Jeremy Phillips, program director in Africa
Jeremy Phillips, Empower's program director, with his father at the site of Empower's future school.
As I drive in Kampala, I am fascinated by the vehicles on the road from the various other non-profit organizations. Many of them focus on orphans, AIDS, and “the least of these.” While I am sure the organizations do meaningful work, it occurs to me that some of their names, logos, and mottos are often geared toward the donors they rely upon and are not always sensitive to the dignity of the people they serve. It reminds me of a story my dad once told me that taught me an important lesson.
My dad was born in China in a missionary family and returned home to Oregon when he was 6 years old. His family’s home church took baskets of food to needy families at Christmas. Everybody involved enjoyed it and felt proud they could help the poor. When he was 10, his dad (my grandfather) died in a workplace accident at the power plant where he worked. They were not a wealthy family, so the loss of his dad also meant they lost their primary source of income. It was soon Christmas time. While they were grieving, friends from the church showed up at his house with a food basket. One might assume he was happy to receive the food, but rather than run to receive the gift, he ran and hid instead. Why? He felt ashamed that he had become one of the poor families that needed a basket of food.
My dad went on to spend his entire career helping others through non-profit work. But he never forgot the lesson he learned about the importance of protecting the dignity of those you serve so they can hold their head high rather than bear the stigma of their condition or be ashamed of needing help. As a child I did not know this story, but I saw the effects of this lesson my dad learned in the way he treated people and the way they responded to him.
If we are not careful, our helping can hurt the very ones we intend to serve. We can focus on their needs and ignore their humanity. I often wonder how a family in Uganda feels when one of those vehicles drives up to their house. They are genuinely in need — just as my dad was — but are they happy to see the vehicle or do they want to run and hide?
Our name, Empower African Children, if often shortened to “Empower.” It is a name that speaks of our student’s abilities and potential. I get the sense our students are proud to say they are a part of “Empower.” Whenever we communicate what we do, we try to keep the focus on where our students are going and what they are capable of, not dwelling on the challenges they have experienced in the past.
A recent experience at our students’ school leads me to believe we are successful in this goal. They go to one of the top private schools in Uganda, so the majority of the other students come from well-off families. While attending a soccer match between the Empower students and the school team, one of the regular fee-paying students watching the match approached me and asked if she could join Empower. She didn’t realize we are a scholarship program; she simply saw the quality of the children in Empower and wanted to be among them.
We want our students to always be proud to be associated with Empower and hold their head high — with dignity.
Jeremy Phillips is program director of Empower African Children and is based in Kampala, Uganda. He can be reached at Jeremy@EmpowerAfricanChildren.org.
Comments