A culture-centered, participatory approach to defining “development” in rural Ecuador

The United Nations Millennium Development Goals and Sustainable Development Goals generally guide deployments of the term “development.” This understanding of development may contribute to the marginalization of local populations. We argue that communities can be better served if we listen to how they conceptualize and contextualize their definitions of development. To demonstrate a community definition of development, we offer an analysis of wall art created by and with children in a community and our service and research team. After understanding the themes of development articulated in this wall art, we articulate how a community-based definition of development can better serve local communities.