Triple Strand Strength--Outsiders, Community and Government

 When we did our MPH degrees at Hopkins, we were blessed to sit in a class taught by Dr. Carl Taylor, one of the founding fathers of International Health as an academic discipline. He grew up as an MK in India and dedicated his life to the intersection of faith and science, service and academics. Truly a remarkable man. But what I remember from his class was a concept he taught about the triangle of actors that produce change: the community, the government, and the outside "expert" (his word, but we could just say outside actor). 

The community is a must, obviously. They are living the life, know the issues, have the motivation, must be convinced of the value of a new idea, stand to benefit or to pay. Dr. Taylor used a lot of community mapping methods --involving the community gathering its own data-- to raise awareness of problems. Then the government must align to scale things up, to provide infrastructure and jobs, to sort out policies. Lastly the outside actor comes in with ideas from other places, perhaps studies, innovations, fresh perspectives, training that would otherwise not be available--to catalyze change like an enzyme.

Yesterday, we accompanied Josh to do water sampling at his newest water project in Mabere. As we were huffing up the steep (20% grade) narrow foot path, a 3 hour climb from the last passable road to the source in a mountain cleft at the edge of the Rwenzori National Park land . .  . we stopped to catch our breath and snap a photo. And when I looked at it, I saw the very three-strand strength that Dr. Taylor taught. First, the community of Mabere started their own project, managed to build a little dam but never got pipes in the ground. Yesterday, the local village chairperson stayed close by, advocated for which houses needed to be served, and provided young men to carry water samples. And we are very much dependent upon a local water project technician, Tembo Justus, who connects us to the community, leads and guides and arranges. Second, we brought along water engineers from Uganda's Ministry of Water. They were there to certify the collection of samples, and will take them for testing in Fort Portal and Entebbe. They represent the government, who must certify the safety of the scheme. Already our local district officials have been to the site and signed off on the plans, and in fact they are the ones that chose this particular project as a priority. And lastly, Josh represents the outside actor, in our case a faith-based NGO that brings in engineering expertise and raises charitable and grant funding, manages the funds accountably, moves the project forward on behalf of the community and under the authority of the government. 

Sure, it might sound easier to just find a water source, buy some land, set up a system, and think that the obvious value will lead to buy-in. Over time, it is slower and more frustrating to collaborate every step of the way with the community and the government. People have to be heard, understood. We have to adjust, and sometimes we have to convince. I think that's why we see proliferations of projects . . . outsiders come in, things feel corrupt or opaque or slow or unjust or frustrating, and then they just break off and make a private scheme. There are times for that. But for basics of public health and sanitation, for broad programs like prevention of HIV or provision of safe deliveries and vaccines and literacy . . . for acting out God's rain-on-the-just-and-unjust mercy in society, this plodding three-partner approach is valuable.

If you follow our team for a day, you'd see this everywhere. At CSB, parent-teacher-association and government Department of Education strands twine with our mission's efforts. At the hospital, we work with our community colleagues, the government pays salaries and provides some essential drugs, we provide other help and ongoing education and support. In literacy and Bible translation and after-school programs, we collaborate with government schools, local parents, pastors, teachers. In nutrition, the same, we are just one strand that strengthens what the government and community also contribute.

Being an alien and stranger, an outsider, is often disorienting and dehumanising. We all get tired of being singled out and called names and laughed at, or being the last to know what's really going on. And yet, that very outsider-ness is part of what we have to offer. It's alienation and embrace, both - and, we have to be different enough to generate ideas and change and demonstrate grace . . and yet close enough to be heard and to love.

Yesterday was a solid picture of what that can look like. And the result will one day be clean water for families living in very simple homes, farming steep slopes, on the edge of anyone's radar. But right in the center of God's love.