My First Davos: The End

This morning in the shuttle, I met a man who has come to Davos 22 times! He told me how when he started there were only 400 – 500 people. Now there are 2,500! He said that the best years were when there were about 800 – 900 — you got the same diversity of viewpoints as you do today!
 
Wow! Twenty-two times seemed unbelievable. Yet I can see how this could easily happen. There is something so refreshing about being here — away from the day-to-day chaos of one's own institution and able to reflect on the challenges you and so many others around you face. In many ways, the challenges for all of us who came to Davos are similar . . . and that's the reason it's so helpful. We can reflect on them together, understand how they manifest themselves across sectors, across countries, across communities.
 
I still feel — as I did on day 1 — incredibly honored to have been able to participate in my first Davos. It was more than I ever could have imagined. I do feel better prepared to go back to Haiti — with its cholera, tent cities and political instability — and continue our struggle to empower women and bring them the tools they need to bring their families out of poverty. I do so knowing there are people all over the world facing the same challenges I do . . . and now many of them are part of our struggles, as I am part of theirs.
 
A million thanks to all the staff of the Schwab Foundation for making me work hard in preparation for Davos, so when I arrived I was ready to absorb, to learn, to interact with so many fascinating people.

Anne Hastings

 

Editors Note
Anne Hastings, Managing Director, Fonkoze, Haiti
Regional Social Entrepreneur of the Year, Latin America, 2010 

Fonkoze serves low-income communities in Haiti with a full-range of financial and educational products, building the economic foundations for economic and socio-political inclusion.