Comments on: Mistakes in Giving Aid and Development - Part 2

By: Lennon

Lennon — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 23:13:29 +0000

You definitely should write a book about your journey. I enjoy reading your posts.
Call it “Mzungu experience”.

By: Lindsay Johnson

Lindsay Johnson — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 00:50:33 +0000

It seems like very rarely when we help others do we help them more than we help ourselves. Although I’m sure they benefited from their “Mzunga friend”.

I’m jealous of your experiences. You definitely should write a book…

By: jeremy

jeremy — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 01:25:13 +0000

I can’t find your email, so I’m posting this here: http://apnews.myway.com/article/20080727/D926GL6G2.html

It’s an article about big companies tailoring their image for foreign countries. Pretty obvious stuff, but some good examples.

By: brooke

brooke — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 18:32:55 +0000

and now you can do something for them that isn’t done enough - you have just told the story of these young men to people who wouldn’t have otherwise heard it. that is one thing that CPT is about - getting the stories out about what is happening around the world. letting those of us in the west - who, unfortunately, have much more access to resources - know what is happening. as with palestine, these stories need to be told. for me i see it not just being about possibly some westerner who can make a huge difference reading the story and then making that difference, but also putting the individual, very human, face on what is often just pictures of anonymous africans, or in this case - ugandans. as you know very well - each time we make that heart to heart, human to human, connection it brings us one step closer to the world we all so desperately want to live in. i’m glad that you have a passion for the african continent my friend, because it takes a bit of weight off my shoulders. it means that i can focus on palestine while someone i trust very much is focusing there. (of course, along with so many other people, but i think you understand).

keep writing - you are an inspiration to me. thanks

By: Jack

Jack — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 23:57:46 +0000

Clint,
WOW! I think you answered your own question from the last post. What you DID is what should have been done. An m&m doesn’t last very long. Though they are great for a moment, I think the experience you had was meant to lead you to the experience that you made. Doing, is the best part. I am so impressed by your desire to help that you reflected on these kids in such a horrible situation, but such a small incident.

That is quite the heart you have there.

I am glad to see that you were able to take the situation and change it around to have at least part of the outcome that you would have preferred.

Compassion is one thing, but charity, and putting that compassion to work is quite another. Hopefully through your work you will inspire others that have the way to give.

I know that you inspire me!

By: VeNicia

VeNicia — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 02:45:08 +0000

Absolutely, absolutely! Write a book. You know you’d sell 3 copies, at least =o) My heart goes out to those children so much and I love how happy they look in those pictures. Going back was a great thing to do, nice thinking. One of the best parts of that was finding out the big kids didn’t end up scarfing all 11 M&Ms but that they shared them so kindly. Situations like that are the ones at school that really make my “job” (hobby) fulfilling. I can’t tell you how excited I am that my kids this year will get to write to these children! It’s things like this that will change lives (shaping their priorities, developing appreciation for differences and love for people of other cultures and global thinking, excitement for learning about the world, appreciation and humility for all the blessings they enjoy in their family and homes and country, and desire to share it with others!). They will never forget! I love it. Thank you. So much!

By: Melissa

Melissa — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 15:02:41 +0000

I just showed these pictures to Stacie, an 18-year-old girl who has grown up in orphanages her entire life here in China. She had never seen an African before- and I’m not sure if she knew that a people with beautiful ebony skin existed. Your stories are even reaching kids in Chinaland!

By nature of studying public health, I’m often thinking on the population level- what we can do to help the greatest amount of people. It was so fun to read your blog and see a good example of keeping that in mind, while also ministering to individuals with faces and names and stories- one-by-one. Very fun- thanks for sharing!

By: Juho Kauranne

Juho Kauranne — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 15:54:03 +0000

Hi; I was very happy to read what you did, it both surpsised me and put a huge smile on my face. Great job!

By: brooke

brooke — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 17:44:52 +0000

hey clint -
i went to bible study at my church yesterday and the discussion was about Matthew 14:1-21 - the stories of the death of john the baptist and feeding of the 5,000. in church on sunday the sermon is going to be about the feeding of the 5,000 but we talked about the 2 stories together because of the stories contrast each other. you probably know this - but in case you don’t - in the first herod has a feast, kills john the baptist but is left feeling not so full and satisfied. in the second - you do know - christ feeds 5,000 men with 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish, and then all go home feeling more than full.

as we were talking about this, i thought about the boys and what they ended up doing with the m & m’s. rather than hoarding them they divided them up so that everyone could have a piece. they looked at your 11 m & m’s as being plentiful - for me the parallel to the fish and loaves in the story about christ. ain’t that just great? i think it is.

okay, back to tpck for me. keep doing what you are doing.

By: Rebecca

Rebecca — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 04:10:38 +0000

I’m glad the chaos in the streets was not as bad as you had anticipated. I also feel satisfied that you have remedied your “mistake” in the best way possible. Thanks for sharing your experiences and reflections!!

By: Clint

Clint — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 13:02:49 +0000

Thanks everyone for your comments.
Since my friends at Masese kept asking me when I was coming back - I decided to ask the teacher if he would guide everyone who attended TEDC on a walk around Masese.

I didn’t tell the conference attendees that this was going to happen, until at the end of the day where we did a brainstorming session. As part of the brainstorming session that Esther Nasikye fascilitated, we told them the story (from the first blog entry - about the kids and the candy and me feeling I had done more harm than good) and had them brainstorm in groups what they thought would have been a better approach (assuming I wanted to help), as well as how this situation was similar to and different from the way that aid/development is given and received in Africa.

After we heard a lot of good responses, later in the day I told them the rest of the story and was able to take them to meet the actual people.

It was sobering to take everyone there. It was right towards the end of the conference, and everyone was on kind of a high from having such a good time - and then we saw the living conditions and learned more about these very poor people. One participant seemed troubled and said walking through there is like when someone tells you something you don’t want to hear, but you know it is true and that you needed to hear it. Most of the Ugandan participants also had never seen anything like that before, and seemed surprised that so near to them were people that were living like in these conditions.

Toward the end of walking with everyone through Masese, I was starting to doubt whether it was a good idea or not to take them all there (partly because of how sobering it was for everyone and also because I did not want the people of Masese to feel like they were part of a zoo or something), but I hope in the end it will serve to be a good thing.

Especially if even a few of us to something more to help these specific people, or others who are in a similar situation.

We almost left two participants behind (Tom Lechner and Russell Johnson) - whoops - but then again, maybe that would have been the best contribution we could have made to the people of Masese (they seem like hard workers, and might be of some use?).