Trust: An Illusive Virtue

Trust is a funny thing. Where trust is present, everything seems easier and better. Where trust is absent, it is difficult to earn or build. Trust is a critical asset that is easily broken and hard to fix. We would all do well to pursue it, but it is possible to have too much of it. It is risky to offer it, but can be very rewarding when returned.

In social settings, from families to nations, there are many benefits attributed to trust. It is often deemed a ‘lubricant’ that makes relationships and transactions run smoother and cheaper. It is also called a ‘glue’ that unites and holds people together. Trust is deteriorated by factions seeking short-term gain, but flourishes where factions subjugate themselves to a unified vision for the long-term.

In post-conflict settings like Rwanda, trust is desperately needed yet hard to build. As foreigners that have just moved here, we can begin to see the want and benefit of trust vis-à-vis settings more familiar to us. Genocide has to be the ultimate destroyer of trust, forgiveness the ultimate healer of what was broken, and a common commitment to a future vision the ultimate road to building something better. In some measure, we can find all these things in Rwanda.

As it relates to Karisimbi Partners, we have already begun to note some of the ways we can build trust and be trusted here in Rwanda:

· Face-to-Face Relationships- very little progress of any substance transpires from a distance, or over phone or e-mail. Getting all relevant parties to meet face-to-face sometimes seems the only way to build trust, albeit business or personal. Less “rich” medium may be valued only insofar as they coordinate in-person meetings. Becoming residents and meeting often has helped immensely.

· Common Motives- most new contacts dedicate some portion our meetings to discerning our deepest motives for being here. Many of those we meet blend social and financial aspirations…. they are clearly interdependent here and now. When they learn we are motivated by faith and social benefit, they smile broadly and say we are “most welcome”. When they learn we seek a practical impact and financially sustainability, they respond as if we’ve said something new or refreshing, and can work with them on what is needed most.

· Commitment- people here want to know you’re “serious”. Good intentions have not been enough in the past. When people hear that we’ve moved here for years and brought our families to empower Rwandans pursuing a better future, they, in turn, take us “seriously”.

On the long road toward building trust, we’ve at least identified some initial steps.

Onward & Upward,

-Carter