While there is an enormous amount of work to be done to reverse the course of how we do charity, there is some good news. As I talk with people about this issue many are already aware of the problem and I have not met any who fundamentally disagree. Now, it could be they are just being polite or that I only hang out with like minded people. Because there are still a majority of Christians doing charity by checkbook.
There are also many Christians that are putting themselves into charitable work. There are many who are coming alongside people in need and helping them in real and sustainable ways. These are the efforts we need to seek out and celebrate. These are the charities we need to support. One that gets a lot of attention for doing it right but is not specifically Christian is the Acumen Fund. Started by Jacqueline Novogratz ten years ago the Acumen Fund is empowering people to care for themselves. They have accountability structures in place. They work within cultural contexts by actually working with, not for or in place of, the people in the culture. It's an awesome model and just one that needs to be emulated.
I am searching for models like the Acumen Fund and they are certainly out there. The granddaddy of all the microfinance ventures is the Grameen Foundation. Microfinance is a very effective tool for empowering people. And not because of the money, but because of the model that includes accountability, networking, partnerships and trust. If we are to have any hope of reversing benevolent oppression then we must first trust people to take initiative and stop treating them like they can't do anything for themselves. I will say more on how microfinance accomplishes this in my next post.
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