More than once, when my family and I lived in Haiti we witnessed the UGLY SIDE of charity: The well-intentioned generosity of individuals and ministries frequently fostered deep dependency and entitlement.
Mere handouts often brought as much harm as good.
(And sometimes more!)
In the 1990s, the World Bank conducted extensive interviews among the poor of 60 different nations, speaking to 60,000 individuals. The central question was straightforward: “What is poverty?”
While answers did include the lack of material things –food, shelter, medicine – the interviewers were caught off guard by what the respondents stressed most. They used words like “shame, inferiority, powerlessness, humiliation, fear, hopelessness, depression, social isolation, and voicelessness.” *
Too many traditional charitable organizations address needs of the human body and neglect the less obvious needs of the human spirit.
Consider how receiving a handout may temporarily relieve physical hunger while also exacerbating the individual’s sense of shame and powerlessness!
I am glad to be affiliated with Mission Resource because our approach stands apart from other “charities”. A timely loan to buy a sewing machine, fertilizer, or raw materials enables an individual to earn what it takes to provide for the body while empowering their spirit. The loan becomes an exit ticket from shame and hopelessness.
It’s an entirely different approach to combating poverty –and one that I can be fully on board with!
*Check out the book When Helping Hurts by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert for an eye-opening discussion of these things. This information is from pages 49 to 51.
Does Mission Resource do microfinance to help church planters in developing countries?
ReplyDeleteI will pray that we might be able to partner in some way! Keep in touch.
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