the Program Booklet - IEEE Global Humanitarian Technology ...

Establishing a Proper Relationship
In an effort to assist those less fortunate we sometimes find ourselves presenting
completed solutions for problems that seem to enjoy wide acceptance and then
are effectively abandoned over relatively short periods of time. It is easy for us
to forget that there are cultural and economic conditions that may effectively
inhibit and restrict our proposed solutions, or that the people we are helping
often have a vastly deeper knowledge of the problem than we do and perhaps
have a workable solution we may have overlooked. In our zeal we may even
completely fail to take into account local issues or resistance that is somewhat
muted during the initial proposal of a solution. To aid them, we should be
advisors to offer generalized solutions and vehicles for progress. We should
simply oversee the feasibility of any solution as dictated by budget limitations.
We may present alternatives and suggestions. To effectively aid others, we must
consider their culture, on-the-ground realities, and work to avoid a paternalistic
relationship. For maximum impact and value, our relationship has to be a
partnership that features a diminishing role for the benefactor.
Ron Scott has been a Christian minister for over 38 years.
He is a Teacher and the Technology Administrator for
Lighthouse Christian Academy (LCA) in Bloomington,
Indiana. LCA conducts programs for both foreign and
domestic aid projects as a part of their Christian outreach.
He has traveled extensively as a Missionary in Malawi,
Africa to teach and offer humanitarian assistance to the
people. He has a long-standing involvement with a number
of churches that aid the underprivileged in Malawi,
Mozambique, Mexico, and the Philippines.
Grab from your Surroundings
With the culture and resources available to Americans, it is easy to approach the
problems we encounter in the field from our perspective. Sometimes we solve a
problem that we bring with us. Sometimes our solution creates two more
problems. Let’s focus instead on what works. In the field we need to focus on
three primary areas: When should we effect change? What’s cheap? What’s
available?
A product of the southwest, Evin Yarbrough grew up mere
miles from the Mexican border. Starting at age six he
walked right alongside the evangelists traveling into Mexico
and Central America. His heart is rooted in assisting
struggling families squatting in the impoverished outskirt
communities found in Central America, the Philippines and
Southern Africa. Through his professional career in
Computer Sciences the focus has always been on flexible
hours and the opportunity to assist in mission work.
Language proficiency taken from being immersed in fieldwork has been a
blessing in his professional environment as well. He is currently a senior Web
Application Designer for Raytheon Missile Systems.
2012 GHTC Page 56