Here’s how it works, apparently:

(1) Start with tiny mistake of not recognizing that you got really really rich because you were lucky.  (Right place, right time, born in U.S. not in Colombia, father not a drug addict or violent criminal, mentor said “plastics” or “finance”, won an early competition because smarter person was sick that day, teacher smiled when gave right answer, you get the idea.)  Instead of thinking you were lucky, act and assume like you are a lot smarter/hardworking/go-getter/risk-taker than everyone and that is why you are so rich.  You deserve it.  Reflect on Matthew 20: “Are you jealous? Cannot I do as I please?”

(2) Make assumption that universities and academics have contributed nothing to the world unless they are entertaining at dinner or over coffee.

(3) Decide to spend a lot of money hiring entertaining academics and go-getters to do philanthropy right, because your team is the only group that actually can figure it out.

(4) The team needs a headquarters.  An entertaining architect can design one.  Sounds fun.  Why rent a dingy office building in Tamale?  Ugh.  The walls will be painted that sickly green.

(5) Why not establish a university, well-funded, in Niamey?  The university can be carefully designed to take remedial high school students through some good learning into semi-professional competency.  Dismiss that thought: team didn’t think of it, nothing fun about that, sounds like a lot of boring decisions, university graduates often get pushy and ungrateful.  Sometimes they protest for human rights and government shuts everything down.  Next!

(6) Ahem, I mean no randomized control trial properly measured the development impact of a subsidized effective private university in Niamey.  We only invest in activities with proven results.

(7) Aren’t worms bad?  Somebody already doing that…  I’m really smart so I have to come up with a new thing.  Team, are you listening?