Gifts That Keep On Giving!
One comment from my previous post raises important questions:
Quote:“…so...what does that say about the we (the US) are relating to the world in 2006? Iraq, non-feeding of the many in Africa, etc, while throwing away tons of food...The so called "greatest generation" raised this generation of politicians and leaders. What's the state of the nation?”
This is an important question in light of what the Bible has to say to Christians and Jews about caring for the poor.
Unfortunately, the giving of gifts is always tricky. (What do you give your mother-in-law for Christmas?) The question of appropriate giving is much easier in the context of community. If my hard working neighbor falls from a drilling rig and is hospitalized for a year, the answer is simple; I visit him, encourage him, help with chores, groceries, rent, and etcetera. It is easy because I can understand the context of the problems and help in ways that are beneficial.
I have a friend who has a gambling addiction and a husband who comes and goes with the paycheck. I still have a responsibility and even a desire to help, but how to help becomes tricky. I cannot give money because of the gambling issue and if I give food or fuel when the husband is around, I enable the husband to be irresponsible. What I have chosen to do is check if the husband is around, if he has left the family in the lurch for some time, I will help with fuel. This seems to me to be help with the least amount of potential damage.
Zimbabwe’s problem is primarily caused by a terrible government. While the government can be cruel (witness the demolition of thousands of homes and small shops and consequent homelessness of many thousand people); the damage it is doing to the people of Zimbabwe appears to be caused by terminal stupidity. How do we help? Aid sent is routinely embezzled by government officials. Aid that reaches the truly needy, in the end enables a corrupt government. In the short term, generous giving helps the poor and in the long term enables a corrupt government to foster the very conditions that causes the poverty thereby forcing the poor into an endless and hopeless cycle of poverty and disease.
The quandary for me is this; I can only intelligently and beneficially help my neighbors within my community. I can only help my neighbors in another community by partnering with someone within that community. In all probability any government (mine or theirs) will be disqualified.
I am currently sitting on a request to help a small community in Zimbabwe to fund a sustainable welding / manufacturing enterprise which would support several extended families. They have a good business plan. I personally know the individuals involved and believe they are capable of implementing the plan. The budget is approximately $20,000 including sending a welding trainer from here. We believe we could raise the funds but have not acted on the proposal for several reasons:
1. The region is very poor and we might endanger the lives of those who would be by their community standards rich.
2. The police are underpaid and often not paid and have developed a culture of bribery. It is very possible the police or other government officials would either require bribes that would remove all profit from the venture or simply confiscate the equipment.
3. Thievery is the norm for that culture. It is rude to steal something that is watched, but it is OK to steal something that is not watched. If one critical component goes missing that could not be replaced by the enterprise, the enterprise would fail.
4. This is a project that could be a huge blessing for a community in a desperate situation or it could result in the death of the very people we are trying to help.
Quote:“…so...what does that say about the we (the US) are relating to the world in 2006? Iraq, non-feeding of the many in Africa, etc, while throwing away tons of food...The so called "greatest generation" raised this generation of politicians and leaders. What's the state of the nation?”
This is an important question in light of what the Bible has to say to Christians and Jews about caring for the poor.
Unfortunately, the giving of gifts is always tricky. (What do you give your mother-in-law for Christmas?) The question of appropriate giving is much easier in the context of community. If my hard working neighbor falls from a drilling rig and is hospitalized for a year, the answer is simple; I visit him, encourage him, help with chores, groceries, rent, and etcetera. It is easy because I can understand the context of the problems and help in ways that are beneficial.
I have a friend who has a gambling addiction and a husband who comes and goes with the paycheck. I still have a responsibility and even a desire to help, but how to help becomes tricky. I cannot give money because of the gambling issue and if I give food or fuel when the husband is around, I enable the husband to be irresponsible. What I have chosen to do is check if the husband is around, if he has left the family in the lurch for some time, I will help with fuel. This seems to me to be help with the least amount of potential damage.
Zimbabwe’s problem is primarily caused by a terrible government. While the government can be cruel (witness the demolition of thousands of homes and small shops and consequent homelessness of many thousand people); the damage it is doing to the people of Zimbabwe appears to be caused by terminal stupidity. How do we help? Aid sent is routinely embezzled by government officials. Aid that reaches the truly needy, in the end enables a corrupt government. In the short term, generous giving helps the poor and in the long term enables a corrupt government to foster the very conditions that causes the poverty thereby forcing the poor into an endless and hopeless cycle of poverty and disease.
The quandary for me is this; I can only intelligently and beneficially help my neighbors within my community. I can only help my neighbors in another community by partnering with someone within that community. In all probability any government (mine or theirs) will be disqualified.
I am currently sitting on a request to help a small community in Zimbabwe to fund a sustainable welding / manufacturing enterprise which would support several extended families. They have a good business plan. I personally know the individuals involved and believe they are capable of implementing the plan. The budget is approximately $20,000 including sending a welding trainer from here. We believe we could raise the funds but have not acted on the proposal for several reasons:
1. The region is very poor and we might endanger the lives of those who would be by their community standards rich.
2. The police are underpaid and often not paid and have developed a culture of bribery. It is very possible the police or other government officials would either require bribes that would remove all profit from the venture or simply confiscate the equipment.
3. Thievery is the norm for that culture. It is rude to steal something that is watched, but it is OK to steal something that is not watched. If one critical component goes missing that could not be replaced by the enterprise, the enterprise would fail.
4. This is a project that could be a huge blessing for a community in a desperate situation or it could result in the death of the very people we are trying to help.
posted by complexspecificity | 9:46 AM
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