Introducing "Gente como yo"
January 30, 2006People in countries like the US and Denmark have a real hard time understanding the issues of normal everyday people in developing countries. As a matter of fact I think many people have a hard time understanding at all that these are actualy human beings.
The press is filled with articles and opinions by experts about what the developing world needs, where of course all the individual wants and needs of ordinary people are ignored.
The Panamanian tabloid Dia a Dia has been running a superb series called “Gente como yo” or “People like me”, where there roving reporters focus on everyday people and their lives.
Like in most of the developing world, many of these everyday people are entrepreneurs. These short articles provide a glimpse into the life of people that western media generally ignore, so I will try to translate them as they publish them.
To me these people are heroes. They are smart, ambitious and don’t want yours, mine nor anyone elses hand outs. These are the people the aid agencies don’t want you to know about, because they don’t fit into their story of victimization.
If you like me have travelled anywhere in the developing world, you will no doubt have bumped into entrepreneurs like Gaspar. They are everywhere. Whether selling phone cards, starting internet cafés or driving taxis, these are the entrepreneurial core of the developing world.
