What motivates me? Part four

My fourth motivational stop came (surprisingly, if I may add) from the warm desert. It came from a rich Gulf country, a country with one of the highest annual incomes per capita on earth. I met with two leading humanitarian agencies there, to discuss what is next in store for Arab and Muslim charities.

My question was: how can we raise the profile, build capacity and increase the connectivity within the humanitarian movement. The discussion wasn’t centred on funding or implementing traditional humanitarian projects. Instead, we discussed how to build the capacity of local partners, change the culture of giving and the philosophy of traditional projects. We talked about how to involve the youth and women in national and international work and how to create new humanitarian ambassadors. We talked about how to find a new role for new emerging countries after the Arab Spring.

Quite often, organisations go to the warm desert to fundraise. We have been witnessing a plethora of international, global and western agencies seeking funds from the warm desert.  Even the appeal for Somalia was geared towards the rich Arab and Muslim majority countries.

The contrast between our discussion in Doha and the image that Doha, Riyadh, Abu Dhabi and Kuwait present at the back of the mind of fundraisers is huge. It is the difference between the one who reads the mind of an intellectual and the one who looks at how strong their body is.

Physical strength is short lived; it can be affected by disease, age and fatigue. The power of the mind is superior, growing with experience, age and knowledge. We should bank on the wisdom which comes out of the warm sands, not on the hot air brought out by the gas and the oil of the warm sands.

Let us celebrate the intellectual capability not keep smelling hot air.