on changing my mind about doing the most good

I’ve always been a helper.

From a young age, I’ve felt the tendency to “fix” what I have perceived to be wrong, unjust, or hurtful towards others. In so many ways, this is one of the qualities that I really do like about myself. I know that God has placed within me the desire and ability to help bring about positive and meaningful change both within my own circles and in small ways, globally. I’m the girl who is quick to sign up to serve, to give, to help. My parents, especially my mother, worked to instill and foster this part of my personality, for which I am grateful. As a teenager, I participated in a few week long “mission trips” – first in Brooklyn, NY, and later, Washington D.C. At the time, I LOVED these types of experiences. I enjoyed how they made me feel. I was doing SO MUCH GOOD. I was helping these poor, poverty-stricken people, and dang, it made me feel a bit like a hero. Oh, to know now then what I’ve learned now about aid.  My worldview about “helping” in recent years has shifted and undergone some fairly significant changes.

Before I launch into this a bit more, let me preface this piece by saying that I share these thoughts not with a spirit of judgement, but in light of the journey I’ve been on personally over the last few years in terms of my own feelings about both local and global aid. I have many friends who participate in initiatives that after careful consideration, we as a family have chosen not to. I am not questioning anyone’s motivation or heart over their choices to participate in things that I no longer feel called to support. Those who truly know me, will know that guilt, shame, and judgement, are qualities that are not in line with the way I try to approach and love people.  I do hope that if you are reading this, you are doing so with an open heart and mind.

I often get frustrated with the tendency that many have to paint those who speak out, who try to gently put forth new ideas, as “pot stirrers”. As though when we voice concerns, or dare to fall away from the party line, that we are doing so simply to ruffle feathers for the heck of it. Can I tell you something? I can only speak for myself, but I am willing to bet that for most of us, this is simply untrue. To do the hard and holy work of peacemaking, of combating injustice, poverty, damaging thought processes, of trying to share the things we have learned is not easy. It takes both courage and vulnerability. Putting myself out here with these thoughts will inevitably result in a bit of backlash. But these thoughts have been brewing in my heart for too long to let that be the reason I allow them to stay there, unwritten.

One of the first times the framework I had built in my mind about aid shifted was when I watched the documentary “Poverty, Inc”. Never before had I really thought deeply about what impact my perceived “good” was actually doing in developing nations. This film opened my eyes to the damage that very often results when Westerners flood local markets with cheap or free imported goods. Local economies often suffer greatly with this kind of aid – often designed to be temporary, but filled with less than desirable after effects. So often, local talent goes untapped in favour of Western aid. Short term mission trips can, in some cases, rob local people of jobs to provide sustainable income for their families. 

The more I learned about the roots of systemic poverty, the more I realized that the solution, long term, is not going to come from Western handouts and short term commitments. That if we really want to know how to help – we need to ask what those who are trapped in the cycle of poverty really need. Reading the book “When Helping Hurts” by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert added another layer to my understanding of the impact that grassroots movements can have in lifting people out of poverty long term.  It is easy for us to look at a situation and tell ourselves that we are seeing all the pieces of the puzzle. To evaluate someone living on government assistance and make a simple plan for them to move into a better space. But I have learned to challenge my own presuppositions in that area, as well. Last year I attended the workshop “Bridges Out of Poverty” and I was shocked to learn just how deep my beliefs about poverty ran. There are so many moving pieces that come into play for someone living on very little – and building a better life is much more complicated than many attending that workshop with me could ever have imagined. Because of this program, the paradigm in my mind around what really helps someone has changed.

If we truly want to do good, we need to look at what actually helps to break the cycle of systemic poverty. It has been said that one of the keys to ending this type of poverty is the education of girls in developing countries (https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/educating-girls-is-the-key-to-ending-poverty/). As a mother to girls myself, this resonates deeply with me.  Instead of gifting my daughter’s teachers with trinkets at Christmas, we have chosen for the last three years to make investments in the education of girls who need it the most. While it may not be a tangible gift for my child to hand over – it has been received with great thanks each year.

Undergoing this change in the way we think about the lasting effects of aid has caused my family to re-evaluate many of the ways we’ve chosen to give in the past.  Because of what I have learned about the impact of handouts vs providing those in developing nations with sustainable employment, and thereby the means to support their own families, we have chosen as a family to not participate in programs such as Operation Christmas Child. Instead, we have given financially to initiatives that seek turn the talents and abilities of beautiful souls far from home into jobs that provide economic independence. We have done this through “gift catalogue” type programs (midwifery training skills, school fees for girls, seeds to start produce businesses) and microcredit loans through Kiva. 

I recently read a book that resonated deeply with my stance on aid. Jessica Honegger is the founder and CEO of Noonday Collection – a direct sales company that follows a very different business model than most. Jessica, as a means to help fund the adoption of one of her children, connected with skilled artisans in Uganda, whom she purchased jewellery from and then sold at “trunk shows” out of her own home. A handful of years later, Noonday is a thriving business that provides hundreds of artisans with meaningful employment they can be proud of, as well as income for American “ambassadors” who sell these products directly to consumers. I love this business, and you’d better believe I’ve emailed head office a half dozen times encouraging them to expand their ambassadorship into Canada. I’ll be first in line when this happens 😊

I share all of this not to paralyze anyone into feeling like they’ve been “giving wrong” and to stop helping entirely. But I did feel the push to share how my own worldview around the concept of aid has changed. With Giving Tuesday coming up, I encourage you to look into ways you can use your resources to give sustainably. To help provide another person with the dignity to provide for their own family that they may not be otherwise afforded.  Let’s be intentional with our help. Let’s seek to give in ways that may be harder, less “feel-good”, and maybe even less convenient. Let’s challenge our own assumptions about poverty and those living in it – both our friends next door, and those a world away.

Some resources (all of these things are near and dear to my heart)

Poverty, Inc. (on Netflix) https://www.povertyinc.org/

Bridges Out of Poverty workshop https://www.ahaprocess.com/solutions/community/

When Helping Hurts book (for locals, I have a copy I am happy to lend out) https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/when-helping-hurts-how-to/9780802409980-item.html?ikwid=when+helping+hurts&ikwsec=Home&ikwidx=0

Noonday Collection https://www.noondaycollection.com/

Imperfect Courage book https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/imperfect-courage-live-a-life/9780735291294-item.html?ikwid=imperfect+courage&ikwsec=Home&ikwidx=0

Kiva microcredit loans https://www.kiva.org/?gclid=Cj0KCQiAlIXfBRCpARIsAKvManzF_wROa3Pf03wTRNG1CmH1gxJIW0HOF3Y2rQUJ1Jz_gsGaOnnF34QaAkLPEALw_wcB

Village Artisan https://villageartisan.com/

ABLE https://www.livefashionable.com/collections/jewelry

Little By Little http://www.littlebylittle.ca/