Discuss: putting Band-Aids on the developing world…literally
photo credit: Dave Chidley
In this article from the Guardian’s Katine Chronicles, the author raises a question that is constantly on the minds of IC Uganda staff: Who is (and is not) qualified to help people in the developing world? Gulu is a hub for development in northern Uganda. As such, it attracts a wide variety of organizations and individuals aimed at helping Ugandans. Some are structured organizations led by trained development professionals; others are not.
The article highlights a troubling myth that do-gooders too often take for truth: Being a foreigner motivated by good intentions equates to being qualified. Shockingly, foreigners with no development experience—none—come to places like Gulu year after year and attempt to work with vulnerable communities in need, doing anything from offering up counseling, to helping trauma victims make products, to handing out shoes and other items. With no development philosophy guiding these behaviors, money gets wasted, the wheel gets reinvented, stereotypes get fueled, and little real change sticks. Good intentions, too often, are misinterpreted as sound foundations for action.
The way forward, according to the author’s article? Tighter regulations on NGOs and the work they do. A more cooperative NGO environment marked by community-led and community-requested projects. A firm, clear organizational structure. More listening and less telling.
Just the other day, a group of foreigners was singing religious songs while standing in the middle of the main roundabout in Gulu. Ugandans stopped briefly to gawk, unsure of what was going on, but didn’t linger. The foreigners were doing something so completely out of the ordinary, something no Ugandan would ever do, that no one wanted to be associated with them (which, presumably, is the exact opposite effect they were hoping to have). The following day, when a morning radio announcer took calls from listeners about the impromptu concert, one Ugandan said he thought the foreigners were trying to ‘purge themselves of evil spirits.’ Each summer, well-intentioned but experience-poor visitors flood northern Uganda and fill its streets with this sort of energy—a fusion of pity, compassion, kindness, and ignorance.
Since coming to Gulu, I’ve had the chance to meet hundreds of foreign visitors, many of whom saw their time in Uganda as a chance to do something, to achieve something. I’ve met short-term missionaries who paid $4,000 US each to spend 10 days in an internally displaced peoples camp. Every morning they evangelized to camp residents; every afternoon they cleaned wounds and put Band-Aids on people. When I asked if any trained medical staff were among the group—mostly teenagers—the group leader, a first-time visitor to Uganda, shook her head. I’ve spoken with student groups who, despite having no contracting or engineering experience, flew out to Uganda to build a latrine or a classroom. I’ve met backpackers with no experience in counseling who, inexplicably, were entrusted to run counseling and therapy workshops for orphans. I’ve met young college grads who were in the process of starting NGOs without doing any formal preliminary research, without first living in Gulu for a few years to understand and acclimatize to the struggles facing their beneficiary community. I’ve met visitors who, by their own admission, flew to Uganda simply to play with ‘African kids’ in an orphanage. Sometimes entire Ugandan communities are invested in these types of projects, initiating their inception; more often than not, however, they aren’t.
So, the meat and potatoes of the issue: Why do we, Westerners, behave this way? What about our pasts gives us the right to sing in busy intersections; to drop Band-Aids, pencils, shoes, and toothbrushes on a place one day, only to leave the next; to spend thousands of dollars to play with kids in an orphanage for a few weeks; to lead locals through a labyrinthine tangle of problems and emotions using hopeful experimentation as a program strategy? And, equally as important, what is a viable solution? Is traveling-to-learn (as opposed to traveling-to-build/implement/babysit/counsel) a more productive, less damaging alternative?
I’ve only lived in Gulu for a year and a half—too briefly to have figured things out—and I’m not trying to be condescending or say I know what’s right, but I’m still baffled by the whole foreigner-equals-qualified-development-professional thing. So much of it is just as confusing now as it was when I first arrived.
Thoughts?
–Andrew
Seriously, I feel like so many people are willing to waste money on a $4,000 trip for themselves to feel good about washing babies and put band-aids on people (literally), but when it comes to giving money to programs creating a REAL change they think they know better and are so hesitant to give.
Compassion is good, but let’s channel it into something life changing for others and not a “voluntourism” trip for ourselves. Come on, we can do better than this.
Good people get passionate about a “thing” that needs to happen and make bad decisions. I just don’t think it’s good to be regulated by a “government,” especially not the UN.
Awesome post..
I experienced this, because I was that kid. I went to Uganda in 2007 and trampled around IDP camps praying and “just loving on people” – looking back, it was selfish and naive.
“Is traveling-to-learn (as opposed to traveling-to-build/implement/babysit/counsel) a more productive, less damaging alternative?”
I think this is start to a solution, it comes from a place and humility and openness rather than a position of knowledge and supreme understanding.
Thanks for the article.
Really great post that I think everyone should read. Without a doubt, these types trips are beneficial to get us out of our box and understand how the rest of the world lives… but it is hard to justify spending the money on plane tickets when it can go to creating long-lasting change. And it is hard to see good intentions creating damage to the local communities.
I agree with Cameron. I hope we can learn to take on an attitude of humility and learning, and continue to support projects that create sustainable change.
Thanks, Andrew! Very thoughtful post.
I loved this post. It definitely puts cultural differences into perspective. I absolutely think that traveling-to-learn (to begin with, at least) would be more productive.
Like Cameron, I experienced this in Ecuador a few years back. I had an awesome time while I was there, but it was for my benefit at the time. I honestly don’t know if we really affected the community.
I would love to travel-to-learn.
I love all the comments and the article. I am coming from a developing country and living in Canada now. I know exactly what all these means.
All the great intentions from “americans” are good. But really take something really big to change a country like Northern Uganda along with some others countried in Africa and South America… EDUCATION… Education is the only thing can save our countries, because that’s the future, Education is the only tool we all have to battle corruption, ignorance and more. With education won’t be fear and LRT won’t take any more power over our future and the future of Uganda.
Perhaps if we (Westerners) traveled with the intent of meeting new people, learning a new culture, and broadening our global mindset we would see a transformation in ourselves that inevitably leads to better aid.
Cory- that’s beautiful. I think one of the keys here, really, is just education. And I don’t necessarily mean degrees, I mean be educated about where you’re going and what you’re doing. It’s about more than just “saving African babies” and taking pictures to show your friends back home (and some are done in vain, others, not so much), I think all people deserve quality aid and the misconception that the article mentions says it perfectly- so many of us confuse good intentions with qualification. I really appreciate this article.
We need to understand the system we’re trying to help.
Case in point: I’ve spent some time abroad and witnessed what was supposed to be a food distribution, but ended up being a few big guys with machetes swarming the aid truck and taking all the food while fighting back everyone else. The local police stood by and did nothing. Any person who had not seen this would talk to the locals, discover that they’re not getting enough food, and conclude that more food needs to be sent. The problem is not with the lack of aid. The problem isn’t even with the guys with the machetes. It’s that the local police aren’t paid enough to make it worth their while to risk their own safety to secure the distribution.
How can you know that without living in a place? I agree with the comments and article: sometimes it’s not so much about formal training even, but cultural understanding.
Very thought provoking and truthful. As modern civilization evolves though, and people are able to fill experiences with televisions or books people seem to think they are experts at everything and have less and less ability to take criticism but fully ignore it thanks to the dehumanizing effects of people like internet trolls. I loved your article and think this theory should be put into effect for more than just your day to day teenager looking to travel across the world and do good, but the daily lives and goals of our citizens would be put to better use if places like high school and college actually taught us how to effectively set and maintain goals like this.
Marissa, you nailed it. Cultural and contextual understand is key. Otherwise, your “good intentions” can actually back-fire and created more damage than the good you’d hoped.
If you’re a Christian, think about how long Jesus, Paul, Peter, etc. took learning before they actually set out on their missions. Jesus was 30 when he began the mission he was sent to carry out. Let us not act out of inspiration alone, but learn how we can act to create positive change is different places around the world.
I’m so thankful that IC posted this article and I hope that everyone is gaining from this. I have a feeling that they’re sharing it because it was a lesson they’ve learned over the years.
“With more understanding comes more responsibility.”
so many good things to think about. wow. im struck by this…being a student of international development i would totally echo the thoughts in this article. and i experienced this in uganda – why do i get to speak in schools or churches just because im from the west? i think this is such an important issue to consider.
however, we can’t forget how this whole ic movement started. a couple guys with a camera that were passionate about africa. they weren’t experts in development, but look where we are now.
of course, we need to do things well, invest wisely, and walk alongside the people that know what’s going on. but never underestimate what can happen when people have a heart for the hurting. in the case of the ic founders im sure that even the act of us posting on this blog would’ve been beyond their wildest dreams.
Thanks for all of the thoughtful comments, everyone.
Steffeny, I agree with you, but I think it’s important to point out how the starting of IC was very different from some of the things I mentioned in the blog post. The three founders didn’t come to Uganda and try to start things entirely on their own. They never would have made the decision to move forward and start IC if they didn’t have qualified Ugandans on the ground who supported the decision and encouraged them to take that step. When visitors stop by the office, they often assume that Jason, Laren, and Bobby forged their own path solo, making programming decisions based on what they and they alone thought was right for people in northern Uganda. This couldn’t be further from the truth: Jolly, our current Country Director, and some of our first mentors helped guide ICU in its infancy. Without their input, we wouldn’t have been successful.
Before I came to Uganda, I volunteered as an English teacher at four schools in Central and South America. I spent four to six weeks teaching at each school before moving on and continuing my trip. I left each school just as kids were starting to connect with me. I realize now, in hindsight, that I went about my teaching/traveling trip all wrong. I should have volunteered for six months straight, and I should have traveled for six months straight. I see now that traveling can be done in short stints, but volunteering cannot.
Volunteering without staying for months on end is a recipe for diluted impact, for an experience that skims the surface of a place rather than one that digs deep. I realize now that if we volunteer with a local population in mind—if we really mean what we say when we claim to care about a group of people somewhere—length of stay does matter. And focusing on sharing a specific skill we have is also important. After speaking with a ton of volunteers in Uganda and elsewhere, I’ve come to believe that experimentation-through-volunteering-overseas isn’t ethical. Just my two cents…
Yeah, all fine and well, but who’s gonna love on the Acholi?
i hear you man. thanks for walking us through this and sharing your process.
Thank you so much for this post. i completely agree and think more people should see it this way. i grew up in church and we did so many “short term missions trips” and went to Bible school where we learned alla bout doing missions and what it really is about, and this was something we talked about.
compassion is needed, and it’s good when people have a desire to help change, but too many people jump into situations being completely ignorant of what the big picture is and what really needs to be done to bring a lasting change that will stay even after they have left. which is one of the reasons our church is completely on board for what IC is doing, the lengths you guys have gone to to do it right has been impacting and a lesson for all.
God bless you and keep giving you wisdom to share with the rest of us who have so much more to learn.
Evan, do you think you could unpack that question a bit more?
What does it mean to “love on” someone? I don’t think Jesus ever said to “love on” your neighbor, but to love them and to look after their interests (not what you think their interest are). To take care of the widows and orphans in their distress.
Would love to hear more about what you’re trying to say…
reminds me of “to hell with good intentions” by Ivan Illich. Reading that speech before beginning my own time as a volunteer really kept things in perspective, and my head out of the clouds.
Daniel and Marissa. THANK YOU for helping my understanding so much.
Iman, what I’m sharing was due to learning the hard way…making mistakes and realizing that my “good intentions” were actually not good at all, but harmful to the culture I was living within.
I’m glad that their is an article and forum to share. I feel that I have a responsibility to tell others about what I’ve learned over the years.
Andrew – thanks for posting this.
My brother went to live in Uganda for a year, and thankfully brought his understanding of this lesson home to me.
My deepest desire is to do what I can to help, but I am 34 and have yet to actually go to Uganda. I am in the process of furthering my education, and learning what I can about the actual needs in Uganda. I am making friends with people who live there currently or have in the past – learning.
I don’t want to be another American who shows up to save a people. I expect to learn more from them than I could ever give back. I expect to share what knowledge I can, in an effort to empower them (even more than they already are powerful) to stand on their own.
But I don’t want to sound like I have it all figured out, know how to do this, or what exactly my place in it all is. That will be part of the journey. I have a lot to learn, and seeing people who are open to this discussion is beautiful. Thank you.
Pertaining to missionaries:
I ran into this idea before my own missions trip to Uganda this summer. Someone had asked why I was paying more than a thousand dollars to go for 10 days, when I could be putting that money to good NGOs’ use. Then, after various discussions, I basically learned that spreading/reviving faith is above any dollar amount, and spiritual wealth is vital, especially when coping with the conditions. We can all work for change for the better, but even then, change takes time. We must trust that God will take care of the people, because no matter how hard we try, we can’t do everything. I understand that this may not seem the most effective, but there is more to aid than just our efforts.
At least people want to do something. Some may be overrated and ignorant, but you don’t necessairly know that they haven’t researched what they’re getting into and that they don’t plan to some day live in Uganda, or other African countries. Some of these volunteers really may not be helping anyone, or really may be naive, but they shouldn’t be stereotyped into one category. Some of those people may really be trying and really might know what they are doing. How do you have experience if it’s your first trip? Going to Africa is unlike anything else. They can’t get experience elsewhere. Maybe in a specific field yes then they should have experience, but their travels to Africa may not be their first time or last time. They may plan to make this their life, helping others and really be able to accomplish it. We don’t necessairly always know their thoughts. Just something to think of..
So maybe you should leave too?
This post honestly makes me disrespect this organization for allowing you to post it. I completely disagree. Why discourage people, regardless of where they come from, from helping others because it’s not a lasting change? What’s wrong with you? The majority of them have lives and families back home; we can’t all drop everything to move to conflict regions and save everyone. We do what we can, and it’s enough in that moment. It’s healing to the participants on both sides.
And teenagers? You’re going to criticize teenagers? How many teenagers have a strong enough faith to want to do mission work? How many are willing to put in such an effort, religious or civic? Be thankful that so many want to get out there and give what they can. Stop criticizing. That only causes regret, resentment, and a feeling of being able to do nothing. When you say things like that, you make others feel like there’s no point. Please don’t make that same mistake again.
you know, everyone needs an experience going overseas. it may be the motivation that causes them to be a doctor, or develop other skills that may be used later, being the first glimpse. putting a band-aid on a finger can grow into a more fruitful relationship and understanding of things later.
don’t dis the planting of a seed.
it’s okay for first steps to be wobbly. you may have the best intentions with your post.
but then again, you know what they say about good intentions.
Thanks for the comments, Rose and Beth. Rose, I waited to put this post up until I’d personally spoken with hundreds of visitors in Gulu. My job allows me to speak with myriad groups who pass through the area on short trips. After speaking with these people, I can confidently say most have no development experience, most haven’t done lots of research on the LRA or the area before arriving, and most are in Gulu for personal reasons despite the humanitarian focus of their trips. Coming to this realization over the past year and a half has been both saddening and frightening.
I think the alternative is traveling with learning (as opposed to doing) as your objective. Spend three weeks or a month absorbing as much as you can from a place. There’s no need to put Band-Aids on people, paint things, build things, give out shoes, counsel people, or wash babies on a learning trip. A learning trip is one marked by humility, by hands kept in pockets, by acceptance of the fact that you are a visitor and a non-expert in your environment. To do, too often, is to eschew humility. I hear what you’re saying about planting a seed, but what if the act of planting kills a few nearby plants by fueling degrading stereotypes in the minds of visitors and members of the local community? It’s very easy to imagine (and witness) scenarios in which ignorant travel does more harm than it does good.
Travel is one of the most valuable tools man has in his fight against racism and prejudice. Everyone who is able to travel should. But travel, when exercised loosely and without intentionality, can yield more than warm memories and nice photos; it can patronize and insult communities as well.
Beth,
You raise a good point, however, I don’t think they’re saying “don’t go overseas”. I think what’s being communicated in this post is that if you do go overseas don’t go with the intent of fixing anything. Instead, (especially if it’s your first time to any country other than your own) GO to LEARN. Learn the culture and learn how best to make a positive change, than act upon what you’ve learned to make a positive change in that specific culture.
What they’re saying is, if you have “good intentions” learn first. Learn how best to express and act out what you intend to do.
For example, if your intention is to improve education. Learn how best to do this, building a brand new school may not be the best idea.
Jack,
This is a great question that deserves a well thought out response. My first reaction was to say, you’re an idiot, but the more I thought about it I realized that I needed to do my research to better understand what Andrew is doing in Uganda and why he’s there.
One of the most inspiring things about IC is that their organization in Uganda is led by Ugandans. Their country director is a local woman who was born, raised and educated in Uganda. She knows the Acholi culture better than any foreigner could ever and it’s through her leadership and the rest of the local Uganda staff that keeps IC relevant to the context they’re working in.
I learned that Andrew is not there to direct or implement what he thinks would be best for northern Uganda, but rather, he’s communicating what IC’s programs are doing, programs that are led by Ugandans.
Also, his post uses an example of very naive visitors and how the LOCAL people responded. His reaction was based on the response of the local community and his Ugandan colleagues. The local people literally thought these visitors were releasing their evil spirits. Even though this group thought they were going to have a positive impact.
andrew:
so, what if you are overseas, on a “learning” experience, and you come across a need? i imagine that if i was there to learn, and someone (a local) asked for my help because they had a specific need, i wouldn’t say no. not if i discerned that it was a real need, where i could truly make a difference.
I think this is an excellent pose and raises important questions. I do, however, think that it is possible to create a volunteer travel experience that is mutually beneficial to the community (first) and volunteer (second). I wholeheartedly agree that the key to this is in the observation you made – A more cooperative NGO environment marked by community-led and community-requested projects. A firm, clear organizational structure. More listening and less telling.
I would never advocate for service travel that does not fill a need. That’s tourism masked as international service. But, if you can create an experience that supports community efforts driven by the community AND you expose Westerners to the challenges that face developing countries, they can come home and become more powerful agents for change. I think this is an important conversation and one that should happen regularly.
sounds like you need to dig back a little further into the IC history books.
You know, in hindsight you can look back and say IC did it differently, or IC did it the way it should have been done. But I’ve been around since before IC started working here and I can testify that IC was very much what you are saying you dislike about “voluntourism”… in fact, IC STARTED voluntourism or disastourism in Northern Uganda.
When asked what they could do to help, IC would tell young people, “just go to uganda, man- just GO.”
So, many many unqualified kids would start just showing up and wandering around Gulu, taking some pictures, then retreating to the “intern-house” where they would spend the rest of the day watching DVD of their favorite american TV shows that they missed so much and complaining about Ugandan food.
IC has had to learn by error, and adapt to become what they are today. they once were the laughing stock of the NGO community in Uganda – no one took them seriously. people here used to avoid association with IC for fear of being guilty by association. they were inefficient, ill-managed, and worst of all… louder than everyone else.
after several years of trial by fire, IC has developed their work and are arguably doing some good after all.
if this approach worked in the end for IC, why condemn other from attempting the same experience? sure, it may not be the best way of doing things, but who really knows what is best? only the heart knows.
the problem here is not voluntourism… it is attitude. instead of discouraging people from coming out to uganda, encourage them to learn, love, and grow. instead of selling sexy, edgy, charity (like IC may be guilty of) … make it real, humble and down to earth- then you will attract people to come to Uganda for the right reasons.
jon –
so you are in uganda?
why do you say that Invisible Children is “arguably” doing some good?
who do you think IS doing some good?
I disagree with the idea that “travelling to learn” will qualify you to work in development.
Yeah, maybe if you traveled throughout the entire country, region, continent, or world… but even then you would only see the present situation without understanding the history.
We need to have our own personal experiences and share them with each other so that our perceptions do not remain narrowed to our own unique, small experiences. And we need to combine such discussions with the study of history in general and the history of development… along with poly sci, sociology, economics..
No one person could possibly be qualified to figure it out alone. We have to work together with our combined knowledge to figure it out, and even then we could be wrong.
But that’s just my opinion.