Focus on the “How,” Not the “What”

“The ‘how’ of social change work,” says Weetjens, “is more important than the ‘what.’” Which social and environmental goals we pursue may be important, but if we seek to change the world, how we engage with others matters even more.

Weetjens begins every problem-solving project with a thorough, complete analysis of the problem itself. Here, the practice of sitting meditation or zazen plays an important role. The stillness of zazen makes rigorous analysis possible. Once the true needs are clarified, Weetjens explains, “solutions often appear naturally.”

An approach to the global landmine problem is possible from many angles, but careful analysis revealed that the true bottleneck—the “How” that needed attention—was detection.

Demining an area, known as “land release,” is a multi-stage process that begins with surveying and clearing vegetation. Integrating rats into the existing procedure empowered those in the field and local communities to accelerate one of the process’s most challenging and time-consuming parts.

Adopt a Solution-Oriented Mindset

To feel grief or anger at the enormity of the issue is only natural. For Weetjens, however, this only makes it more important to stay focused on finding a solution. Dwelling on the problem, he explains, can mean remaining in a mental space of anger, fear, and grief, which is “not a space where a new vision of a better, more just and equitable future can thrive.” Change comes from focusing on the problem in a “compassionate, curious, creative, and courageous” way.

Cox and Weetjens studied product development together at college. This involved iterating concepts through sketching and drawing. No surprise, then, that when Weetjens sent Cox a letter about his radical new idea of training rats to detect mines, it included a drawing of his idea. Even today, Cox uses diagrams and drawings to communicate new cage designs to builders.

Training in product development also stressed the importance of lateral thinking. It teaches you to generate ideas by looking for inspiration in unexpected places. This echoes Weetjens’ realization that “everything is profoundly interconnected,” which guides him to this day.

Start with the End-User

Weetjens always starts by identifying the needs of the end-user. For APOPO, the end-users were disenfranchised subsistence farmers in the Global South. The goal was to offer a solution that empowered them to tackle their problem independently, without expensive imported know-how or equipment. That, Weetjens explains, required “appropriate technology, based on the renewable, natural resources available to them.” Framing the problem this way inevitably led him to animals and their keen sense of smell.

The same mindset extends to APOPO’s operations. Unlike other NGOs, which tend to have their center of gravity in the country they were founded, 97% of APOPO’s organization is working where their end-users are—those affected by landmines. Working on the ground with end-users, other local experts, and organizations addressing the same problems open up more possibilities than simply importing and exporting knowledge.

Be Opportunistic Like a HeroRAT

Rats are opportunistic, taking their rewards where they can—no chance of earning a reward is too small.

Notwithstanding its global operations, APOPO is a small organization with a niche market. As a result, it never enjoyed structural funding such as annual government grants. Instead, it had to become resilient and agile, surviving yearly by taking what opportunities were available.

Weetjens has been comfortable with this approach since childhood. He came from a humble background and received little pocket money, so he began breeding rodents to sell to pet shops. This early experience with rats may have allowed him to develop APOPO’s foundational idea—another example of profound interconnection.

APOPO is now a more mature organization with room to plan and maneuver strategically. Of course, it still faces challenges—but these are also learning opportunities. As Weetjens puts it, “Failure doesn’t exist.”

Future Challenges for APOPO

The main challenge for APOPO now is rapid scaling: investing in people and investing in capacity-building.

This year, APOPO is expanding into Azerbaijan, and it sees possibilities for further operations in Laos, Vietnam, Myanmar, and other areas with immediate concrete interest from Senegal, Columbia, and Ukraine. New projects now in the pre-operational stage include: training rats for search and rescue, locating soil pollution, and detecting illegal wildlife products at customs. The HeroRATs’ work helping to save the world has only just begun.

All images copyright © APOPO