Comment by nchmy

Actually, plenty of people - including the person I was replying to - explicitly argue that locals know best and you're being imperialist by even suggesting that outsiders might have anything useful to contribute other than money.

And, yes, you do need to "coerce"/convince/persuade/retrain people across many dimensions - people are generally extremely resistant to change, and instead stick with whatever theyre already doing. Not all interventions are just immediately self-evidently beneficial. Eg. "Hey stop destroying your topsoil by every means imaginable - removing and burning all waste from the harvest, not planting in contours to prevent erosion" and much much more. That takes time to prove out and even then requires a leap of faith.

I do strongly agree, though, that "well meaning" non-profits are quite often completely clueless and, arguably, destructive. Often through the very gifts they give, which often don't even work, or at least go counter towards the necessary goal of developing self-sufficiency.