Pioneer in Humanitarian Design and Programs

MY IMPACT

Mike Zuckerman is a humanitarian designer and innovator with a focus on improving the global human migration crisis.

MY JOURNEY

Previously, he worked as a sustainability consultant for a US company but realized that his work was only benefiting the rich. He decided to quit his job and bridge his skills in sustainability to different contexts. He traveled to Uganda and offered for over 1,000 people to watch the World Cup for free. During the commercial break, he asked the community about their lives and current needs to gain a diverse perspective from the local population. From this, locally led projects emerged, and some projects are continuing to this day 14 years later.

Mike believes that a key to understanding local perspectives is to lead with culture (i.e. gathering around the World Cup). He believes this is the necessary direction of the humanitarian sector: to support and enhance the localization agenda, and to trust locals to know what they need in times of crisis or hardship. In contrast, in the current humanitarian model, refugees and migrants become dependent on others, which contributes to the loss of belief in themselves and loss of confidence. In turn, many lose the feeling of being able to change or improve their situations. As Mike says, “talent is evenly distributed throughout the world, but opportunity is not.”

To expand upon the advantages of locally led responses, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the COVID-19 Pandemic created an interesting scenario because UN country directors, Peace Corps members, and other expats all left to go back to their home countries. Meanwhile, locally led efforts thrived; locals invented new solutions to several challenges that arose. For instance, a Congolese refugee knew where to find metal, and from this metal, he made and manufactured hundreds of no-touch hand-washing stations that he later sold to international aid workers.. 

MY HOPE

Mike advocates that we need to develop all new ways of handling displacement, so that we empower locals rather than disabling them. He sees refugee camps as the cities of the future, and dignified living conditions are a must for sustainable development.