A Different Take on "The Problem with Little White Girls, Boys, and Voluntourism "

This is a response to an article written by Pippa Biddle.

     Here is my experience in six years in northern Uganda and nine different service trips to Back Bay Mission in Biloxi, MS.  with anywhere from 21 to 97 students on the trip.  Each year when I come to Gulu, Uganda I meet amazing young women who are striving to the best for the people of Gulu and beyond.  The first year I met a young girl named Amelia who decided to go by herself to help teach the Karimajong.  She  did it because they were losing their teacher and without hesitation picked up that challenge.  Over the years in Gulu, I see western Internet cafes filled with the only white people in town and these numbers always seem to be 65% to 80% ...women.  I mused this with my friend
Father Leonsyo and he told me that is because women think with their hearts, they want to love all, and care for those that need help.

     Over the years I have been part of five different teaching groups,  again more than 2/3 women.  I have seen them start Hip Hop Clubs, have empowerment programs, and spend a lot of time of just being there with the students.  The impact alone of showing young Ugandan girls that education works is of great importance.  In the best cases, they were standing at the front of the classroom with their Ugandan teaching partner, showing the students what 2 dedicated women could do.   Sure, I have scene mistakes and people who probably should have left their electric hair straightener at home.  But for the most part they were incredible.  Many have taken their talents post-Uganda to other places in our world like Thailand, Korea, and Egypt or back home to help with the teaching of recent immigrants.  The organization I worked under was not  perfect and made mistakes, yet I also know two women, Kristine and Laura from that program who have made a long term commitment to northern Uganda and using the past to build a better model for future success of their students.

         Here is where I think the original article missed a big benefit.  Kinship, reaching across miles and oceans, is what makes all of this work.  I would consider more than a handful of Ugandans to be my friends.   They welcome me into their homes with smiles, greetings, and the best feast they can find.  It is extremely humbling to know what my friends have done for me in their homes.  I strived to match that when 3 of these friends spent a month in the states teaching in a classroom filled with "little white girls".   I see the smiles and the love everyday between the "Munus(Lwo for white people) and the Acholi tribe people.  It is real and what makes the difference here.  Father Gregory Boyle says that "Service is just the hallway to the ballroom of Kinship".   And this is where Pippa Biddle and I probably agree: building a library, painting a school, tutoring a student is nothing without pushing forward and developing that kinship.  The kinship does not happen here.  It happens when we do not expect it by sharing a meal of Posho or introducing Ugandans to wiffle ball.  It is in the conversation of equals where friendship happens.  Indeed, that is where we find love.

        Now the story in the previous  article, where the Tanzanians had to rebuild the wall each night does not condemn the trip and the effort, but shows there was serious gaps in leadership on this trip.  Why was this not noticed by her teachers and chaperones.  Ms. Biddle argues that you should not volunteer without talent or maybe even construction expertise.  I want to say in my experience that is also incorrect.  I have watched 16 girls with no construction experience build and frame a house because they had two great leaders who were patient and skilled with their teaching of the  skills needed.  This group of high school girls, with a few great leaders, regularly accomplishes more than some seasoned construction groups do.  Mostly because they do everything they can to stuff 50 hours of work into a 40 hour work week.

        This year, we had 8 girls who had little or no construction experience who by Wednesday were picking up nail guns like a pro or hollering measurements around the house.  These eight got great, because we had 13 "little white girls" who each summer  return to The Back Bay Mission to share
their expertise and lead in so many ways .  The dads and one mom with construction skills are great, but all of them would give the credit to the success of this trip to this baker's dozen.  Several of these students now have real jobs. So this week of service comes with real sacrifices. Giving up trips to Chicago and Florida to spend a week with our friends on the Gulf Coast.

     This amazing group of "little white girls" can take down and put up scaffolding with the best of them. They can cut PermaBoard and nail gun it with ease. The highlight of the week were not these talents that they shared. At the start there is always standing around time. These ones purposely changed standing around time, to cleaning up the yard time. They attacked ugly stumps, picked up glass and trash, and removed a decade old pile of dirt in the backyard with some Katrina debris included.

     Then it happened, right where the biggest , ugliest stump used to be--a kickball game. Five children now playing in the reclaimed yard along with several from the block who could not miss this happening. Thirty of us now playing kickball. With the booming kick of the seven year old girl laughter and whoops from all. There it was kinship so real you could taste it.

      Pippa,, I would love to share a meal some times and swap storie, you have done a lot of good.. And to all the Little White Girls, do your homework, know as best you can the culture and the people, adjust your attitude in the right way, and then leap.

Your heart can be in the right place, but I think it is important that your feet are in the right place too.