Marshall Memorial Fellowship: Models to be Mimicked

The GMF Blog—and the promise of the internet itself—offers a unique opportunity to create and distribute models to solve specific issues that can be replicated somewhere else.

For example, when I visited Bucharest as part of my Marshall Memorial Fellowship, I met Vlad Voiculescu. The meeting was truly memorable. This very humble character and MMF alumnus explained to us how he solved the problem of a shortage of cancer medications for Romania after the transition to democracy by his initiative of donating some of his free time and little money to buy the basic drugs to treat cancer on foreign markets, bringing them in his backpack to the people that needed them in Romania. His example piqued others’ interest, and soon an improvised online pharmacy was created and many of his friends joined in, helping multiple families in need. Then, events took an even more interesting turn. His efforts generated enough noise from the general public, which exerted more and more pressure on the government until those in charge started allocating funding for basic cancer medications. His example was so remarkable that HBO did a documentary about it. 

I am originally from Venezuela, a country that is going through a tremendous crisis, which has led to many shortages in different essential needs, including basic medications. Perhaps this is an opportunity to start something similar to what MMF alumnus Vlad did in Romania.

A similarly powerful effort is currently being led by another MMF alumnus, Oana Toiu, also in Bucharest. In her case, she decided to help Roma artisans. To that end, she created a NGO with the purpose of creating a co-op to organize Roma artisans. She sourced help from designers who donated their time to create new designs and teach the artisans techniques to produce new artifacts and clothes that might appeal to a broader market. The startup effort was difficult and she learned a lot from it. Now the community of artisans benefits from 75% of the profits, and has access to a new market that is growing exponentially.

Both of these are remarkable stories. Yet the hard reality is that unless we are afforded opportunities to go abroad and share best practices, such stories would have not been disseminated. It is all of our responsibilities to use whatever tools we have, from networking, to blogging, to leading the kinds of programs GMF and many distinguished MMF alumni pursue, to distribute and promote such groundbreaking efforts.

Eduardo J. Parra, CEO, Parra & Co, LLC, San Antonio, Texas, United States, is a Spring 2016 Marshall Memorial Fellow.

Photo Credit: Peace Corps