I just read an article written by an American aid worker in Afghanistan.  Her nonprofit works with orphan, widows, and the disabled.  Good, short read.  Check it out.

Millions of dollars are being sent by America to Afghanistan in the form of aid.  Millions.  Probably more like billions.  But the money doesn’t always get to where it needs to be.  Some projects are paid for multiple times due to the lack of organization.  Even worse — and truly a big part of the problem — is that those making decisions about how money is spent never see if it gets to where it is supposed to be going.  And when it does get there, no one is there to make sure that the funding is effective and meeting the appropriate needs.  Benevolence without accountability makes one complicit.  You can’t claim to be about goodwill without being responsible to make sure aid is effective.  Otherwise, you’re at risk of simply making a terrible situation even more dire.

I love the solution that the author of the article offers: “We need to be good neighbors. Offer help. Be visible. Take some risks to communicate with ordinary people.”  No matter what cause or organization we’re talking about, we would all be better off being with those we seek to help, communicating with them, being good neighbors, listening to them, learning from them.  Being with the people we seek to help gives us the chance to find out what the needs are and if the needs are truly being met.  It allows those receiving help the chance to have a voice.  But it also gives those offering aid and help the chance to be transformed.  It makes us better people.  It makes us into the kind of people who are compassionate and willing to learn.  It makes us the kind of people who can actually participate in bringing change to communities…and we get to do it along side those in need.