Bunker Roy questions MDGs

Bunker Roy founder of the Barefoot College argues forcefully for a bottom up approach to development.He questions the value of MDG's:

These goals were set by international donors, governments and academics, who are speaking and acting on behalf of poor communities instead of being answerable to those communities. The people on the ground have no sense of ownership and must rely on knowledge and skills from outside...Tackling poverty requires a fundamentally different approach: one that starts with people themselves and encourages the initiative, creativity and drive from below that must be at the core of any transformation of their lives if it is to be lasting...The “bottom up” approach is about living and working with the poor, listening to them with humility to gain their confidence and trust... It is about respecting and implementing the ideas of the poor, encouraging them to use their skills and knowledge for their own development. It is about taking a back seat and providing the space for them to develop themselves.