Organizations like the UN do a lot of good, but there are certain basic realities they never seem to grasp. .Maybe the most important truth that eludes these organizations is that it's insulting when outsiders come in and tell a traumatized people what it will take for them to heal. You cannot go to another country and make a plan for it. The cultural context is so different from what you know that you will not understand much of what you see. I would never come to the US and claim to understand what's going on, even in the African American culture. People who have lived through a terrible conflict may be hungry and desperate, but they are not stupid. They often have very good ideas about how peace can evolve, and they need to be asked. That includes women. Most especially women. .To outsiders like the UN, these soldiers were a problem to be managed. But they were our children. Leymah Gbowee
About This Quote

The above quote illustrates how even the United States' most powerful institutions, like the United Nations, are often criticized for not understanding the cultures they are trying to help. This quote shows how important it is for organizations like the UN to listen to, and work with, local people who are in need of assistance. The UN cannot simply tell other countries what should be done to help people. Rather, it must listen to what people are saying, consider their needs, and respond appropriately.

Source: Mighty Be Our Powers: How Sisterhood, Prayer, And Sex Changed A Nation At War

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