A letter from Doug Orbaker in Nicaragua
February 3, 2010
Charity and Justice
Dear Friends,
I returned to Nicaragua before the New Year after spending most of the fall in the United States doing the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Mission Challenge and speaking in many churches. Since returning, I have been deeply involved in leading several delegations and planning for several more.
I am working with a lot of church groups who want to come down and “do something” for Nicaraguans. It is obvious that there is a lot to do, as the economy continues to falter and more and more people sink even deeper into poverty. We need a lot of people who want to “do something” to help Nicaraguans. But we need more — a lot more.
When I was back in the United States, I drove through the town where I grew up. When I lived there, this area received more migrant farm workers than any other area in the state, and still does receive a large number. When I was growing up, most of them were poor Southern blacks, now they are mostly Hispanic. The color may have changed, but the conditions haven't changed much.
I remember as a youth in the 50s that our church had a program of collecting food, used clothing and blankets for the poor migrants. There was a set of shelves in a closest in the church basement for that purpose. Thirty years later in the 80s, my mother worked as a volunteer in a local community center that collected food, used clothing and blankets for the migrants. In fact, the same shelves had been moved from the Presbyterian Church to the back room of that community center. Now, more than 50 years later, I drove through town and saw the same “Centro Comunitario,” and learned that they are still looking for food, clothing and blankets. The situation of the farm workers has only changed by the additional fear of being caught, sent to jail, and then deported.
It is easy to do charitable acts, but a lot more difficult to work to change the conditions that make these acts necessary.
There is a lot of great charity work being done in Nicaragua. In the airport I often talk with people who are waiting for a church delegation, and they talk of great programs of home building, medical care, schools, etc. But all too often these programs depend on people coming from the United States with their money and skills, instead of looking at anything that might make long-term change in the conditions of Nicaragua.
Which would be better for the health of Nicaraguans: more U.S. medical teams coming for a week to heal those who happen to be sick at that time — or a long-term improvement in the existing health care system that could improve the quality of care for all Nicaraguans all year long? Which would provide a higher level of education for Nicaragua: more U.S. church groups building church-related schools and sending money for supplies and uniforms — or supporting and improving the existing national school system which in some minimal way is available to reach every child in Nicaragua?
The economic situation of Nicaragua is closely tied to the worldwide economic system. It makes no sense to speak of the “U.S. economy” or the “Nicaraguan economy.” We are all part of one global economy, and when one part gets immensely more rich, another part somewhere suffers – as U.S. corporations have become more and more rich, poor Nicaraguans have suffered.
My hope for those groups that come to Nicaragua is that they will go beyond charity, go beyond wanting to “do something” to help right now. Take the time to learn the history and a little of the culture of Nicaragua. Take the time to learn the histories of the families whom you will meet. Take the time to figure out how the injustice of Nicaragua is so inextricably tied into the injustice of the whole world. You may find that 51 weeks of working for political, economic and social change in the United States has more effect on the people of Nicaragua than anything you can do in a week here, no matter how skilled a physician or how important a business person you may be.
Once we have learned the ways that we are all so interconnected, then we can begin to look at positive changes. The changes that will help Nicaragua long-term will be changes in U.S. foreign policy, trade policy, and economic policy. These changes will not come through building houses or schools in Nicaragua, but through writing letters and lobbying congressional representatives, through calling government offices. And until economic policies change, there can never be long-lasting change in the education, health care, or economic lives of Nicaraguans. But this change will not come easily — political work is unpopular. It is much easier to come to Nicaragua and work for a week than to sit home and work for political change every day. When we come to Nicaragua, our neighbors will think we are saintly people — when we work for political change, our neighbors will think we are strange.
Yes, Nicaragua has plenty of need for charity, but so does most of the rest of the world. The world situation is not going to be made better by those who give charity, but by those who work for change to a more just and equitable distribution of the things God has given for all of God’'s people.
The farmworkers of the community where I grew up certainly need food, clothing and blankets – but they need a just salary and the ability to move about freely even more. The street kids of Manauga need food, health care and shelter – but even more they need a just economy where their parents can earn a decent living so that children don't have to go into the streets to earn part of the family income.
When the prophet Micah asked, “What does the Lord require of you?” He did not answer that we need to give more charitably. He answered that the Lord requires us to “do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with the Lord our God.” I hope someday to see many of you in Nicaragua, learning that humble walk with the Lord from our sisters and brothers here.
Doug
The 2010 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 282