WAIT! Before you sign that next check for your favorite ministry. Before you join a campaign to collect shoes for orphans in a poor African village. Before you take sandwiches down to the homeless in San Diego, take time to read When Helping Hurts: How to Alleviate Poverty Without Hurting the Poor…and Yourself by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert.
I’ve often considered that politicians exploit the poor for their own purposes, but I never judged myself guilty of such a ploy. Don’t get me wrong. My exploitation takes the form of helping myself feel better about the abundance of possessions I have when I skim off some of the excess and pass it off to those who might need it more. This book has made me take more than just a second look at how I deal with the materially poor in this world. My focus has been on my deeds, but not so much on my attitude. I’ve had a rude awakening – well, perhaps not rude, but maybe radical – regarding the whole issue of “helping” the materially poor.
The authors are sharing perspectives they have learned the hard way, from their own loving but misguided mistakes. Their approach is far from authoritarian, but rather, from a shepherding viewpoint. They are sincere about helping not just the materially poor, but also those of us who want to help. Their ideas are practical, biblical, and sustainable. Do yourself and the poor you help a favor, read the book. -Marian Drops
When I first adapted the idea that became SEEDS, I wanted to “take over” a village and build a school, build a church, drill a well, plant trees, send clothes, send school supplies, buy a cow. I’m so glad we started small and were given the time to learn before doing any damage! This book, When Helping Hurts, has really opened my eyes to the danger of helping without first understanding.
Sometimes the best gift isn’t the most tangible. Sometimes it’s money for training a local woman how to market her crop; sometimes it’s helping the people concerned to discover their own talents and abilities; sometimes it is funding a building, but making sure we’re simply helping the local people build what they want, rather than doing it all ourselves.
Just to make it clear, I DID NOT write the book review that heads this page. Marian Drops did!