Meritocracy is still a factor but the bar is currently very low. My own father came out of the impoverishment of war torn Bangladesh to be a successful real estate developer in the west. Why did his elder brother not have the same results? Very simple: the elder brother was responsible for the family. The family has rewarded the elder brother by taking care of him for years now and he is the happiest old man I know. He will die satisfied.
The truth that no one wants to admit is that we have to put (very minimal) resources behind the youth to become independent of their families so they can grow.
For all his faults, my father understood this for everyone except me (long story) and funded the education of a few people back home. For two boys I'm aware of, that was about $5-7K/year. The two boys lived in a one room shack that routinely got flooded. One is now an accountant, the other is a working chef. Trust me, neither of them are particularly smart.
What's needed is so minimal but the problem we have is too much grifting occurs. Levels and levels of middleman bullshit.
I would start experimenting with Kiva-style microloans if you want to make a difference, tbh.
Meritocracy is still a factor but the bar is currently very low. My own father came out of the impoverishment of war torn Bangladesh to be a successful real estate developer in the west. Why did his elder brother not have the same results? Very simple: the elder brother was responsible for the family. The family has rewarded the elder brother by taking care of him for years now and he is the happiest old man I know. He will die satisfied.
The truth that no one wants to admit is that we have to put (very minimal) resources behind the youth to become independent of their families so they can grow.
For all his faults, my father understood this for everyone except me (long story) and funded the education of a few people back home. For two boys I'm aware of, that was about $5-7K/year. The two boys lived in a one room shack that routinely got flooded. One is now an accountant, the other is a working chef. Trust me, neither of them are particularly smart.
What's needed is so minimal but the problem we have is too much grifting occurs. Levels and levels of middleman bullshit.
I would start experimenting with Kiva-style microloans if you want to make a difference, tbh.