They Come in the Name of Helping

Hello Peter,

I recently discovered your compelling film "They Come in the Name of Helping."

I write a blog called About Micro-Philanthropy, which discusses the work of social action platforms such as GiveMeaning, GlobalGiving, and ChangingthePresent. These platforms fund development projects in Africa and elsewhere through person-to-person fundraising initiatives. Each month, thousands of individuals donate to projects listed on these three sites, and others, with the intent of doing good.

I'd like to post a link to your video "They Come in the Name of Helping" on my blog along with a brief email interview with you. My intent is to bring social action platforms and small-scale philanthropists into a discussion on how to practice international philanthropy in a respectful and constructive way.

When you have a chance, can you please respond briefly to the questions listed below?

Thanks,
Peter

Can you introduce yourself to readers of About Micro-Philanthropy?

PB: My name is Peter Brock. I am twenty-two years old and a native of Berkeley, CA. I am currently a student at Skidmore College where I study Political Economy.

Why did you decide to make "They Come in the Name of Helping"?

PB: There were essentially two forces driving me to make the film. The first was my recent exposure to some academic critiques of the development industry such as William Easterly’s “The White Man’s Burden” and Thomas Dichter’s “Despite Good Intentions”. The second and perhaps more important force was my own internal reactions to volunteer experiences abroad and the way that I see my fellow westerners approach the issues of development and poverty. Perhaps the greatest motivating factor was the prevalence of dehumanizing and patronizing depictions of the poor used as fundraising tools by Western NGO’s and Media outlets. We all have seen the picture of a starving African child barefoot in the street followed by an invitation to donate money to the organization that will “save” them. I was essentially disgusted with the rampant dehumanization of the poor and self-glorifying that characterized many of those groups and individuals who claimed to be ‘ending poverty’.

How familiar are you with social action platforms such as GiveMeaning, GlobalGiving, ChangingthePresent?

PB: As an intern for Globalhood, an innovative development organization, I am responsible for establishing Globalhood’s presence on various social action platforms. While I am new to this role, I have already gained an appreciation for the vast potential of these websites and am eager to learn more.

From your experience, do communities in Africa need more philanthropists from the West helping to fund development projects? What kind of projects should small-scale philanthropists try to connect with?

PB: I’m sure that there are communities who do need help. However, there doesn’t seem to be a lack of money, but rather an inability to get that money into the hands of people who can use it well. I would say that Africa needs more responsible, scrutinizing and respectful philanthropists rather than more of them.

As for what philanthropists should try to support, I would say projects that are lead by members of the beneficiary community and that contribute to that community’s ability to undertake its own development. Philanthropists should also avoid projects that will build dependency or unnecessarily prolong the presence of foreign NGO’s.

Do you see a difference in the effectiveness of large-scale development projects overseen by international NGOs and small-scale projects perhaps created by Africans themselves?

PB: I have only a limited experience draw upon and am wary of generalizations, but I think that different issues and contexts will require both types of intervention. Having said this, it seems obvious to me that a project created and directed by Africans will have many advantages over one created by an outsider. Firstly, Africans are much better suited to designing successful solutions to their problems because they understand the cultural dynamics and history of their homeland. Secondly, as permanent residents of their particular community, an African would inherently be accountable for the results of their project. If you have to live in the house you build, then you are much more likely to build it well than if you get to retire to your hotel room each night.

What role do you think the internet can play in building mutual respect between donors and "beneficiaries" of grassroots development projects?

PB: I think that the Internet offers a fantastic vehicle for building respectful relations between the world’s poor and those who wish to help them. Organizations such as Kiva.org are already using the web to connect potential donors directly to beneficiaries in a way that fosters respectful interaction. As Kiva’s approach demonstrates, we need to move beyond the hierarchical and faceless notions of ‘donors’ and ‘beneficiaries’ and think of these relationships as interactions between real people, families and communities. There is a huge chasm of misunderstanding and assumptions about one another that divides the world’s rich from the poor, and I think that the Internet can help bridge this gap. Even if it is only in the form of reading the Facebook profile of a student in Accra or Calcutta, the point is to see each other as fellow humans.

Do you have any other insights about development and online giving that you would like to share with readers?

PB: While philanthropy can sometimes help those in need, I believe that we should focus first on the things that we know how to change. This does not mean that we should stop thinking and caring about the people of the developing world, but rather that we should be honest about what we will actually be able to change and who this task belongs to. The persistence of global poverty often frustrates westerners and makes us feel helpless, but as far as our role is concerned, the solution to these problems are not as distant as we think. We can begin by scrutinizing our own daily decisions and lifestyle to see if they contribute to or counteract the type of change we wish to see in the world. We should also begin to ask ourselves if our government and corporations are acting in ways that foster development or hinder it. We are responsible for the behavior of our country and its various actors in the world, and should therefore exercise our power over these bodies to bring them in line with the principles we believe in.