|
 |
|
|
|
It’s now officially hip to love Africa. Over the past several years, Christians have heard the rallying cry about rampant poverty in Africa and have responded in remarkable ways. Churches are talking about AIDS, hunger, education, and micro-enterprise. Thousands of American Christians travel to Africa each year to love and serve people who have been forgotten and marginalized for decades. And I think it’s great. I believe that the church has stepped up and recognized that caring for the poor and oppressed is core to our calling as followers of Jesus. I applaud the church for hearing the call and responding.
My first trip to Africa was in February 2006. I visited a town called Goma on the eastern edge of Congo. This trip changed everything for me. I describe it as the most difficult place I have ever experienced, and yet one of the most beautiful and hopeful places I have ever been.
On returning home, I decided that I needed to educate myself about issues of poverty and development. I started an MBA program oriented around international development. I read everything I could get my hands on – Jeffrey Sachs, William Easterly, Jean Vanier, Paulo Freire, Ron Sider, Paul Polak. I talked to everyone that could give me insights about development and Africa.
I started thinking through and developing programs that would connect our church community (the Upper Room) to the people of Eastern Congo. We built homes for women who had no homes. We began a sponsorship program for 65 children. We provided bed nets to 500 children, and food to children who suffer with HIV/AIDS. We made lots of mistakes, but also were able to do some really good things.
Over the last 2 years, I have learned many lessons. One lesson in particular has been the most challenging for me…
I have come to realize that many of the things that we do to help ‘the poor’ may actually do more harm than good. In our efforts to love and serve people, it is easy to create unhealthy dependency, and even to hinder people’s ability to work and provide for themselves.
I am learning that there is a place for mercy – giving help to people for immediate needs. But mercy is not enough. We must also seek after justice – to help create systems and structures that allow people to live with dignity and provide for themselves.
Let me share a story that may help illustrate. The first time I visited Africa, I was amazed that just about every man that we passed on the street was wearing an American t-shirt. I saw football jerseys, t-shirts from golf benefits, college t-shirts, and countless other shirts that had been made in the US, worn a couple of times, and then donated to charity.
My first thought was that this was a great and simple way for Westerners to provide help and support for folks in Africa. We didn’t need the shirts, and apparently people here did. Then I had a conversation with a friend who had lived in sub-Saharan Africa for many years. He told me that the endless donations of shirts had actually severely damaged the textile industry in Africa. Business can’t compete with free shirts. So, an industry which could employ thousands of people in this part of the world simply doesn’t exist.
Mercy says that we should give clothes to someone who needs them. But justice says that we must not take jobs away from people who would make clothes. Justice says that we should invest in textile businesses that would employ people and provide clothes at a reasonable price.
Justice looks at systems that cause oppression and poverty, and tries to develop long-term solutions. Justice is not just concerned with meeting immediate needs, but with creating dignity. Justice says that ‘helping’ people sometimes causes more harm than good.
At the risk of damping the enthusiasm that has begun to develop, I would suggest that the way Christians in which engage with issues of poverty must mature and change. While affirming the desire to reach out and help people, I propose that there is a next step to be taken.
What is the next step? It is a movement from addressing immediate needs toward addressing systems and structures that cause poverty. It is a movement from doing things ourselves to equipping people to live. It is a movement from mercy to justice.
Over the past several years, I have worked with a variety of different development organizations and church communities and have seen examples of aid and development that have truly transformed the lives of individuals, families, and communities. But I have also seen countless examples of Westerners coming to Africa with ideas that foster dependency, create tension and jealousy, and provide little lasting benefit. In some cases, our attempts to help can actually keep communities from developing and prospering.
The reality is that it is much easier to address immediate needs than systemic issues. It’s much more gratifying to point to a specific problem – a lack of water and food, or needs for an immunization or a malaria bed net. We can then respond and feel good that we have ‘solved a problem.’ Churches and development organizations have gotten really good at packaging videos and marketing stories move us to respond to these immediate needs.
Yes, these are good things. I don’t want to demean these types of investments. I am so thankful that the church is building wells, packaging food to ship to famine zones, and buying bed nets. But I believe that this is a starting point, not a finish line. I love the first steps that the American church has taken, but we cannot stop at the first step. As communities of Jesus followers, what we ultimately need is not quick fixes, but long-term investment that empowers people.
The reality is that some of the next steps are much less fun – they don’t give us the same sense of accomplishment. And, to be completely honest, these next steps don’t feed our egos in the same way. We feel good when we package meals and ship them to a poor community. It’s much more ambiguous to invest money in an agricultural co-op in an African village that provides seeds and drip irrigation technology to farmers that enable them to grow new types of crops.
And yet, these complicated and slow investments are what will ultimately transform communities.
So, where might we begin? What does justice look like for churches and Christians who want to help? Let me suggest 2 practical starting points for movements of justice.
First, we can begin to invest in administration, staffing, and infrastructure for locally run development organizations. Virtually every development organization that I have spoken with says that it is much easier to get program money than money for staff and infrastructure. We love the idea of ‘saving a child’, but ultimately we may do even more by helping to pay the salary of a talented individual who works for the development organization. These people often know what is best to help lift a community out of poverty. They are able to provide programs and resources that will help people build their lives.
Second, we can seek to invest in programs that promote long-term community development. Education, new industries, and micro-enterprise are all great ways to empower individuals to build their lives. There are lots of organizations who do these types of activities. You can jump online with an organization like Opportunity International or Kiva and help support an entrepreneur in a developing country to build a small business. Just a couple of hundred dollars can transform a family.
It’s my hope and prayer that the church will continue to invest in caring for those who live on the margins. I want us to continue to provide for the very real immediate needs that millions of people have. But I also hope that we look to be agents of justice, helping to provide opportunities to empower people to live with dignity. For those who have little or no opportunity, these movements of justice have the potential to build lives in ways that movements of mercy never can.
|
Excellent point. Meaningful acts of mercy do at times require more than mere action; especially when facing complex dynamics. They also require thinking and seeing. We must look beneath the surface to see the interactions of the interrelated forces and elements at work in creating or maintaining the current condition. We often react to the tip of the iceberg, but should consider (to be genuinely effective) the larger mass that often lies hidden beneath.
This is a good post. I guess we need both mercy and justice. We need to meet people's "immediate" needs but you can't stop there. If you don't change the underlying system, then things will quickly revert to the way they were or worse. And of course "systemic" change is harder to bring about.
really good thoughts. I work in public health and over and over it is the system that has to change if we want to impower people to have choices. This is just as true at home as in Africa (where I spent 6 years). Rather than haveing more food banks we need to support education and training so that people can grow or buy their food and then feel success instead of hopelessness. Rather than putting huge money into shelters for the homeless we need to understand how our economy is making people homeless and fix that so that people can afford adequate housing. I think you are right on with real social justice. One of my favouite verses is Micah 6:8 ...'to act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with my God'
You know...I got a lot out of your article.
I suppose if I was going to offer any critique (you put yourself out there!) it would be this:
Maybe our definition of mercy just needs to be expanded. God's justice is merciful enough to spare us the misery we've created, and gracious enough to give us what we need to be a part of the healing.
Thanks for such a great challenge to think deeply. Otherwise, we risk being acting irresponsibly in order to feel good about our 'spirituality'.
Challenging thoughts! I totally agree. I've been associated with a local faith-based social service agency for about 8 years. It has been difficult to get ongoing funding for educational programs that give opportunities for lasting change in people's lives. This type of work takes money and lots of time and patience. It's about meeting people where they are and helping them to see their value and worth. I have found that volunteers, myself included, are more willing to hand out a bag of food or clothing (which are needed) than to spend time getting to know people and invest in their lives and see them as friends and not just as "projects".
Another issue that I've thought about and been challenged about over the last few years is mutual transformation. Often we come into the lives of people in need with the good intentions of changing their lives, whether through giving food or changing the systems that hold them back. This is all well and good. But it doesn't go far enough. We must realize that the people we are helping have so many resources and strengths that have perhaps been unable to emerge. If we come in with the idea that we are going to make things better for them we devalue them. We also need to realize that often we are the ones whose lives are enriched and changed more because of the relationship we have built with people.
I too am glad that people are looking beyond their own comfort and seeing that we are all citizens of this world and are responsible for helping and supporting each other and making the world a better place by joining with God in the redemption of the world.
Thanks for the comment Amy. I couldn't agree more about the idea of mutual transformation. Because we often times enter into development work as the person who is 'helping provide for another person's needs', we often don't recognize that we need to learn and receive from the other. I think any good development work involves the building of genuine relationships and mutual give and take. I have much to learn from the talented and courageous people that I have worked with in various parts of the world.
I really think you hit a target here and until I read this I hadn't thought about the repercussions of simply throwing something "over the wall" as we say in the software development world. Not thinking about the effects we have on the people we help is a huge error.
Amy's thoughts helped focus this on relationships. That is an important part of being truly effective especially in areas where corruption may be a factor and what assistance we bring may simply end up in someone's pocket. So there must be relationships and trust to be effective. No surprise there once we think about the whole picture.
Thanks for the insightful post.
Very thought-provoking; both the original article and Amy's response. I think there are parallels across ministry to this; for example, not seeing the 'unsaved' as targets or projects but instead developing friendships with people who are on a journey towards Christ. Transforming our attitude from offering help as superiors to relating as co-recipients of grace is not easy for us, and doesn't come naturally for a middle-class, churched-from-birth guy like me. Thanks for giving me another nudge in the right direction.
thanks for you it`s very nice and realy is good
You have gained some valuable insight into human nature. Perhaps, in America, we should use this knowledge to assess some of are own entitlement programs to see if they are doing more harm than good.
I visited Africa in 2002 by visiting a friend who grew up in SA. I came home overwhelmed by the need and yet feeling the need was too big. How could it be change? Over the last couple of years my interest has been piqued by the concept of micro financing. This last year a retail space opened in the small city where I lived. It is backed by The Schillios Foundation. The purpose of the shop is to provide a place for several women's coops from around the world to sell their products. 100% of the money goes back to these women's groups. Their are lots of ways to be involved with micro finance and credit unions in developing countries. It really can change lives by changing structures. It is exciting to know that things can change. It won't be by big events or by huge donations (these often being manipulated by governments). It will be by individuals caring for individuals.
|
|
|
|
(2)
Excellent point. Meaningful acts of mercy do at times require more than mere action; especially when facing complex dynamics. They also require thinking and seeing. We must look beneath the surface to see the interactions of the interrelated forces and elements at work in creating or maintaining the current condition. We often react to the tip of the iceberg, but should consider (to be genuinely effective) the larger mass that often lies hidden beneath. Posted by Ben Overton | Posted at 09/18/2008 8:12 PM
This is a good post. I guess we need both mercy and justice. We need to meet people's "immediate" needs but you can't stop there. If you don't change the underlying system, then things will quickly revert to the way they were or worse. And of course "systemic" change is harder to bring about. Posted by Alan | Posted at 09/19/2008 5:09 AM
really good thoughts. I work in public health and over and over it is the system that has to change if we want to impower people to have choices. This is just as true at home as in Africa (where I spent 6 years). Rather than haveing more food banks we need to support education and training so that people can grow or buy their food and then feel success instead of hopelessness. Rather than putting huge money into shelters for the homeless we need to understand how our economy is making people homeless and fix that so that people can afford adequate housing. I think you are right on with real social justice. One of my favouite verses is Micah 6:8 ...'to act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with my God' Posted by Lynn | Posted at 09/20/2008 4:31 AM
You know...I got a lot out of your article.
I suppose if I was going to offer any critique (you put yourself out there!) it would be this:
Maybe our definition of mercy just needs to be expanded. God's justice is merciful enough to spare us the misery we've created, and gracious enough to give us what we need to be a part of the healing.
Thanks for such a great challenge to think deeply. Otherwise, we risk being acting irresponsibly in order to feel good about our 'spirituality'.
Posted by Joey Aszterbaum | Posted at 09/24/2008 8:37 PMChallenging thoughts! I totally agree. I've been associated with a local faith-based social service agency for about 8 years. It has been difficult to get ongoing funding for educational programs that give opportunities for lasting change in people's lives. This type of work takes money and lots of time and patience. It's about meeting people where they are and helping them to see their value and worth. I have found that volunteers, myself included, are more willing to hand out a bag of food or clothing (which are needed) than to spend time getting to know people and invest in their lives and see them as friends and not just as "projects".
Another issue that I've thought about and been challenged about over the last few years is mutual transformation. Often we come into the lives of people in need with the good intentions of changing their lives, whether through giving food or changing the systems that hold them back. This is all well and good. But it doesn't go far enough. We must realize that the people we are helping have so many resources and strengths that have perhaps been unable to emerge. If we come in with the idea that we are going to make things better for them we devalue them. We also need to realize that often we are the ones whose lives are enriched and changed more because of the relationship we have built with people.
I too am glad that people are looking beyond their own comfort and seeing that we are all citizens of this world and are responsible for helping and supporting each other and making the world a better place by joining with God in the redemption of the world.
Posted by Amy | Posted at 09/25/2008 1:09 PMThanks for the comment Amy. I couldn't agree more about the idea of mutual transformation. Because we often times enter into development work as the person who is 'helping provide for another person's needs', we often don't recognize that we need to learn and receive from the other. I think any good development work involves the building of genuine relationships and mutual give and take. I have much to learn from the talented and courageous people that I have worked with in various parts of the world. Posted by Steve Conrad | Posted at 09/25/2008 7:39 PM
I really think you hit a target here and until I read this I hadn't thought about the repercussions of simply throwing something "over the wall" as we say in the software development world. Not thinking about the effects we have on the people we help is a huge error.
Amy's thoughts helped focus this on relationships. That is an important part of being truly effective especially in areas where corruption may be a factor and what assistance we bring may simply end up in someone's pocket. So there must be relationships and trust to be effective. No surprise there once we think about the whole picture.
Thanks for the insightful post.
Posted by Robb | Posted at 10/31/2008 8:41 AMVery thought-provoking; both the original article and Amy's response. I think there are parallels across ministry to this; for example, not seeing the 'unsaved' as targets or projects but instead developing friendships with people who are on a journey towards Christ. Transforming our attitude from offering help as superiors to relating as co-recipients of grace is not easy for us, and doesn't come naturally for a middle-class, churched-from-birth guy like me. Thanks for giving me another nudge in the right direction. Posted by Jawbone | Posted at 11/27/2008 4:27 AM
thanks for you it`s very nice and realy is good Posted by ??????? | Posted at 12/22/2008 8:50 AM
You have gained some valuable insight into human nature. Perhaps, in America, we should use this knowledge to assess some of are own entitlement programs to see if they are doing more harm than good. Posted by Grant | Posted at 12/31/2008 11:03 AM
I visited Africa in 2002 by visiting a friend who grew up in SA. I came home overwhelmed by the need and yet feeling the need was too big. How could it be change? Over the last couple of years my interest has been piqued by the concept of micro financing. This last year a retail space opened in the small city where I lived. It is backed by The Schillios Foundation. The purpose of the shop is to provide a place for several women's coops from around the world to sell their products. 100% of the money goes back to these women's groups. Their are lots of ways to be involved with micro finance and credit unions in developing countries. It really can change lives by changing structures. It is exciting to know that things can change. It won't be by big events or by huge donations (these often being manipulated by governments). It will be by individuals caring for individuals. Posted by catd | Posted at 04/02/2009 1:17 PM