RECAP
In April’s Public Health + Season 2 Webinar, Isabelle Swiderski, Founder of Seven25, sat down with Dr. Ndunge Kiiti to discuss the intersection of public health and social entrepreneurship. Dr.Kiiti currently serves as an adjunct associate professor in the Department of Global Development at Cornell University and at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health. With more than 30 years of experience in international development, she has expertise in education, communication, health, and entrepreneurship. To date, Dr. Kiiti has worked across numerous communities in Kenya, Rwanda, and Ethiopia.
“A human becomes a human because of other humans.” - African Proverb
Growing up in rural Kenya, this proverb was the cornerstone of Dr. Kiiti’s upbringing and has largely influenced her career path. She learned at an early age that “life is about people, it’s about relationships.” Within her work, she recognized that the key to success is being willing to engage in mutual learning and humility with others.
She uses this quote from colleague Ravi Jayakaran at Medical Assistance Program (MAP) International to describe development as “a process of reducing vulnerabilities and increasing capacity.”
For Dr. Kiiti, helping create sustainable businesses that will actually make an impact on the ground means creating intentional partnerships. She believes in the bottom-up approach to “work and walk alongside people… asking them what their needs [and] what their issues are.“
Throughout her years of experience, what continues to give her hope are young people. Her call to action for young people is “to remain open, to engage globally… understand the world as is.. to put volunteerism and service into their educational process and to stay engaged.”
Reflection:
From her experience working globally and across different cultures, Dr. Kiiti reminds us that we are all human beings. Regardless of our education level or experience, we can learn from one another. It is critical to recognize the biases and assumptions we hold when trying to help people. In order to accelerate social entrepreneurship and deal with challenges faced across communities, here are some key lessons we want to highlight:
1. Focus on assets not deficits
An important takeaway from Dr. Kiiti’s experience is that one of the keys to successful development is focusing on assets. “There are so many assets we ignore because we are not listening.” Many of us are trained to identify the problem and develop a brand new solution. Rather, we should shift our thinking to recognize that it’s not about trying to change existing systems but instead “build and strengthen what they already do.”
2. Invest in people
Dr. Kiiti believes it’s important for development approaches to have a long-standing impact. She makes a point to consider “what is doable, what is sustainable, and what will really make a difference on the ground …” For Dr. Kiiti, investing in people is key to creating lasting social change and education is a prime example.
“We’re seeing [educated youth] turning back and saying ‘let me educate my younger sister, my younger brother, and the community.’ That is what is sustainable to me in helping these families come out of poverty.”
3. Build intentional partnerships
Dr. Kiiti has learned over the years that “the most unique partnerships are those who you never expected to work with.” However what many people fail to remember is that partnerships take time, resources, and in actuality are a lot harder to do and maintain. Both Swiderski agrees with Dr.Kiiti, noting in her own work that “collaboration in practice is a lot more difficult than collaboration in theory.” To build successful and sustainable partnerships, one needs to be able to listen, willing to learn, and ready to invest in growing mutual relationships.
Social entrepreneurship is the future of many economies and so it’s critical that we operate within the cultural context of the society rather than working against it. Dr. Kiitti reminds us that openness and humility are key.
Writing By:
Emily Zheng, Public Health Innovation Analyst
Emily is a Master of Public Health student at Emory University's Rollins School of Public Health. She is part of the Behavioral, Social, Health Education Sciences department and is also pursuing a certificate in Social Determinants of Health.
Liris Stephanie Berra, Public Health Innovation Analyst
Liris is a Master of Public Health student at Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University. She is part of the Global Health department, pursuing a concentration in Community Health Development and a certificate in the Social Determinants of Health.
