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'A Mind for the Poor'

Marie-Noelle Nwokolo

Student-driven events investigate the business of charitable aid

by MaryAlice Bitts-Jackson

“Having a heart for the poor is easy. Having a mind for the poor—that’s the challenge.”

It’s a central statement in Poverty, Inc., a 2014 documentary that explores the assistance systems put in motion by nongovernmental charitable institutions and corporations. And it struck a chord with Marie-Noelle Nwokolo ’16, reverberating long after the movie ended.

Working with staff members and faculty in the Department of International Business & Management, Nwokolo is organizing documentary screenings and a student-led panel discussion that asks: Are the current global-aid systems working? And if not, how can we better help developing nations?

Nwokolo discovered the documentary during a conference on African business systems held last summer at Harvard Business School. After the screening, she introduced herself to one of the movie's co-producers, who also attended the conference.

The film struck a nerve for Nwokolo, an international business & management major, student-activist and Clarke Forum intern who’s interested in global economic systems. And as a native of Ghana, one of the nations on the receiving end of global-aid programming, she brought a thought-provoking perspective to it. She says the two service trips she’s taken while at Dickinson—to Macon, Ga., to aid Hurricane Katrina victims, and to Washington, D.C., to gain a close-up view of the issues faced by the homeless—provided an additional layer of insight. 

"I learned that it's really not always about throwing money at people," she says. "This documentary addresses that issue on a global scale and [outlines] ways that well-meaning individuals and organizations can actually help developing nations instead of throwing money at them in the form of aid, which clearly has not been working.”

The events are:

  • two public screenings of Poverty, Inc:
    Sept. 6 (7 p.m., Anita Tuvin Schlechter Auditorium) and 
    Sept. 9 (Bosler Library, downtown Carlisle, 6:30 p.m.)
  • two screenings of Poverty, Inc. for classes: Sept. 7 and 8 (Dana 110, 7 p.m.);
  • and a student-led panel discussion: Sept. 10 (Stern Center Great Room, noon).

During the panel discussion, moderated by Michael Fratantuono, associate professor of international studies, business and management, students will explore how individuals can become more intentional with their charitable giving. Nwokolo will lead the discussion, along with John “Jay” Mayers ’16 (economics, international business & management) Jiyeong “Faith” Park ’16 (self-developed: global health) and Hexi Zhang ’17 (international studies).

By talking through these issues as a community, Nwokolo believes, we all can learn to make a meaningful difference. “We hope that by putting familiar faces up there, students will be more encouraged to ask questions and share their concerns,” she adds.

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Published September 2, 2015

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