We've all heard it, "Think globally. Act locally."
I confess to not always knowing what that means or knowing how to apply it.
But this one is obvious.
Oxfam America is asking folks to put pressure on Congress to use some humanitarian aid at the local level, where the people not only know the problems, but also know the culture and why solutions will or won't work.
They're holding up Monrovia, Liberia, mayor Clara Doe Mvogo, who put on her jeans when ebola threatened her city. She got local leaders and trained them, and she worked hard to fight fear and misinformation in the community.
It worked. They were seeing results within a month.
According to Oxfam, less than 2 percent of humanitarian assistance goes to local organizations in emergencies, even though they're often best equipped to understand the problem and meet needs.