Caters to peoples’ spiritual, psychological and physical needs. Depending on the circumstances of the individual, certain areas are handled first before proceeding to other stages. For example, a person who has just survived a war (a refugee), natural disaster or a famine, is provided with basic necessities such as food, clothing, medicine etc. Once that individual has proven that he is physically capable of carrying out daily tasks, he or she can then be nurtured on a spiritual and/or psychological manner, depending on the person’s state of mind, culture, beliefs etc. In assisting an individual psychologically and/ or spiritually, the ideal organization does not seek to control or manipulate the person’s thought process. Subjects are treated with respect and dignity and their ability to make choices are embraced. However, what is imperative for a person who has suffered/suffers through intense difficulty is to be empowered. In other words, they need to believe in themselves and their ability to change their circumstance. Whatever spiritual messages are delivered to this individual is a message that must emphasize the innate power of the individual mind and spirit. Personal responsibility is key. Waiting for a savior or God to come down from heaven for deliverance does very little for the subjugated mind. In fact, the notion is disempowering because it diminishes ones’ abilities and natural/innate powers. This, I believe, is the reason why many Africans are still oppressed mentally and physiologically even after the departure of the colonialists. Many Africans, especially of the Christian fold, spend a lot of time, money and energy in churches asking God for assistance with different aspects of their lives. In many African cities, it is common to find churches in every block or neighborhood. Many pastors manipulate these people’s hunger for physical blessings by draining them off their monetary offerings and spiritual/ mental energies.There is nothing wrong with going to church, prayers and asking God for blessings. In fact, for some people it is the boost they need for inspiration to emerge and proper action to take place. It becomes only a problem when we give so much of ourselves in such situations and expect an automatic change of circumstance in return. That is laziness, and lazy people get nothing accomplished. So the important point is to spread the message that we are responsible for our circumstances. And even in such cases where it seems there is no direct link between our circumstances and past actions, we are still responsible for the way we react to them. I write this because I see a lot of organizations that spend a lot of money catering to people’s physical needs to the point where the people become dependent on the system for survival. They stop trying or attempting to progress themselves. This type of stagnation becomes a burden to the system and to the people directly or indirectly responsible for the functional abilities of the organization or government entity . It is also disempowering to the individual, reducing them to perpetual victims instead of potential victors in life. Of course, as aforementioned, there is a time when providing for the physical needs of others is the most necessary and urgent thing to do. But there must also come a point where these people, either through financial assistance (eg, lending programs) and/or psychological/spiritual empowerment, are able to create opportunities for themselves and their communities. I believe that is the goal of every person’s life- to contribute to the welfare of ourselves and our planet. And no one, either purposefully or otherwise, or in the name of compassion (which is a wonderful quality if expressed properly) should be deprived of that ability and/or opportunity.
