Last week, my host and partner on the Bwera project
travelled to Kigali to look for additional sources of revenue for the school.
He hoped we could find financial support through a partnership with Compassion
International. For those of you who are unfamiliar, Compassion International,
according to their website, is “a Christian child advocacy ministry that
releases children from spiritual, economic, social, and physical poverty.” You’ve
probably seen their infamous “sponsor a child” campaign. On paper, this sounds
like a fairly decent organization. Religious caveats in development and charity
are always less than ideal – Muslim kids can be poor too – but if I were overly
concerned with those, I wouldn’t be in the position that I am. In practice, the
reality is that, at least in Rwanda, Compassion International is a false
promise of development and education. And in many cases that I have observed,
it offers a dangerous distraction from more effective means of self-driven
development.
When my host met with Compassion International at their
national office, he was shocked to find out that, while they’d love to partner
with us, they wouldn’t be able to assist us financially. In fact, to partner
with them, we’d have to assist them financially. Before compassion would
sponsor with us, we had to finish the construction of our school, provide them
with access to the building, and also provide full time office space for their
workers. Only then would Compassion partner with us and provide their services
to the children in Bwera.
What makes Compassion International so special that they
should feel comfortable asking so much of us? Well, according to another
volunteer I met, who also works in Rwanda’s Eastern Province: nothing. The
Compassion office in his town provides bible study and religious education on
Saturdays as well as a “nutritious” meal, which turns out to be no more than a
cup of corn porridge. In a country where $1 USD can buy a kilogram of meat, the
money being used to sponsor children provides, a cup of corn porridge, which
can be made for less than a dime. The promise of a Christian education is
equally as useless, as Rwandans are generally incredibly religious, and, in my
opinion, Compassion merely reinforces the regressive brand of fundamental
Christianity that has taken root here.
Without any context, Compassion seems more useless than
destructive. However, the way it is perceived by many Rwandans is where the
danger can be found. Compassion International is a brand. Those unfamiliar with
them – and many who are familiar – see Compassion as beneficial to development
and education. My host has given training on grassroots development to other
pastors in the area, and in each of these presentations, he told them to
prioritize the construction of a church, because if their church was nice enough,
Compassion would come and build them a school. This idea and understanding of
Compassion’s works isn’t isolated to one man. It is a widespread belief based
on a lie and clever marketing.
Furthermore, in America, organizations like Compassion attract funding that could
go to much better organizations. I know that my family sponsored a child
through Compassion several years ago. The problem is that religious groups in
the Western world can be a huge source of funding for charitable and development
organizations. If money that could be going to a micro-grant organization
instead of Compassion, perhaps it could go to good use. So if you are
considering donating to Compassion, I’d urge you not to. Do a little more
research and find an organization with a bit more of an impact. Because
Compassion will not only waste your money, but they will also contribute to a
pervasive lie that – despite their mission statement – is detrimental to child education
and development.
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