Which is a misunderstanding of the premise that locals know best.

No one thinks that going to someone and offering them ideas is bad. The thing people actually object to is imperialism, and they object to it because it's common. All over the place you see not just governments making rules from an ivory tower, but even well-meaning non-profits providing grants or resources with the requirement that things be done in a particular way with no regard for local conditions.

If you're trying to help someone then you shouldn't need to coerce them. Nobody was ever objecting to the cases where you don't.