This process could be called an aspiration assessment, in contrast to the needs assessment so many social activists are trained to perform. The intent behind the needs assessment is a good one – efforts should obviously go toward what communities actually need, not what we, as outsiders, think they need. In practice, though, it’s nearly impossible not to project needs onto others. Richer people believe that their poorer counterparts need better health care. Citizens of democracies are certain that others need political freedom. University graduates assume that everyone needs higher education.
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