Cover image courtesy of World Vision
–by Nick Dykstra–
Abstract
From early humanitarian efforts during the 1400s, when the pope blessed the ownership of slaves as a method to save the heathens[1], up through the modern-day, Westerners have sought to “help” Africans through varying channels and approaches. And while modern humanitarian organizations, like World Vision International, are comparatively superior in the benefit that they provide the African population, and seemingly hold the potential to improve the quality of life on the continent, they still cause unintended problems.
Introduction
Since its founding in 1950, by reverend Robert Pierce, World Vision International has grown its footprint from a Christian humanitarian organization to a global agency, providing “help” to 99 countries, by supporting children and families living in impoverished communities, fostering development, working to overcome injustice, laboring to mitigate the impact of disasters, and providing education, clothing, food and water when they are lacking. Currently, there are communities in 25 African countries that have partnered with World Vision International and received the benefit of their “help”[2]. Oftentimes these partnerships and acts of “help” are then viewed by Westerners to be win-win situations. However, while this Christian relief organization has provided much aid to the region and succeeded in producing many of their intended objectives to support Africans, there are unfortunately negative consequences that occur as a result of their efforts as well. Among these unfavorable consequences are the potential of economic disparity in surrounding communities, the unintended weakening of local industries and economic sectors, and divisions being created in families which receive unequal benefit from the organization.
World Vision International: The Scope of their “Help”
It is said that World Vision was conceived as early as 1947, when Robert Pierce, while traveling in China, gave five dollars to an abandoned child, and pledged to continue sending five dollars to the child each month. From this humble beginning, it would take just a few years for World Vision to officially start up and establish itself as a Christian humanitarian agency that was guided by means of the Christian values that were held by the founder and the staff. Through the moral beliefs they associated with their faith, the group thus sought to become do-gooders by developing child sponsorship programs and giving support to orphaned children[3]. In taking this role, the organization became dedicated to providing support to children in the most disadvantaged and vulnerable communities throughout the world and bringing awareness of these issues to the attention of Western evangelical and humanitarian groups[4]. Due to these efforts, World Vision became influential in helping to shift the focus of many Western evangelical groups away from primarily “preaching and spiritual” and instead primarily guided by a need to aid and toward a strategy that expressed interest in the physical and psychological needs of impoverished communities[5]. Additionally, by leading religious organizations in this direction, World Vision thus created a shift in how aid was administered, as Western donors now sought to bring relief to the individual. And by creating this shift, the organization was able to focus more on growing their activities and programs that brought tangible relief, rather than to be restricted to the primary objective of religious conversion that Western donors had previously prioritized[6].
By helping to shift the focus of Western donors, World Vision was thus able to create a humanitarian product that they were better able to market toward Western philanthropists, as the new methods created a more individualistic experience[7]. This new experience then allowed the donor to provide “help” to and create a relationship with one poverty-stricken individual at a given time. Additionally, by creating this type of niche humanitarian market, World Vision started to thrive; they were then able to expand upon their methods for delivering aid, add to their global staff, and build partnerships with other organizations. In employing this strategy, World Vision was able to become among the largest global development and aid organizations, growing partnerships around the globe, including with communities in 25 African nations[8]. Additionally, after nearly sixty years of effort, the organization was able to grow their annual revenue to over $2.6 billion and to expand their global staff to over forty thousand humanitarian workers[9]. As a part of their expanded efforts, the workers were now diversifying their attention to not only target aid toward children and orphans, but to also promote healthy living choices for mothers, to bring awareness of HIV and other infectious diseases, to administer emergency relief, to provide access to safe water sources, to fight for the rights of impoverished people, to provide educational opportunities, to give clothing/food, and to contribute tools and guidance for long term development, such as giving access to microfinance opportunities and hosting training events for poor farmers to engage in livestock rotation programs, forestry, and agronomics[10].
Providing “Help”
Along the way, one of the organizations that World Vision would partner with, to deliver humanitarian aid to Africa, was the National Football League. Beginning in 1996, the two organizations teamed up on a nineteen-year partnership to alleviate problems facing both organizations. On one side, the NFL had been suffering losses due to the pre-printing of championship apparel for both teams facing-off in the Super Bowl. Naturally, only one team can win the game, so the new clothing, made for the losing team, was rendered useless and created an economic burden for the NFL, as they had previously been footing the bill for the initial manufacturing of the clothes and the destruction[11]. On the other side, World Vision recognized that there was a need for clothing in impoverished African communities and other destitute regions of the world. From these positions, both organizations were then able to benefit; World Vision was able to annually pass along hundreds of thousands of articles of new clothing to those in need, and the NFL was able to deduct the donated goods from their annual tax bill. Both sides benefited from the free publicity as news agencies published photos and told stories of cheerful people who received the unused clothing[12]. However, while the clothing may satisfy the immediate need of those joyful recipients, modern developmental theories have begun to question the long-term impact of this Western “help”.[13]
Unintended Consequences
Like the World Vision and National Football League partnership, other organizations have previously sought to deliver “help” to Africans by way of clothing donations and acts of the like. However, the actual ramifications of these humanitarian efforts often go unnoticed by the Western donor who means no ill-intention and sees no cost for the recipient. The film Mitumba: The Second-Hand Road, debunks this common myth. Individuals who collect, sort, transport, distribute, and eventually sell the donated clothes, are all shown to take their cut and add cost to the items before they can reach the so-called beneficiary of the clothing[14]. Even the clothing that was shown to be handled by World Vision was said to cost the organization about fifty-eight cents, per article of clothing, to warehouse, ship, and distribute[15]. And while World Vision does not pass along the cost to the end user, the recipient of the clothing may experience long-term negative effects.
The regions where these clothes are sent have been shown to experience long-term economic suffering as a result of the donations, as the cheap clothes saturate African markets and make a local and sustainable manufacturing industry an impossibility. Among the reasons why this type of activity has harmed the African textile is said to be the volatility created by the unpredictable deliveries of clothing. When the clothes come in, the price of clothing drops below production costs. But, between deliveries, the need for clothing steadily climbs and sometimes the donation streams dry up. Naturally, World Vision only added to this volatility in recent years, as their partnership with the NFL, to deliver clothes to Africa, ended in 2015. Sadly, one estimation of what these types of donations have done to the African apparel industry show that employment in the industry had been cut in half from 1981 to 2000[16]. In realizing the ill effects of this type of help, several African nations, including Burundi, South Sudan, Rwanda, Kenya, and many others, have determined that they need to start pushing back by restricting the import of donated clothing with a goal of eliminating these types of imports and bringing sustainable textile jobs back to Africa by 2019[17].
Seemingly Innocent Acts of Kindness
Similar to the framework surrounding World Vision’s delivery of clothing to Africa, Westerners have gone to Africa for generations and found what they deemed to be backward societies that were riddled with impoverished conditions and ignorant heathens. In working to correct these wrongful conditions, Westerners consequently acted to “help” Africans by teaching them and insisting that they shift toward the proper Western and Christian methods. Tactics implemented toward achieving these goals were then carried out by early missionaries and humanitarians who deemed that taking Africans as slaves and acting violently toward African populations was for the greater good, as these actions separated the heathens from their barbaric customs, gave them the opportunity to save their lost souls and taught them obedience[18]. In later generations, European businessmen and missionaries then began to reconstruct the narrative of Africa’s history from a Western perspective, as written records had previously ceased to exist, by taking claim to land and controlling the methods under which labor and business were conducted[19]. And by building dominance over this relationship, Westerners then helped to create a period of disadvantage for African nations that separated from colonialism and soon after had their fragile economies devastated by the global recession of the 1970s. This then created opportunities for modern humanitarian groups, including World Vision, to once again control the narrative by depicting and promoting Africa as a region of starvation, corruption, disease, and death[20].
Furthermore, through each of these examples of “help” toward Africans, an argument can be made that the real recipient of the aid has actually always been the Westerners who have benefited from the slave labor, extraction of raw materials, and bolstered self-esteem and diminished feelings of obligation toward the African populations by providing this “help”[21]. As a result, the Western perspective of modern humanitarians often becomes skewed, and they believe their helpful acts pose no harm to anyone involved. However, by continuing to serve their own self-interest, Westerners persist in hindering economic development in African communities and humiliating the recipient of the gift, who may be culturally obligated to give a gift in return but is often unable to[22]. Similarly, World Vision’s prior efforts in Zimbabwe are a clear illustration of this kind of oversight, as the local religious customs proved to be incompatible with the concept of World Vision’s child sponsorship program. Instead, Zimbabwean families engaged in a type of worship that viewed protection as something that came from ancestors, so families were left in fear of protection from these strangers[23].
Other Areas of Weakness
From the organization’s inception in the early 1950’s, World Vision has largely grown a reputation as a well-intentioned institution that aims to help African children and communities by drawing attention to their struggles. And while this strategy has proven to be effective in generating sponsorship revenue, it also raises questions around who is actually being targeted to benefit from these efforts. At first glance, it appears that both the donor and recipient might mutually benefit, as donors are able to benefit from their charity through tax deductions and boosted self-esteem, and impoverished children receive the food and education that they need. However, in many instances, World Vision has seemingly tilted their prioritization of focus to increasingly sympathize with the need of the donor as a method to reach their own monetary goals. As an example, there are numerous celebrity telethon speakers, including Canadian country music artist Paul Brandt, who have addressed World Vision telethon audiences by objectifying Africans and allowing Westerners to build a superhero concept of themselves[24]. Brandt’s commentary in 1998 depicts this relationship as he states that “caring for the people of Malawi – that are so needy – is something, that even if you want to look at selfishly, is something that is going to make you feel good”[25]. Clearly, the focus here is on fulfillment for the sponsor.
Unfortunately, the feelings of social healing and self-fulfillment aren’t mutually experienced on each side of this relationship, as children in African families realize very different psychological impacts from their experiences with World Vision sponsorship. As an example, a Zimbabwean child named Albert found himself to be benefitting more than his siblings, from World Vision’s sponsorship program. Unfortunately, this only caused feelings of jealousy, as Albert’s mother became upset with him that he could not disburse his extra benefits to his siblings. Additionally, Albert’s father was said to have developed feelings of inferiority and suspicion toward World Vision, Albert, and his extra educational benefits[26].
Conclusion
From the organization’s beginning, World Vision International has recognized a global need to help those who are less fortunate and placed a special interest on providing aid toward children in Africa and other impoverished regions of the world. Additionally, by sticking to their Christian values, shifting focus toward sustainable development and marketing the suffering of impoverished communities as an opportunity for Westerners to help others, while simultaneously helping themselves, the Christian agency was thus able to grow into one of the largest humanitarian organizations in the world. World Vision is still, arguably, among the more positively influential humanitarian groups in the world and is aiming to improve. As a part of this improvement, World Vision has already taken corrective action to eliminate their partnership with the NFL, which had unintentionally contributed to the crippling of the African textile industry. And finally, by recognizing their impact on African society, both intentional and unintentional, World Vision has strived to improve upon old policy with a goal of supporting sustainable development.
Bibliography
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[1] Parker, John, and Richard Rathbone. African History: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford UP, 2007.
[2] Fike, Katie, editor. World Vision Accountability Report 2016. Global Accountability, 3 Nov. 2016. World Vision International, www.wvi.org/sites/default/files/2016%20World%20Vision%20International%20Accountability%20Report_1.pdf. Accessed 20 Aug. 2018.
[3] World Vision International. “Our History.” World Vision International, World Vision, www.wvi.org/our-history. Accessed 25 Aug. 2018.
[4] MacGregor, Susan. “World Vision.” Encyclopedia of Disaster Relief, edited by K. Bradley Penuel and Matt Statler, Thousand Oaks, Sage Publications, 2011, p. 792. SAGE Reference Online, doi:10.4135/9781412994064.n320. Accessed 24 Aug. 2018.
[5] VanderPol, Gary. “World Vision.” Religious Leadership: A Reference Handbook, edited by Sharon Henderson Callahan, Sage Publications, 2013. SAGE Reference Online, http://dx.doi.org.proxy.lib.uiowa.edu/10.4135/9781452276137.n68. Accessed 24 Aug. 2018.
[6] MacGregor, Susan. “World Vision.” Encyclopedia of Disaster Relief, edited by K. Bradley Penuel and Matt Statler, Thousand Oaks, Sage Publications, 2011, p. 792. SAGE Reference Online, doi:10.4135/9781412994064.n320. Accessed 24 Aug. 2018.
[7] VanderPol, Gary. “World Vision.” Religious Leadership: A Reference Handbook, edited by Sharon Henderson Callahan, Sage Publications, 2013. SAGE Reference Online, http://dx.doi.org.proxy.lib.uiowa.edu/10.4135/9781452276137.n68. Accessed 24 Aug. 2018.
[8] World Vision International. “Our History.” World Vision International, World Vision, www.wvi.org/our-history. Accessed 25 Aug. 2018.
[9] MacGregor, Susan. “World Vision.” Encyclopedia of Disaster Relief, edited by K. Bradley Penuel and Matt Statler, Thousand Oaks, Sage Publications, 2011, p. 792. SAGE Reference Online, doi:10.4135/9781412994064.n320. Accessed 24 Aug. 2018.
[10] World Vision International. “Africa.” World Vision International, www.wvi.org/africa. Accessed 25 Aug. 2018.
[11] Rico, RJ. “What Happens to the Losing Team’s Super Bowl Championship Shirts?” The Guardian, 3 Feb. 2015, www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/feb/03/what-happens-to-the-losing-teams-super-bowl-championship-shirts. Accessed 25 Aug. 2018.
[12] Falsani, Cathleen. “The NFL’s T-Shirt Donation to World Vision: Charity or Closet Cleaning?” HuffPost, 20 Feb. 2011, www.huffingtonpost.com/cathleen-falsani/nfl-steelers-world-vision_b_824864.html. Accessed 25 Aug. 2018.
[13] Kenny, Charles. “Haiti Doesn’t Need Your Old T-Shirt.” Foreign Policy, no. 189, Nov. 2011, pp. 30-31. EBSCOhost, eds-a-ebscohost-com.proxy.lib.uiowa.edu/ehost/detail/detail?vid=0&sid=807fbf57-7199-40f3-975c-3608de6a9ee2%40sessionmgr4009&bdata=#AN=67183929&db=bsh. Accessed 24 Aug. 2018.
[14] Brunetti, Raffaele, director. Mitumba: The Second-Hand Road. B&B Film, 2005.
[15] Kenny, Charles. “Haiti Doesn’t Need Your Old T-Shirt.” Foreign Policy, no. 189, Nov. 2011, pp. 30-31. EBSCOhost, eds-a-ebscohost-com.proxy.lib.uiowa.edu/ehost/detail/detail?vid=0&sid=807fbf57-7199-40f3-975c-3608de6a9ee2%40sessionmgr4009&bdata=#AN=67183929&db=bsh. Accessed 24 Aug. 2018.
[16] Kenny, Charles. “Haiti Doesn’t Need Your Old T-Shirt.” Foreign Policy, no. 189, Nov. 2011, pp. 30-31. EBSCOhost, eds-a-ebscohost-com.proxy.lib.uiowa.edu/ehost/detail/detail?vid=0&sid=807fbf57-7199-40f3-975c-3608de6a9ee2%40sessionmgr4009&bdata=#AN=67183929&db=bsh. Accessed 24 Aug. 2018.
[17] De Freytas-Tamura, Kimiko. “For Dignity and Development, East Africa Curbs Used Clothes Import.” New York Times, 12 Oct. 2017, www.nytimes.com/2017/10/12/world/africa/east-africa-rwanda-used-clothing.html. Accessed 25 Aug. 2018.
[18] Mutongi, Kenda. Worries of the Heart. Chicago, U of Chicago P, 2007.
[19] Krotz, Larry. The Uncertain Business of Doing Good. East Lansing, Michigan State UP, 2009.
[20] Iweala, Uzodinma. “Stop Trying to ‘Save’ Africa.” The Washington Post, 15 July 2007.
[21] Malkki, Liisa H. The Need to Help. Durham, Duke UP, 2015.
[22] Scherz, China. Having People, Having Heart: Charity, Sustainable Development, and Problems of Dependence in Central Uganda. Chicago, U of Chicago P, 2014.
[23] Yuen, Pamela. “Things That Break the Heart of God: Child Sponsorship Programs and World Vision International.” The University of Western Ontario Journal of Anthropology, vol. 16, no. 1, 21 June 2011, ir.lib.uwo.ca/totem/vol16/iss1/6/utm_source=ir.lib.uwo.ca%2Ftotem%2Fvol16%2Fiss1%2F6&utm_medium=PDF&utm_campaign=PDFCoverPages. Accessed 25 Aug. 2018.
[24] Iweala, Uzodinma. “Stop Trying to ‘Save’ Africa.” The Washington Post, 15 July 2007.
[25] Jefferess, David. “For Sale–Peace of Mind: (Neo-) Colonial Discourse and the Commodification of Third World Poverty in World Vision’s ‘Telethons.'” Critical Arts: A South-North Journal of Cultural & Media Studies, vol. 16, no. 1, May 2002, pp. 1-21. EBSCOhost, eds-a-ebscohost-com.proxy.lib.uiowa.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=1&sid=6b0f3676-ea32-4839-b24e-9adcaad5304e%40sessionmgr4010. Accessed 24 Aug. 2018.
[26] Bornstein, Erica. “Child Sponsorship, Evangelism, and Belonging in the Work of World Vision Zimbabwe.” American Ethnologist, vol. 28, Aug. 2001, pp. 595-622.
