The toothache

I recently shared a photo on my Facebook page of a little boy standing in the rain, keeping himself warm by being close to a car. My statement was “We are responsible”. I received a few comments from friends, some of who were praying for the child and some others who were unhappy to see such an image, thinking I am asking for money. In my opinion, the image is very powerful. It belongs more to the advocacy side of things, rather than the fundraising side.

Let me explain to you the difference. For example, if you have a toothache, in the first instance, you might take a painkiller and imagine everything is fine. However, the pain starts again and you need to go to a dentist to have your teeth treated for the long-term. This is exactly the case with fundraising and advocacy. Fundraising is similar to a sedative. People see an image; they get emotional, put their hand in their pocket, sign a cheque or transfer money and think the problem is over. The children are happy and safe and they will be like that forever. What I’m saying is that the toothache won’t go away without long-term planning and treatment.

Quite often, we find that even after that cash injection, the problem is still there, due to various reasons. For example, think about the case of Somalia. Large International NGOs raised so many millions of dollars, but because of the humanitarian access issue, the aid couldn’t reach those in need.

In my opinion, fundraising is a very important tool in helping to find a sustainable solution, however advocacy is the foundation for the sustainable solution. Advocacy takes you to the root of the problem and allows you to contemplate treatment. It’s about spreading the news and talking about what’s right and what’s wrong. It’s about me (us) and the people. I prefer to be in the middle of the picture, instead of just looking at the picture.

If we think about the past, advocacy is a prophetical message as none of God’s prophets and messengers stopped delivering their powerful messages to save humanity, even if it cost them their life.

The pains of humanity can only be alleviated by long-term sustainable solutions, rather than quick sedatives.