Below is a list of topics that may challenge local People. This list helps you realize there are different topics, and you need to ask local People to know. I also suggest questions for each topic. Don’t just copy-paste my questions. The questions are here to inspire you. I am not fishing for you, my friend, i am teaching you to fish so that you can fish by yourself and teach other People how to fish. If i fish for you, you will depend on me. I do not want you to depend on me.

1. Shared values

   The presence of shared values is crucial. If the local People don’t share values, there will not be strong bonds between them.

   Here are examples of values: trust, empathy, and courage.

   Trust is the cement of society. If i cannot trust you, we cannot build together. If i cannot trust you, i will be suspicious of what you do. This is why we need trust.

   Empathy is your ability to put yourself in other People’s shoes. It helps you to understand the other person’s perspective.

   Courage enables us to improve. You need courage to go into action.

   Suggestions of questions:

   • Do you think that local People have values in common?

   • Do you experience any erosion of values shared among local People? If yes, which value?

2. Access to water to cover local needs

   Water is essential to life. Without water, you cannot live. Access to water is a common challenge, especially for People living in areas without infrastructure or a lack of it.

   Suggestions of questions:

   • Are you satisfied with your access to water? If not, why?

   • Can you access sufficient water to cover the needs of your family?

3. Access to drinking water to cover local needs

   You may have access to water, but this water may not be cleaned. Clean water means that it is suitable to drink. If you consume water that is not clean, your body may not function properly. Access to clean water is also a common challenge.

   Suggestions of questions:

   • Are you satisfied with your access to drinking water?

   • Are you encountering any issues with drinking water?

4. Access to food to cover local needs

   Food is energy. Without access to food, you lack the input to develop and sustain your body.

   Suggestions of questions:

   • Are you satisfied with your access to food?

   • Are there any barriers you face in obtaining enough food for your family?

5. Access to nutritious food to cover local needs

   You may have access to food, but it may not be sufficient for your body to develop and sustain itself. Access to a certain level of nutritional food can be a challenge. Imagine you have access to a lot of fruits, but you don’t have access to meat or dairy products. Your body will miss some of the nutrients that it needs to function correctly. I am no expert in food. To understand this challenge, you will need access to observation of People through tests detecting insufficiency as well as access to fundamental knowledge around nutrition. There are a lot of resources available online.

   Suggestions of questions:

   • Are you satisfied with your access to nutritious food?

   • Do you feel you have adequate access to a balanced and nutritious diet?

   • Are there certain types of food you wish were more available or affordable in your community?

6. Physical health

   Access to a good level of physical well-being can be a challenge. It belongs to the People to assess their physical feelings and to non-corrupted health professionals to observe the local population. I use the term “non-corrupted” as many healthcare professionals have been corrupted by money and prioritize their own interests (their wallet) over the physical health of their patients.

   Suggestions of questions:

   • From 1 to 10, how would you rate your physical health? (1 being terrible and 10 being excellent)

   • From 1 to 10, how would you rate your energy levels throughout the day? (1 being terrible and 10 being excellent)

   • From 1 to 10, how would you rate your sleep quality? (1 being terrible and 10 being excellent)

   • Are you currently taking any medications? If yes, is it a long-term medication?

   • Do you engage in regular physical activity or exercise?

   • Are there any specific health or wellness resources or services you feel are lacking in your community?

7. Mental health

   Access to a good level of mental well-being can be a challenge. This is even more of a challenge in the current context, where we observe an increase in mental health issues.

   Suggestions of questions:

   • From 1 to 10, how would you rate your mental well-being? (1 being terrible and 10 being excellent)

   • Do you often feel concerned or preoccupied?

   • Do you feel lonely or isolated?

   • Do you feel a sense of purpose or meaning in your life?

   • Have there been recent life events that have had a significant impact on your mental well-being?

8. Access to adequate housing

   Access to adequate housing may be a challenge. The concept of “adequate” housing may be subjective. Some of us will think of an apartment of 30 square meters in Tokyo, while others will think of a house of 150 square meters in France. I would invite you to look at the opposite of adequate housing and identify criteria for a home that would not be adequate. It could be that there is no insulation; thus, the indoor temperature in winter makes it hard to live inside. It could be that the size of the home is too small. In many megapoles, people live in flats that are less than 10 square meters. Is this adequate?

   I suspect only those living in the area can tell if their housing is adequate based on their experience.

   Suggestions of questions:

   • Are you satisfied with your home?

   • How does your current living situation meet your needs and expectations?

9. Access to medical care

   Access to medical care can be challenging.

   Suggestions of questions:

   • Are you satisfied with your access to medical care?

   • Thinking about your personal experiences, what are your thoughts on the availability and quality of healthcare services in your area?

   • Have you had to visit any medical care service over the past 12 months? If yes, has your issue been resolved?

   • Are you content with the cleanliness of your environment?

10. Access to fundamental knowledge

    Access to fundamental knowledge may be a challenge. By fundamental knowledge, we mean knowledge that helps you live. This fundamental knowledge will depend on your context.

    Suggestions of questions:

    • Are you satisfied with your access to knowledge?

    • Are you happy with your education level?

    • Have you encountered any issues due to your current education level?

11. Access to fundamental knowledge aligned with local characteristics or challenges

    This is not the same thing as the above topic. Here, we speak about fundamental knowledge aligned with local characteristics and challenges. You may have access to fundamental knowledge, but it is not helpful for your local challenges. Imagine local farmers are taught fundamental values like trust, courage, and empathy. How is this going to help them to resolve local challenges related to farming?

    You want local People to be able to access knowledge that is fundamental to solving local challenges and fit inside the local context. If your local context is a lot of mining for minerals, then you want People to acquire knowledge related to mining and business. Suppose your local context is the fishery, as you live in a coastal town. In that case, you want local People to have access to fundamental knowledge related to fishing, sustainable fishing, food nutrition, and business.

    Suggestions of questions:

    • Are you satisfied with your access to knowledge related to local challenges?

    • How well does the available knowledge and education align with your area's needs and challenges?

12. Access to energy

    A common challenge can be access to energy to keep you warm or cold or power the appliances you use daily.

    Suggestions of questions:

    • Are you satisfied with your access to energy?

13. Access to transportation

    Access to transportation can be a challenge. People may lack access to ways to move from point A to point B. Transportation may also be available, but it is too costly or impractical. If transportation is a challenge, this may impact other activities. Imagine you produce maize locally, but because of a lack of road infrastructure, it cannot be transported to be sold in neighboring markets.

    Suggestions of questions:

    • Are you satisfied with your access to transportation?

    • Would any change in transportation significantly improve your daily life?

14. Access to a source of income

    Access to a source of revenue can be a challenge. There can be several root causes for this: geographical context, depletion of local resources, lack of knowledge, local monopolies capturing the wealth, etc.

    Suggestions of questions:

    • Are you satisfied with your access to a source of income?

    • Are you happy with the economic opportunities this town offers to you? If not, why?

15. Safety

    Safety can be a challenge. Feeling safe or unsafe is a feeling that comes from local People. The best is to ask them. Local People can often tell you why they feel safe or not. Lack of safety can have a lot of root causes, from corruption to geographical context. Some of these root causes may not be easy to understand, especially if the root cause for a lack of safety is linked to complex situations such as corruption of the political system.

    Suggestions of questions:

    • Do you feel safe where you live?

    • How would you rate the safety of your neighborhood?

    • Are there safety and security concerns that you think should be addressed?

16. Political stability

    Lack of stability in the governance of the location can cause multiple challenges. For example, if you are in a context where local tribes or groups compete for power, then inhabitants can be impacted through violence, lack of rule of law, food shortages, etc.

    I use the term “governance” because it is more adapted than the term “politics.”

    Suggestions of questions:

    • Are you satisfied with the stability of the local governance?

17. Local business

    Local businesses may encounter challenges. These challenges can come from diverse root causes (political stability, regulation, local gangs, inflation, etc). Listening attentively to People who run local businesses and customers is essential. You want to listen to both sides. Why? Because the customer is the reason you are in business.

    Suggestions of questions:

    • Do you encounter issues running your local business? If yes, why?

    • Are you happy with the regulations around your local business?

    • Are you facing unfair business practices? (example: cheaper imports from abroad)

    • If there was one thing we could do to make it easier for you to do business, what would this be?

18. Nature related challenge

    Nature-related challenges are shared. I refrain from using the words “environmental” or “sustainability” as the folks in power have corrupted them, and these words have lost their meaning. Nature-related challenges can be various: trash in nature, industrial activities negatively impacting soils and rivers, forest areas being reduced, etc. It is essential to correctly identify the challenge and its root cause(s) to avoid working on symptoms or non-issues.

    You can ask local People, but you also need to ask experts. Sometimes, local People are not knowledgeable enough to identify nature-related challenges. For instance, imagine you live in a coastal town where fish production decreases yearly. You may need to ask an expert why. The expert may need to do an investigation. The expert’s input is complementary to the answer of the local People.

    Suggestions of questions:

    • Do you perceive any nature-related challenges around you?