What is empowerment? What is an empowering organization like? How can faith-based organizations, in particular, empower the people they work with?
CUAHA has been working hard in Mexico City. Among the fruits of that labour, there is this gem: an ecumenical examination on the concept of empowerment.
Read more below!
David fastened on his sword over the tunic and tried walking around, because he was not used to them. “I cannot go in these,†he said to Saul, “because I am not used to them.†So he took them off. Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd’s bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine.
Meanwhile, the Philistine, with his shield bearer in front of him, kept coming closer to David. He looked David over and saw that he was little more than a boy, glowing with health and handsome, and he despised him. He said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks?†And the Philistine cursed David by his gods ....
Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground.
So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him.
David ran and stood over him. He took hold of the Philistine’s sword and drew it from the sheath. After he killed him, he cut off his head with the sword. (1 Samuel 17.39–51)
Common Ecumenical Understanding on Empowerment
Churches are trained in HIV and AIDS related issues. The church aims to empower the vulnerable. Training, provision of information, cooperation, and networking are key means of empowerment.
Empowerment Is about What We Have, Not about What We Don’t
The Bible is a treasury of great stories. The story of young David going against the seasoned warrior Goliath is one of them. The task David, a young shepherd, faced seemed impossible. Yet, he managed to overcome the fight that seemed impossible. In the battle, he did not use the most sophisticated armour of his day. He chose to use weapons that he had and knew how to use. When David faced the mighty Goliath, he had nothing but a staff, sling, and a stone.
Empowerment is about putting into practice what we have and know. As churches and leaders of churches and related organizations, we do have a lot that can be used to halt the spread of HIV and to relieve its consequences. Churches have, among other things, people, networks, influence, and financial resources. It is time to make the best use of them.
Peter – an Embodiment of Empowerment
Having worked for more than 12 years with people that are HIV positive, I have many times felt that the task is overwhelming. The emotional pain, scarce resources, complex medical issues, and the multiple effects of HIV and AIDS combined seem to create a mental Goliath that is difficult to tackle. Yet, there are people who face the Goliath, survive and, more than that, live life to the fullest.
One of them is Peter. He lives less than a hundred kilometres from Nairobi, the Kenyan capital. Having lost his wife and struggling to provide for his children he had come to the point of loosing hope. At that stage, my wife and her Kenyan co-worker met him. They counselled him, trained him, and provided him with a small incentive to start a business. He developed a simple business plan and gave it a try.
Today, Peter is, as he puts it himself, a “triple†businessman. He runs a community phone, shoe shine, and kiosk businesses. The children are back in school and he is proud of what he is doing.
The Two Sides of Empowerment
The story of Peter and research suggest that empowerment has two sides to it. It relates to our emotions, motivation, and the way we think about ourselves and the world around us. Secondly, it relates to the social relationships we have and to the environment we live in. The former factors could be called internal factors and the latter external.
It seems that both aspects are crucial to empowerment. For example, a person may be talented, intelligent, motivated, and skilled for a task, but the environment may not be supportive. As a result the person can fail in his or her task or achieve less than expected. On the other hand, the environment can be enabling, but the person is not motivated and therefore fails.
Peter was lucky. He had a desire to change his condition. All he needed was a little encouragement, information, and a small financial boost. In his case, the external and internal factors were in place.
Empowerment and Organizations
Organisations either catalyze or hinder empowerment. It is widely believed that traditional, policy oriented, hierarchic, and rigid organizations hinder empowerment. Traditional organizations tend to emphasize tradition at the expense of innovation and relevancy and stick to their old ways of doing things. Their past easily becomes more important than their future. A disempowering organization tries desperately to regulate all aspects of its mission and activities. Its desire to manage and control easily suffocates innovation and turns passion into routine.
As organizations grow and establish themselves hierarchies tend to form. Such development is natural. However, hierarchies may create a problem if they become more important than the purpose they serve. Rigidity is the result of a number of factors including those discussed above. Rigid organizations find it hard to adapt to new situations. They do not attempt at working proactively or changing their operational environment.
Empowered organizations seek new ways to address problems. They do not settle with things as they are. They innovate new ways to look at things, envision a better state of affairs and take steps to strive for something better. At times the steps are unorthodox, risky, and pioneering. Empowered organizations train, encourage, and challenge their people to enable them to reach their full potential. Empowered organizations have clear goals and strategies to reach them. The workforce is encouraged to think for themselves and they find fulfilment in achieving something together.
Churches and other faith–based organizations state of empowerment is being tested by HIV and AIDS. Disempowered organizations shrink under their turtle shells and put on their defensive armour. They push the issues related to HIV and AIDS aside or address them only if they have to.
An empowered church or religious organization sees the presence of HIV positive people and the consequences of AIDS as an opportunity to serve people and minister to them holistically. They rethink their theology, ministries, services, teaching, and response to the environment in the light of the pandemic. To an empowered faith–based organization HIV and AIDS is not a threat but an opportunity to develop, grow, and influence for the positive.
Empowerment and Leadership
Leaders have a crucial role in empowerment. The current research on leadership suggests that leadership is about influencing people through a relationship. Church leaders and leaders in religious organizations should influence people to act on HIV and AIDS.
Quite a few leaders have managed to organize rallies, workshops, and other beneficial activities that relate to HIV and AIDS. However, empowering leadership goes beyond short term influence. An empowering leader aims to evoke long-term commitment among the people within his or her sphere of influence. HIV and AIDS will remain an issue in the church and the world at large for years to come. Leaders allocate human and financial resources to HIV and AIDS related activities. They ensure that churches and organizations have written policies to follow in HIV and AIDS activities.
Although the emphasis in leadership studies shifts every now and then, one aspect has remained unchallenged. The greatest way to influence people is to set an example. Exemplary church leaders integrate people with HIV into church activities. People living with HIV can serve in any position in the church. Leaders do not tolerate stigmatization to any degree. Rather, they work with HIV positive people to ensure that they are accepted unconditionally and encourage others to do the same.
Empowerment and faith–based organizations
Faith based organizations are unique in terms of empowerment. They are unique since they have a basic philosophy or theology that promotes philanthropy, love for people. Philanthropy, solidarity, love for one’s neighbour, or whatever term one wants to use, are at the core of Christianity.
In a secular organization motivation, commitment, and vision are usually fed by psychological or external rewards. The motivation and commitment of churches and church related organizations should flow from a deeper source. The church holds every human being to be a creation of God. Therefore, each person is valuable. This belief is at the core of Christian theology and thought. If properly understood and applied, it feeds a long-term commitment to address the needs of people.
Churches and related organizations form a network that is not artificially created to address issues related to HIV and AIDS. People living with HIV need counselling, information, support, and unconditional acceptance. In many ways, the churches and other faith–based organizations are in a better position to provide all this than many other organizations.
Counselling is a core ministry of the church and unconditional acceptance should be at the core of its theology. Pulpits, Sunday Schools, small groups, and other regular activities of the church provide a unique platform for sharing information.
The churches and faith–based organizations have the prerequisites of empowerment: information, theology, philosophy, people, platforms, networks, leadership, and a recognized position in the society. It is time to draw from these resources and put them into action.