squarely at the centre, and in charge of their own development. This approach has been rewarding for David and empowering for those he seeks to assist. David has two grown daughters in London and looks forward to greater engagement in our local community through the efforts of Rotary and the members dedicated to service above self.
David gave an outline of the work and philosophy of World Accord interspersed with several success stories from, and about, the people they have assisted.
World Accord is a local charity started in 1980, it is well known in many parts of the world where they operate but not here at home. World Accord has empowered people at the local level in developing countries for more than thirty years through practices based on partnership.
David indicated that the philosophy behind World Accord is best illustrated through two quotations:
“Giving to those in need what they could be gaining from their own initiative may well be the kindest way to destroy people.” Robert D. Lupton in Toxic Charity.
“Make an investment in development programming that gives local communities the tools and resources they need to be their own architects of change.” Samantha Nutt in Damned Nation.
World Accord operates by partnering with local organizations in areas of need and allowing them to work with the local inhabitants to determine their own needs and how to best address them. The support provided is most often in the form of micro-credit loans. David stated “World Accord is successful because we partner with established local organizations that are already working effectively at the grassroots level in our program countries which include Nepal, Haiti, Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador.”
David emphasized that local organizations understand the issues faced by the marginalized people in their local communities so:
- Programs are effective
- Participants gain skills
- People become empowered
- Development is sustainable at the community level
- Partners form part of civil society
- Using local partners is economically superior because staff are paid at the local rates
- 100% of the funds sent stay and circulate in the local community
In conclusion, David summarized the approach used by World Accord:
“This partnership approach works and it takes time. We partner with organizations for the long term and we are looking for people or organizations that believe in our approach and the results achieved by our partners and program participants. World Accord provides the service of connecting people who want to help with those who really need it.
World Accord. . .
- It’s about partnership
- It’s about believing in people
- It’s about trusting them to know what they need
- It’s about empowering people to take charge of their own development.”
David was thanked by David Martindale who reflected on the many similarities between the work of Rotary and World Accord.
