What I Know Now
An Intern’s Perception of World Hope
New Beginnings
Starting a new internship can be intimidating and nerve wracking, but equally exciting. Before working with World Hope, my knowledge regarding the organization was surface level. I had seen them at Beulah Camp annually, I had heard them present at my church, and I had scrolled through their website, but I never fully grasped the heart of their organization and the staff. Now, the end of summer is fast approaching, and I have begun to reflect on my experience with World Hope. This summer, I have been stretched, educated, and encouraged. Ten weeks ago, I would have been immensely less worried if I had known what I know now.
Teamwork Makes the Dream Work
The World Hope staff is the epitome of the phrase “teamwork makes the dream work.” In all my life, I have yet to witness a work environment as positive and passionate as this. Team meetings are used as a time to collaborate, ask for help, celebrate, and encourage one another. Each and every staff member has helped shape me. Their passion motivates me, their wisdom guides me, and their love for God and others inspires me. Working alongside them has continuously reminded me of how intentionally the Bible emphasizes community. As brothers and sisters in Christ, we are called to work together for good. Collaboration has helped me through many tasks in my position. Whenever I was struggling with a concept or idea, I knew there would be someone willing to help me as I figured it out.
“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labour: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up.”
When Helping Hurts and When Hurting Helps
This summer, the World Hope team read and discussed the book When Helping Hurts by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert. The heart of World Hope revolves around the message of this book. It provides a deeper understanding of poverty alleviation and helps guide organizations and churches to help without unintentionally hurting those in need in the process. One of my favourite quotes from our read-through is:
“Development is not done to people or for people but with people” (Corbett & Fikkert, 2009, p. 100).
When Helping Hurts encourages Christians to shift the way we think about poverty and the methods used to alleviate it. It was a privilege to discuss the complexities of poverty with a humanitarian organization that already incorporates these concepts into their framework.
It allowed me to view their intentions first-hand and listen to the hearts of the staff. Poverty is a multifaceted issue which demands complex solutions. As an organization, World Hope values the guidance provided in When Helping Hurts and continuously strives to better align their approaches to the suggestions in this book.
Discomfort to Growth
One aspect I appreciated was that the discussion of this topic encourages you to reflect on the helping you have done in the past to ensure it is better the next time. We have probably all tried to lend a helping hand in one way or another that has caused more long-term damage than good, whether we realize it or not. Take short-term mission trips for example. They must be executed to ensure our ‘help’ does not affect community members’ dignity. We must plan diligently and thoughtfully to make sure we ask the community what their skills are, how they can help themselves, before we step in as a ‘white saviour’.
As we think back to past experiences, we often realize areas in which we may have caused harm. It can hurt your heart to reflect on all the times we wished we had approached a situation differently, helped out in a different manner, or maybe not have offered help at all. I know I had felt that at various times while reading this book. I started to reflect on the title “When Helping Hurts” and realized that the same is true in reverse. Sometimes, hurting can help create the change that is needed. We learn from our mistakes. It is like driving after getting in a car accident; you start to drive more cautiously to avoid that same situation. Actively speaking about the hurt some forms of helping can cause, forces us to reflect on our past and ignites something within that makes us want to try our best to steer away from those discouraged approaches. Our hearts hurting temporarily after making a mistake can make a long-term impact on shifting how we approach helping.
Approaching a Mindset Shift
Although the mission statement of non-profit organizations can seem impressive from the exterior, finding out the inner workings can sometimes be disheartening. I was extremely nervous that after working for World Hope I would find some sort of flaw in their framework. This, however, was far from reality. World Hope is diligent in ensuring their approaches are being utilized in every project. They value sustainable, community-driven, and market-based approaches. Learning how they operate has entirely shifted my perspective on poverty alleviation and those working toward it. There are approaches I had never considered the importance of before starting this internship. I have learned so much about poverty and poverty alleviation. My mind has been refreshed with new concepts. Despite my initial uncertainty, the World Hope mission statement genuinely encapsulates the work being done across the globe.
“Our vision is to provide those in need with opportunity, dignity, and hope so they can possess the tools for change in themselves, their family, and their community.”
Hope Fueled Work
World Hope empowers those in need to create lasting change for themselves and those around them. I have found it so inspiring to witness team discussions that reflect upon the work being done. They not only initiate their projects with these approaches in mind, but they also continuously evaluate the usage of them. Band-aid solutions are not sufficient when 700 million people still live below the International Poverty Line (World Bank, 2024) and World Hope takes that to heart. Long-term sustainability is immensely important to this organization, and to each individual staff member. It is something they are constantly trying to improve upon by reading books about the different approaches to alleviating poverty, asking other staff members to analyze each project to ensure sustainable procedures are being followed, consistently asking for feedback from the communities and partners, and never shying away from a discussion or concern.
Overall, this internship has been a blessing in disguise. Originally, I was planning to work at a summer camp for the summer and stay in my comfort zone. I am eternally grateful for the opportunity to have worked alongside such faithful and passionate team members and for such an empowering and authentic organization. I learned a lot, I grew a lot, and I did a lot, but most importantly I now know how evidently God is at work through the staff, the countries, and this organization.
“For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.”
Brenna Maxwell
Intern, World Hope International
Learn more about how World Hope International is working to alleviate poverty and injustice.
You can support life-changing programs with a gift to The Hope Fund.
