Categories
Give Me A Lever
"What is a fulcrum?"
At an early meeting of the small group that later became the founding Directors of Fulcrum Aid we were discussing our name, mission statement and core values. They asked me what was unique about our work that defined our identity. I fumbled with my words: “In every project the poverty is caused by imbalance – one part of the world has an abundance while others suffer because they don’t have even the basics.” We discussed concepts and images related to addressing extreme inequality such as balance, tipping points and leverage.
One of the group commented “It sounds like we are the fulcrum.” To which I replied “What is a fulcrum?”.
They explained a fulcrum is the tipping point on which a lever is placed, enabling a relatively small effort to move great obstacles. We reflected on the famous quote by Archimedes: “Give me a long enough lever and a fulcrum on which to place it and I will move the world.”
We had found our name.
We thank our friend Lynton Allan for this artwork depicting the simple effectiveness of a fulcrum and lever.
Artist: Lynton Allan
Medium: Pastel
Website: www.lyntonallan.com
About the Author
Steve Blacket
Steve is the Managing Director of Fulcrum Aid, an organisation dedicated to sustainable freedom from extreme poverty with partnerships in four countries across Africa and the Asia-Pacific. Steve’s urban ministry in South Australia led to lifelong friendships among the South Sudanese refugee community who requested Steve’s assistance with community development in their homeland. Working with a faith-based organisation Steve initiated and managed various projects in South Sudan including Darfur refugee support, training and resourcing Traditional Birth Attendants, an intervention program for war affected children, a Midwives Training School, a program for girl’s education, and a community agricultural enterprise. Steve also initiated education projects and social enterprises among the Chittagong Hill Tracts in Bangladesh. Steve returned to Australia in 2013 with a vision of how a small, non-aligned aid organisation committed to assisting early stage, locally initiated projects could make a difference. Partnerships and project opportunities continue to grow, including slavery rehabilitation in South Sudan, social enterprises in Bangladesh, independence schemes for vulnerable young women in Uganda and South Sudan, holistic care for HIV affected children in Bangladesh, and resourcing a Nurse and Midwife School in Juba, South Sudan. Steve’s vision drew support from across Australia and in 2014 he led the founding of Fulcrum Aid, dedicated to supporting in-country leaders and harnessing Australian partners and resources so that local communities could move towards sustainable freedom from extreme inequality and poverty. Today Fulcrum Aid has a dedicated team of Directors and an expert staff including Business, Project, Publicity and Research consultants, supported by Steve in his role as Managing Director.
Contact Steve by email here.