'Shared Success in Developing Countries is a unique experience'
Share People is a social enterprise that specialises in stimulating sustainable entrepreneurship in developing countries. The motto of Share People? Help doesn't always help, but trade does. Together with the Dutch business community, Share People is strengthening sustainable business in developing countries. Managing Director Cosmas Blaauw tells us about the cooperation with Imtech.
We have a large network in developing countries and a lot of experience with projects of this kind. We advised Imtech on the approach to Shared Success in Developing Countries and will oversee performance of the project. Our people know the organisations in developing countries. They can quickly see whether they are suitable for a company like Imtech. We are aware of the dos and don’ts. It is very important, for example, to think carefully beforehand about your expectations. As a Westerner you are inclined to think that you will quickly get everything sorted out, but it doesn't work like that. You face cultural differences and you must understand them before you can build trust. Yet it is precisely these pitfalls that make this kind of project such a valuable experience for those involved. They often tell us that the project widened their outlook on the world and that it was something very special to work a while in a totally different context, with colleagues or partners you would otherwise never run into. Almost everybody says they learned many things that still come in useful in their day-to-day work. First there is the experience of working in an international environment, with different cultures. But that’s not all. As you must secure a good result in a short time with limited information, you quickly learn how to recognise what really matters. It forces you to work in a structured way and demands a great deal in terms of your flexibility. To optimise this development process among the participants, we cooperate with the De Baak education and knowledge centre. More and more people, particularly young managers, realise that they have a good life and want to do something for the world in return. Shared Success in Developing Countries provides an excellent opportunity to do just that.’