Book Review: When Helping Hurts

When Helping Hurts: How to Alleviate Poverty Without Hurting the Poor . . . and Yourself 

by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert

For those that don't want to read this long post, the short version is: Highly recommended.

This book has been recommended a number of times by a man I know and admire greatly for his integrity, his great love for the Lord, and for his unfailing ability to recognize the good (Christ) in anyone. He is on the board for the Lwala Community Alliance.

This book is written directly to evangelical Christians within a church who are seeking a way to fulfill God's call to feed the poor. Because of the specific audience, there were many times when I wondered if a Catholic perspective might be a little different. Within the history of the Catholic Church, there are a great many saints who have served the poor in personal ways, including those like St. Francis (and the Franciscans as an order) who willingly and lovingly embrace material poverty partially at least to address their existing spiritual poverty. Not that I think Catholic North Americans don't make the same mistakes and erroneous assumptions that are outlined in the book, just that the history and culture of the Catholic Church might be used as additional sources of strength in understanding them. (Kansas Dad assures me there are lots of books and thoughts within Catholic social teaching that would address these issues, but I haven't had a chance to read any of them yet.)

We must also understand that the goal is not merely to redistribute resources (food, clothing, money) to those that are materially poor.

The goal is not to make the materially poor all over the world into middle-to-upper-class North Americans, a group characterized  by high rates of divorce, sexual addiction, substance abuse, and mental illness. Nor is the goal to make sure that the materially poor have enough money...Rather, the goal is to restore people to a full expression of humanness, to being what God created us all to be, people who glorify God by living in right relationship with God, with self, with others, and with the rest of creation.

Early in the book, the authors say we must begin with an understanding that we are often as poor spiritually as the material poor are poor materially.

Because every one of us is suffering from brokenness in our foundational relationships, all of us need "poverty alleviation," just in different ways. Our relationship to the materially poor should be one in which we recognize that both of us are broken and that both of us need the blessing of reconciliation. Our perspective should be less about how we are going to fix the materially poor and more about how we can walk together, asking God to fix both of us.

The authors continue:

The goal is to see people restored to being what God created them to be: people who understand that they are created in the image of God with the gifts, abilities, and capacity to make decisions and to effect change in the world around them; and people who steward their lives, communities, resources, and relationships in order to bring glory to God. These things tend to happen in highly relational, process-focused ministries more than in impersonal, product-focused ministries.

The book returns to this goal over and over again. It seems a valuable idea to review this goal before we provide any service or money. The authors remind us that North Americans are product-oriented. We want to see results; we want to see a project started and crossed off the list. Our rush to an end often blinds us to the true end: restoring people to what God created them to be.

The authors discuss systems, mainly in the context of enduring poverty in America's inner cities.

Worldviews affect the systems, and the systems affect the worldviews. (author's italics)

I don't want to start a big debate, but I think it's right to consider that political support for policies that will really help the poor and disenfranchised are important. I struggle with this thought myself and how far I should take it. Sometimes I wonder if insisting on the lowest price possible for an item is just as damaging to the materially poor of this country and around the world as any political policy or law. (Thinking along these lines quickly becomes overwhelming, ranging from the treatment of part-time employees to child labor in the chocolate industry to unsafe conditions for garment workers. I usually end up thinking we shouldn't buy anything at all, but that seems too extreme to really be the right answer.)

A big part of the book discusses the range of work we can do with the materially poor.

A helpful first step in thinking about working with the poor in any context is to discern whether the situation calls for relief, rehabilitation, or development.

Relief is the help we provide in a short term situation or immediate crisis (after an earthquake or when coming upon an injured person); it's things like money, clothing, shelter, and food. Rehabilitation "seeks to restore people and their communities to the positive elements of their precrisis conditions.

"Development" is a process of ongoing change that moves all the people involved--both the "helpers" and the "helped"--closer to being in right relationship with God, self, others, and the rest of creation.

There is a need for relief, even for those who will need it long-term ("the severely disabled; some of the elderly; very young, orphaned children; the mentally ill homeless population"), but right away it's interesting to note that relief is very rarely necessary. Personally and as a church, then, the majority of our resources (time, talent, and treasure) should be devoted to long-term endeavors and working to develop relationships, policies, and institutions that address rehabilitation and development rather than relief.

Then, there are some wonderful chapters that talk about the kind of resources we should devote to rehabilitation and development and the methods by which we should do so. Their arguments are thought-provoking and, I thought, convincing. Among other things, they believe we should not do anything the materially poor can do for themselves; we should require (and encourage) the community to participate in the entire process from design through implementation; and we should carefully consider the culture and traditions of the community. There's much more and I encourage you to read the book.

Remember, the goal is not to produce houses or other material goods but to pursue a process of walking with the materially poor so that they are better stewards of their lives and communities, including their own material needs.

 It's easier to provide relief (food, clothing, money) than development. Many believe handouts are the answer, because they're only looking at the material needs. Also, it's much easier to just give money or things than to build relationships. Finally, (p. 120)

it is easier to get donor money for relief than for development. "We fed a thousand people today" sounds better to donors than "We hung out and developed relationships with a dozen people today."

I spent a lot of time thinking about how our family allocates our charitable donations in response to this book. This particular quote struck me because, we are donors. This book is a challenge, then, for us to be the kind of donors that support the kind of work and organizations that build communities and really give people a path out of poverty.

From what I can tell, CFCA is doing exactly the kind of long-term development work outlined in this book. They strive to build a relationship between sponsors and sponsored families. Families work together to improve their communities, not just with funds from CFCA, but with assets within their own villages. The more I read this book, the more convinced I became that we should be giving more support to CFCA, that the work they are doing around the world is truly good stewardship of time, talent, and treasure that is participating in the work we all should be doing to bring God's kingdom to fruition on earth. Learn more about the Christian Foundation for Children and Aging.

There is also a fascinating chapter on short term missions and how valuable (or not) they are to the missionaries, how harmful they may be to the community, and how to make them as valuable as possible on both sides.

For those that do not have access to the book, you can learn more online at the book's online website, Helping without Hurting, and at The Chalmers Center for Economic Development at Covenant College.

More than Money

UPDATE: CFCA is now Unbound.
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Last year, I wrote about our experiences with CFCA's Hope for a Family. I wanted to write again about it as we near the end of 2011, encouraging each of my readers to prayerfully consider reaching out to a family in need through CFCA or a similar organization.

For a year, we have been exchanging letters with our sponsored friend and her family in Nicaragua. First Daughter in particular has developed a great love for our friend. She speaks of her often and nearly always insists on including a hand-drawn picture when we send our monthly letter. It is as much a blessing for me to see my daughter caring deeply for someone so far away, someone she has never met, as it is for our friend to be sponsored.

I am deeply impressed with the CFCA staff and volunteers in the Nicaragua project in which our friend participates. We have received letters once a month which include not only a translation, but the original letter in Spanish with illustrations. The sketches are beautiful. Some people may fear being sponsored will cause a person to become jaded, to feel entitled to the money alone, but those drawings remind me each month how the CFCA program is different because it's about more than money. It's about developing a relationship with our sponsored friend who helps to teach us about the life of giving and loving to which Jesus calls us.

There is much pain and poverty in the world. I often feel there's nothing I can do but to pray, but CFCA offers a way to reach one person, one family, to really connect with someone. I cannot encourage others enough to find an organization to support that allows a similar connection. Learn more about sponsoring a child here.


*********** The text below is copied from the CFCA website. ************

We sponsor a child through Christian Foundation for Children and Aging, an organization that creates relationships between sponsors in the United States and children, youth and aging persons in 22 developing countries. Through its Hope for a Family program, our contributions provide life-changing benefits such as education, nutrition, clothing and medical care for our sponsored friend. Through letter writing we are able to learn about our sponsored friend's life and offer our encouragement and prayers.


Grounded in the Gospel call to serve the poor, CFCA works with people of all faith traditions. CFCA is highly rated by Charity Navigator and the American Institute of Philanthropy.

Help Bring Hope to a Family with CFCA

Our copy of Volunteer Connection from CFCA arrived in the mail today and I wanted to share some of the campaigns going on right now.


CFCA President and Co-founder Bob Hentzen walked 8,000 miles recently (what an amazing man!) and is hoping to find sponsors for 8,000 children in honor of the walk, one for each mile.  I checked the website (it was here when I was looking recently) and they had over 4,500. Please prayerfully consider sponsoring a child. You can read about our experiences as a sponsor family here. View profiles at the CFCA website. There's even a search feature if you'd like to sponsor a child of a certain age or in a certain country.

In other news, CFCA is hosting a benefit concert in Kansas! We are unable to attend with about 20 other things going on that weekend (alright, 3, but one of them is First Daughter's birthday and the concert would be a bit of a drive - Kansas is big, you know), but if you will be in the area, check it out!

Shine a Light: A CFCA Benefit Concert at The Theatre in the Park in Shawnee, KS
Sunday, September 25th
Find all the details and purchase tickets at their website.


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We sponsor a child through Christian Foundation for Children and Aging, an organization that creates relationships between sponsors in the United States and children, youth and aging persons in 23 developing countries. Through its Hope for a Family program, our contributions provide life-changing benefits such as education, nutrition, clothing and medical care for our sponsored friend. Through letter writing we are able to learn about our sponsored friend's life and offer our encouragement and prayers.

Grounded in the Gospel call to serve the poor, CFCA works with people of all faith traditions. CFCA receives the highest ratings from Charity Navigator and the American Institute of Philanthropy.

Being a Part of Hope for a Family

Recently, our sponsored friend in Nigeria left the Christian Foundation for Children and Aging program . We had been sponsoring him for about five years and wish him well.

We wanted to continuing sponsoring a child and I thought we'd switch to a girl about First Daughter's age in Central America. We received her sponsorship materials this week and she's a darling! She lives in Nicaragua and is just a few weeks older than First Daughter. She lives in a one-room building with a dirt floor. No electricity. No running water (though they do have access to a good well). These are facts First Son and First Daughter can barely comprehend, but "meeting" our new friend and conversing with her through cards and letters will help them see how we are all made in the image of God. She is our friend, even though she lives in a different country, speaks a different language and does not have electricity.

During this holiday season, we are constantly reminded of our material blessings. Some of you may be using some time at the end of the year or early in the next to consider your budget. Please take a moment to consider joining us as sponsors giving Hope to a Family with the Christian Foundation for Children or Aging or seeking out one of the many other worthwhile organizations matching sponsors with children around the world. (Read more about charitable giving at Charity Navigator.)

Providing consistent support to a single organization is one way to be a wise steward of God's gifts to us. Working with CFCA or a similar organization additionally gives us a way to see real benefits, to share the love of Christ and feel his love in return from one young child and her family. We don't just drop money in a basket; we are contributing to an organization that is helping our friend and her family build a community. They support each other. And us. What a blessing it is to know that someone there is praying for us! We are all on a journey to the same place and, no matter our position here on earth, we can be a support and a help to each other.

So I don't miss any of the important details, I've copied the suggested text from their website as well:

We sponsor a child through Christian Foundation for Children and Aging, an organization that creates relationships between sponsors in the United States and children, youth and aging persons in 23 developing countries. Through its Hope for a Family program, our contributions provide life-changing benefits such as education, nutrition, clothing and medical care for our sponsored friend. Through letter writing we are able to learn about our sponsored friend's life and offer our encouragement and prayers.

Grounded in the Gospel call to serve the poor, CFCA works with people of all faith traditions. CFCA receives the highest ratings from Charity Navigator and the American Institute of Philanthropy.

Find a New Friend

The Christian Foundation for Children and Aging (CFCA) has a new feature at their Walk2Gether site! You can now view pictures and short profiles of children, youth and aging persons awaiting sponsors here. My favorite feature is the search form on the right where you can select a country, gender and a few other things. Obviously, all of the profiled people need a sponsor, but we love having our own friend of the same age as First Son. Though they are a world apart (in so many ways), they still experience many of the same things as they grow (like lost teeth!) and I feel it helps bring our friend closer to First Son's understanding. (I have a dream of meeting our current giving goals in a few years and adding a sponsored girl between First and Second Daughter from El Salvador, a country dear to the heart of my husband's family.)

Not all of those awaiting sponsorship are on the site, so do not be afraid to call or contact CFCA if you are interested in sponsoring someone.

While you're there, take a few minutes to read about Bob's walk!

Incorporating Stewardship In Our Homeschool

When First Son was born, we were aware of how blessed we were, living in a fabulous neighborhood in Brooklyn with a beautiful healthy little boy. We wanted to take the opporutunity to share some of our blessings with a child in poverty. It was nearly two years before I made the time to research our options.

We began to sponsor a child through Christian Foundation for Children and Aging, a lay Catholic organization that creates relationships between sponsors in the United States and children and aging persons in 24 developing countries. Our contributions provide life-changing benefits such as education, nutrition, clothing and medical care for our sponsored friend. Through letter writing we are able to learn about our sponsored friend's life and offer our encouragement and prayers.

Grounded in the Gospel call to serve the poor, CFCA works with people of all faith traditions. CFCA receives the highest ratings from Charity Navigator and the American Institute of Philanthropy.

CFCA very kindly matched us with a boy in Africa close to First Son's age. We have received pictures from our friend that we've shared with the children, keeping the most recent one on our fridge. We often pray for him together. I plan to incorporate letter-writing to him and his family as part of our handwriting exercises next year (once First Son is a little more comfortable). CFCA encourages writing letters about that which we have in common, which I appreciate, because I'm anxious for First Son to think of him as a friend, learning to see only the similarities despite the vast differences in wealth and culture.

I wish we could afford to sponsor a child for each of our little ones and a priest for Kansas Dad, but perhaps one of you will reach out after reading this post or seeing the button I've put in the sidebar. Learn more about how you can help here.