Comments on: A Sensible $35/Month?

By: James Shelley » Beyond Praxis

James Shelley » Beyond Praxis — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 19:30:44 +0000

[...] passionate people that cause far more harm than benefit to community development. (The issue of child sponsorship might be one such example.) Obviously just because someone is convinced, dedicated and passionate [...]

By: Dean

Dean — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 03:53:49 +0000

James,

Good thoughts, although not all sponsorship programs are the same. I am an advocate for Compassion and their system is very holistic, which empowers the children to be raised to give back to their community and many do. I personally have a family, a business, and several ministry commitments. I sponsor our child in Mexico, not to appease some guilt, but to respond to the call that God had on my life. I have also played a part in helping many others sponsor children as well. Compassion did their own research and found that for every child sponsored, an average of 12 people gave their life to Christ!

Are there ways to improve..always, but I’m not thrilled about the constant bashing of current modality as if it’s inherently wrong or misguided.

You have your opinion based upon your experiences and personality, as we all do, but we can’t ignore the realities of what happens when some of these ministries respond to God’s calling.

It’s easy when we’re not part of the process to criticize and theorize how to do it better. Kinda like when I watch a sporting evetn and mutter how the professional athlete should have done it differently.

Cheers!

By: Dan S

Dan S — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 16:08:26 +0000

James,

I have often wondered what child sponsorship in action looks like. The disparity and class system that we are helping create within communities is troubling to say the least. I had assumed that child sponsorship dollars went in a general ‘pot’, rather than to the individual. The assumption was that World Vision, or whomever else, took on an entire community, giving every child within it equal opportunity. Child sponsorship, then, was more of a very clever marketing facade attempting to connect me emotionally to an individual than anything else. (This is not to say I don’t see the value in writing to, connecting with, and learning from the child - I certainly do)

I had no problem with this. In fact, I had hoped it to be this way. I have to admit not giving the issue due diligence and look forward to reading more about it. Clearly, there are no easy answers.

Thanks for this.

By: Tim Bailey

Tim Bailey — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 13:22:36 +0000

Wow you sure gleaned a lot in ONE visit to ONE project!

By: Jen

Jen — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 01:45:09 +0000

James you really opened my eyes on this one. I hate to sound so naive, but it’s very good information. We send our money and write our letters and watch the commercials without realizing what is really happening in the community of the child we sponsor. Without knowing it, we create a class system within the village and the family itself.

Indeed James - poverty is solved with relationships, either across the world or within your own community.

By: Kent

Kent — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 04:37:27 +0000

Giving of ourselves, which may also involve our financial resources, to encourage and equip someone with skills to define and bring to life their own dreams and the dreams of their community perhaps the missing link between caring-and-doing-nothing and throwing-money-at- the-problem. Thanks James, for helping me see and think outside the box.

By: Bonnie

Bonnie — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 16:24:31 +0000

Thanks for this James. As one who works to fund Child Development, through sponsorship, its my greatest challenge to help people to understand that the most important part of sponsoring a child is the “relationship” they can build (if they choose to). Some people enjoy writing to a child and learning about them, their family and community. Others prefer to send money and not get too close. Both gifts are valued.
As you pointed out, many of us need to learn about what true poverty is, and its not only economic.
The amazing part of actually sponsoring a child and becoming involved, if you dare, is that you could find some transformation happeing in your own life. Thats the bonus, not only is there change in a community in some other country, but many times there is also change in the heart of the donor.

By: Daniel

Daniel — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 02:53:58 +0000

James, you really hit home for me with this one. This really challenges us to think about putting more of ourselves in the giving process. It’s not simply writing a check to fulfill that temporary guilt. Trying to make a change in this world requires that we truly understand the people we’re trying to help.

Understanding culture and community cannot be accomplished with the swipe of a credit card. Just like you said “poverty is not solved by money; it is solved by relationships”.

Thanks for the article!