Understanding the culture that we are serving is crucial to know how to apply solutions that will be embraced by local communities rather than rejected because of a foreign approach to real life problems.

Socio- Economic and Education Development within a given context succeeds by employing a meaningful solution that locals can take ownership of.
Imagine a scenario that we studied in the university, where a social organization introduced machine operated ploughs to an agrarian society that was not yet mechanized. Initially farmers saw the potential of working faster and embraced the new technology, but because there was improper training on maintenance and care of the equipment, within a few months the ploughs were sitting idle and the whole society turned back to ploughing their fields by hand. In order to not make similar mistakes with our projects, SEEDs workers realize that continuing education is necessary to take programs forward. SEEDs is actively promoting this type of growth for its employees by encouraging Masters level studies in Sociology (with a concentration in community growth and development) in one of its project areas, Riau, Indonesia.

Investing in the future by preparing future leaders to take community development goals forward is the main focus of this program. Within the next year, thesis research will be completely focusing on how different people groups in the Riau province interact and how these interactions affect their identity and the continuation of traditional practices specific to their people group.