IIFWP Conference – Miami, Florida

“A New Vision for Public Service: The Role of

Ambassadors of Peace”

Kathy Winings, May 13, 2001

 

Phrases such as “relief work,” “humanitarian aid” or “public service” arouse consistent images;  financial support, grants, donations of money, food or clothing are some of the most consistent images. As a society, this sense of humanitarianism has been the most consistent way we have responded to the social needs of our global community whether that need is, disease, poverty, or injustice.

 

            Fortunately, we have been able to improve on this image with the formation of thousands of NGOs worldwide that have taken on the task of addressing these daunting problems by targeting specific groups of people or specific problems. Many of you in this room are part of this selfless and courageous effort.

 

            Unfortunately, all of our NGOs have also had to struggle to find either funding or volunteers for their programs – with everyone drawing on the same small pool of resources, which has made competition, independence, and isolation a growing reality in humanitarian work.

 

            Co-existing with social injustice and need has been a rise in intercultural, international, inter-tribal or interreligious conflicts. This has also not been an easy problem to resolve. Notable efforts to address the oft-times violent conflicts have included innovative curricula for schools and communities, mediated face-to-face sessions, legislation, and judicial mandates. And, as with relief work, there has been limited results.

 

            Even with our high ideals, I think we would have to conclude that we have not made headway in resolving these daunting problems. Nor can we afford to continue in this direction. It is time that we take a hard look at the arena of public service and reassess our real challenges when it comes to development. What then are some of our more serious challenges and limitations?

 

            One challenge is our current understanding of development. First and foremost is the need to redefine our perception of development. IRFF and RYS were founded on the vision that human beings have a physical nature and a spiritual nature. Therefore, development is conceived as a physical and spiritual process together. As long as we see development and relief as the alleviation of poverty, hunger, disease, and violence through financial and material means alone, we will continue to be plagued by these social problems. This is because the lack of money or access to goods and services has not been the real source of our social problems. Therefore, unlimited amounts of money and goods will not solve these problems either.

 

            The fundamental problem has always been a moral, ethical, and spiritual problem – greed, selfishness, and hatred. These problems cannot be solved with the allocation of financial resources alone. Unless we in public service acknowledge this and seek to include the moral and ethical dimension in our development work, our own agencies and other NGOs will not ultimately succeed. Therefore, development should challenge us to live selflessly, practice mutual love and respect, and strive to go beyond our cultural, political, religious and personal boundaries to create communities of peace and justice.

 

            In speaking with the director of a Bulgarian NGO committed to aiding refugee women and children, this lesson became all too clear. She found that when aid flowed in Bulgaria through her organization, though some people were able to rise above the poverty and homelessness in which they lived, they became, at the same time, more materialistic and uncaring toward their neighbors than before and she has seen homelessness and poverty continue to rise. In one sense, she said that her community is worse off now than it was before aid arrived. Why? Because the focus of development was only material.

 

            This brings us to a second limitation: relief work is still too often done either for people in need or to them; but often not with them. Of course, community-based NGOs and agencies that address specific groups or specific problems have, for the most part, been able to overcome this historic challenge. But, much of what is done in international relief today tends toward this more impersonal approach – lacking personal involvement and relationship-building. In this way, the poor and abused will always see themselves as victims and the developed nations will always see material wealth as the source of one’s value and identity.

 

This is especially true for the developed nations. It is easy to give money or maybe 1 day or 1 week to a specific problem and then return to life as usual and feel that all is right with the world. Recent statistics show that financial giving in the U.S. is at an all-time high. Yet, our social problems still exist. A large part of the reason why is that there is no personal involvement.

 

This brings us to our third challenge of public service: public service lacks mutual cooperation and mutual collaboration. Competition for limited financial resources, volunteers and support has fostered a growing sense of separation and isolation of NGOs – both within nations and between nations. Advocacy for those who suffer is important work. Many of you in this room represent NGOs that have become the voice for the abused, the invisible, and the neglected. And that is a truly selfless and compassionate work. But, our advocacy must be tempered with the ability to also put the work of our own agencies aside for the sake of mutual cooperation and the greater good.

 

That also means helping those we serve see themselves as empowered to serve others as well – to become part of the network of mutual cooperation and mutual collaboration rather than as victims of an uncaring and selfish world. Living for the sake of others is not an ethic just for those who are blessed in this world. It is an ethic for all men and women in God’s family. I do not mean to dismiss their needs or to belittle their suffering. These needs must be alleviated. But, if we are to strengthen our families and communities, all must recognize their gifts and contributions – regardless of how big or how small. This is the meaning of mutual cooperation and development in its truest sense.

 

A final challenge is the lack of intentional education and training for development and public service for our future generations. Our youth really need to begin to consider the possibility that relief agencies or work as we know it should not be a permanent feature of life. Today’s youth need to  recognize that the poor do not always need to be with us; that relief work should not be a permanent feature of life in our communities. And, our youth must recognize the ethic of living for the sake of others as vital to their growth and development as members of God’s human family.

 

This is why IRFF and RYS do not simply address physical material needs in assessing project work. We see relief as development of our spiritual/moral being as well as physical being – so to speak.  The partnerships that are formed lead to mutual understanding and friendships. It is these relationships that support not just superficial change but, more importantly, personal changes in terms of how we see ourselves and how we see others  that lead to long-term development in civil society.

 

This brings me to your role. As “ambassadors of peace” what role can you play in all this? In keeping with the challenges discussed and the needs of true development today, we must first move beyond the purview and isolation of our own areas of responsibility and form new and stronger partnerships. So, I would ask the following:

 

We can no longer consider relief work to be something that is done to someone in need. Nor can we remain isolated in our areas of responsibilities and concerns. Isolation has long been a road block to lasting community development and change. Nor can we continue to see humanitarianism as a business that is here to stay or the work of a select few individuals who are compassionate and caring. Compassion and caring is something that we as individuals and families must nurture as part of our essential character. It is something that we need to teach others on a continual basis. And, development is something that we all need to do daily– rich and poor alike. If we simply look at the poor, uneducated, or abused as the one’s needing to develop, we will have missed the point. Each of us need to see in what ways we need to develop better. Each of us have gifts, talents and skills. And each of us have limitations and points that could be changed for the better. That is the essence of the work of IRFF and RYS. And this can be the starting point of your work as “ambassadors of peace.”

 

There is a story of a wise sage who was walking through a village. From one end of town to the other, he saw nothing but disease, poverty, death, and violence. Finally, at the edge of town, the wise sage fell to his knees and said to God: “Oh wise and merciful one. He who made heaven and earth. Why have you not solved these problems? Why do your children continue to suffer like this? What have you done to change this?” After a moment of silence, the wise sage heard a voice from heaven say simply and quietly: “I did do something. I made you!”