Last week our team was able to spend time with the founder and some key members of Hope Through Health, an NGO that partners with a local group to provide treatment and services to those affected by HIV/ AIDS. We have worked with them a little already, in an effort to link some orphans in one of the villages to the care they need, and now we are talking about ways to expand our work together. Several things impress me about this group. They are very focused on what they want to do and their efforts stem from a very pure and sincere desire to help people who have few resources and no voice in most of the factors that determine their well being. It is so inspirational to witness people using their position of power and wealth (which are pretty much rights of birth to American citizens) to advocate for those in less fortunate circumstances. I am also impressed with their willingness to follow the leadership of those whom they are serving. Time and time again I am impressed with the resourcefulness, perseverance, good work- ethic, and wisdom that the Kabiye people exhibit as they live lives fraught with challenges. There is often a tendency for westerners to overlook these impressive characteristics as we regard them from our history of safe and comfortable lifestyle. Hope Through Health has, at its center, the goal of using these traits to provide the leadership and direction for their programs, and to empower the Togolaise to go forward.
A real temptation for workers in a developing country is to provide quick-fixes. It is easy to throw money at something, build buildings, buy medication, etc. It is much more complex and time consuming to build up simple programs that address root causes and provide long-term solutions. I have seen my teammates be deliberate in their work from that perspective and I see Hope Through Health being deliberate as well. In both cases I am grateful for their examples and pray that the Togolaise will be greatly blessed by all of our efforts.
By the way, since most of you are used to our asking for money, I don’t mind petitioning you for HTH. They have some great ways to contribute through their Stand With Us campaign. They have very little overhead cost and the money they raise really goes to the people they serve. Check out the link on the right and sign up for their email updates.
