Linda Rebeiz

Design Lead, IDEO.org

How long have you been working in social impact?

Until two years ago, I didn’t work exclusively in social impact. I generally worked with for-profit start-ups and companies which were social impact conscious (African Leadership University, Dalberg and Eneza, for example). So technically in my eight-year career, I would say two years of it was exclusively in social impact, and the remaining six years were with impact-conscious for-profit companies.

Which countries have you worked in so far?

Since my first internship, I have worked in Senegal, Guinea, Mali, Kenya, Mauritius, South Africa, Rwanda, Uganda and Ghana.

“Development discourse has been based on the faulty premise that poverty can be remedied by individual advancement”

What has been your biggest personal challenge when working in the social impact space?

I have always felt conflicted about the development sector - on one hand, there is a tremendous amount of investment and momentum towards social change; on the other hand, the development discourse has been based on the faulty premise that poverty is a result of personal circumstances can be remedied by individual advancement.

In my (albeit limited) experience, poverty is more often than not the result of systemic injustices and a direct consequence of neoliberalism which places the burden of economic progress on the individual rather than the state.

I am glad that this is starting to change in the sector however, and that funders and practitioners are recognising the value of stronger state-provided social safety nets, basic income, and tax reforms.

You’ve previously worked with Google in Senegal. How did you transfer your background with Google to social impact work?

I loved my team at Google in Dakar - they were mentors and friends. As a young person I recognised the privilege of learning from such a senior team. They modelled critical inquiry and always encouraged me to form my own opinions of the work we did.

I was part of a team that worked to increase Internet access in the Francophone Africa region. Through this work, I realised that the benefits of the Internet should be democratised, but also that the Internet is not an inclusive space yet. From this experience at Google, I became interested in how technology could more adequately represent and be of service to everyone, no matter who they are or where they are from.

What are the biggest challenges, or opportunities, when it comes to designing social impact interventions?

One of the most exciting shifts in the sector has been a transition from designing for communities to designing with communities. At IDEO.org, we have been intentional about experimenting with approaches that are more co-creative so that users have more ownership over the design process and act as our guides and collaborators. These approaches have felt more equitable and I am excited to see other organisations adopting more equitable and inclusive practices.

“We wanted to reimagine what higher education meant for the African continent”

Can you briefly speak about your past work with the African Leadership University (ALU), and what role the institution plays in shaping African leaders?

I was one of the founding members of ALU, which was originally started to curb Africa’s brain drain by increasing access to higher education on the continent. We didn’t just want to import higher education models from the West, however. We wanted to reimagine what higher education meant for the continent and how it might respond to its specific needs.

We set out to create educational experiences that bolstered independent thinking and developed an entrepreneurial spirit grounded in real world practice. In that regard, ALU students are encouraged to grapple with the challenges their communities face and to imagine alternatives that work for them. They are also equipped with the confidence and motivation to bring these alternatives to life, as entrepreneurs or through existing institutions.