Development Journal
What I Want to Be When I Grow Up
For all of you wondering what the heck I want to be when I grow up (which, given my history, is a very valid question) here you have it! Or, for everyone wondering if I've lost my left-hemisphere, here is your reassurance that it is still intact.
Most of you know that I started college studying marine biology and animal behavior; I was drawn to the fact that animals of different species could communicate with each other (insert 'talking to dolphin" jokes here), live peacefully with each other, and even rely on each other for survival. I figured there must be some lessons we humans could learn from these relationships. After returning from trips to Ireland and inner-city Jamaica, which both yielded life changing experiences, I decided to leave my animal behavior interest to a hobby and instead focus on the relationships between racial groups in North America and between developed and underdeveloped countries around the world.
Fast forward a couple years and after graduation I had the opportunity of serving with several non-governmental organizations in various capacities as well as accepting a position with the State of Michigan. In my work with the State there were many ongoing discussions over how to improve the efficiency of our public service and how to sustain our work in a weak economy. However, in my volunteer work these conversations were sparse in comparison. While volunteering as a grant writer for the Faith Harvest Medical Clinic in the Kwempe District of Kampala, Uganda, the only hospital within a four hour drive for over 300,000 men, women, and children, I observed the financial and administrative operations of a small, foreign aid supported development project in it's infantile stages and the struggle to allocate resources most effectively.
Through working to secure funding for a medical clinic and now playing a small role in helping to re-settle Sudanese refugees, it has become apparent to me that good will and good intentions are in the hearts of most involved; however, there is very little focus on or discussion about how we can know that what we are doing is really making a difference. Of course it feels like we are making a difference when we hear encouraging stories from individuals about how their lives and situations have been changed for the better, but without empirical measurements we cannot really know, nor can we move towards increased efficiency and sustainability. I believe that without thoughtful planning in the primary stages of project development and empirical monitoring and evaluation throughout the course of the project it is very difficult to determine what, if any, actual progress has been made as well as what needs to be adjusted in order to make the project more efficient and effective.
SO, that brings us now to grad school, during which I'll be pursuing ways of measuring and evaluating the effectiveness of international aid, specifically towards public health projects, with the intention of applying these tools within the non-governmental organization arena (that's the "job" part). Whether it's through direct leadership or acting as a consultant, I believe the implementation of monitoring and evaluation is an important tool that can be used to further engage existing aid donors and is a necessary step towards increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of both current and future international aid efforts.
There you have it...congratulations to anyone who stuck through to the end! =)
I Need Africa...
(Following excerpt taken from mochaclub.org, check them out as well)
When I think of Africa, the following images immediately come to mind: Starvation. AIDS. Child soldiers. Genocide. Sex slaves. Orphans. From there, my thoughts naturally turn to how I can help, how I can make a difference. "I am needed here," I think. "They have so little, and I have so much." It's true, there are great tragedies playing out in Africa everyday. There is often a level of suffering here that is unimaginable until you have seen it, and even then it is difficult to believe. But what is even harder is reconciling the challenges that many Africans face with the joy I see in those same people. It's a joy that comes from somewhere I cannot fathom, not within the framework that has been my life to this day.
The images spilling out of my television showed circumstances that could seemingly only equal misery, and I was fooled. I bought into the lie that circumstance defines happiness. The truth is, in Africa I find hearts full of victory, indomitable spirits. In places where despair should thrive, instead I find adults dancing and singing, and children playing soccer with a ball crafted of tied up trash. Instead of payback, I find grace. Here, weekend getaways are not options to provide relief from the pains of daily life. Relationships and faith provide joy. Love is sovereign.
My new reality… I know now that my joy should have no regard for my circumstances. I'm ashamed by my lack of faith, but at the very same moment I am excited by my new pursuit. I'm forced to redefine the meaning of having much or having little. I'm uneasy with the prospect of change and of letting go, but just the thought of freedom is liberating. I want what I have learned to trickle down from my head into my heart - I no longer want to need the "next thing" to have joy.
I'm not saying that Africa does not need our efforts. It absolutely does need our partnership. But for me, I've come to understand that I NEED AFRICA MORE THAN AFRICA NEEDS ME. Why? Because it is Africa that has taught me that possessions in my hands will never be as valuable as peace in my heart. I've learned that I don't need what I have and that I have what I need. These are just a few of this continent's many lessons. I came here to serve and yet I've found that I have so much to learn, and Africa, with all its need, has much to teach me.
Start a new conversation. Raise awareness of the joy and hope that exist in Africa, and begin to reform the inaccurate perception that Africa is a continent only of despair.
Many in the west think Africa is simply an object of charity. This mindset does not breed true compassion. And there's something about truth… when it becomes clear, it hits you in a way that is hard to ignore. The same is true with people. If we invest in knowing someone, love is the automatic response. We can't all make a trip across the ocean, but we can seek to have a conversation that recasts the damaging images that force pity over partnership. WHY DO YOU NEED AFRICA MORE THAN AFRICA NEEDS YOU?
Raising Awareness
I am starting to think “raising awareness” is a fashionable way to “not do work” when it comes to justice issues. -Donald Miller
While I understand the underlying motivation of Miller’s comment, I find it very problematic as well. If we compare the social justice journey to the journey of faith we can realize that just as each person is in a different stage of their faith, so also is every person in a different stage of involvement in the social rights arena. When encouraging someone to grow in their faith we don’t (or we shouldn’t) call them lazy or imply that what they are doing is of little worth, rather, we try to provide them with tools to grow and simple opportunities to become more involved. Similarly, if someone cares enough to “raise awareness” about an issue, but maybe hasn’t gotten as involved or active as we would like, how productive is it to focus on what they aren’t doing? Do we really believe that implying that their actions are of less value than what they could be doing is really going to encourage them to get more involved?
My husband and I are in the process of forming a social justice organization on the premise that if every person just cared about one issue, they could help attain just (fair, equal) care for at least one other life. This idea inherently encourages people to learn about the issues and then start to really dive in and “get their hands dirty” with one particular issue. The amazing thing we have seen over the past few years is that as people learn about poverty, human trafficking, AIDs, microfinance, etc, etc, and focus on one issue they continue to “raise awareness” about the other issues simply through conversations anywhere they are. These conversations have been overheard and have inspired others to dive in and get involved in these other issues that someone was simply “raising awareness” about.
In the New Testament James addresses this issue
What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
-James 2:14-17 (NIV)
In short, I agree with James, faith without works is dead. But instead of calling those with the beginnings of works cop-outs and risking the chance of them walking away from the whole issue, lets encourage them, help them to see the benefits of getting more involved, and focus on the positive impact they are making.
Miller’s statement is a great idea to ponder about in regards to one’s own personal involvement, but I don’t see it as a productive way to get those just “raising awareness” more involved.
What do you think? Is raising awareness simply a facade for not really doing anything?
