Charis Around the World

Tidbits from Ebony
Elizabeth Carmichael

The Anatomy and Physiology of a Community Development Project

PART III

Neeyaz is a local woman living in Ebony. Her only daughter, four years of age, has just been diagnosed with tuberculosis. Neeyaz is worried about her daughter, but also deeply concerned for her own pregnancy. She leaves her little one with a relative so that she can minimize her own risk of contracting TB. As she walks slowly down the road, back to her own courtyard, her veils flap in the wind and her tears sting her eyes. She is so blurry eyed with grief that she almost bumps right into another woman headed toward her. They say their “Excuse Me’s” and the woman inquires about Neeyaz’s tears. As Neeyaz explains her story, the woman turns to walk home with her. The woman, Bilkuz, is a community development trainee. She willingly spends all afternoon with Neeyaz, listening to her story and asking questions that help Neeyaz both express her feelings and explain her needs. Bilkuz leaves Neeyaz without making any promises except to visit her again in the future.

If you have been following our community development project story, you may remember that our ex-patriot community development worker, Lizzie was just in the throws of beginning her project. In the last issue of this article, we saw that the community development process takes TIME and a lot of PATIENCE.

With Time and Patience, Lizzie saw the project grow. She received funding from a generous foundation for women’s health education in the third world. She saw progress and even personal and spiritual growth in the lives of the trainees she had hired. She saw more and more lessons of the childbirth curriculum translated into a new language. What causes for rejoicing!

Now, Bilkuz has encountered a new need in a community that has been reached with development work. The community is so far from the “safe zone” of the city that Lizzie would not even be allowed to visit. Yet, all involved believe this connection with Neeyaz is not just a coincidence, but an appointment from Almighty God. So, they dive in!

Under the mentorship of Lizzie, Bilkuz meets with other families within the village and with village elders to further assess the needs of the area. She is given permission to address both the TB issue as well as childbirth and infant care issues. Excited and hopeful, Bilkuz invests her time over several months to develop a community awareness project. The entire community is invited to be screened for TB at no cost. Those who test positive are invited by the government public health ministry to participate in a program designed to help communities receive the medication and instruction they need in order to completely eradicate the disease. The aware project is a huge hit!!!! Nearly 500 families receive help and care, and, through this awareness project, they are also introduced to the aide organization that Bilkuz works for. She explains to each family that they also want to help with other problems in the community, possibly by offering childbirth education courses to community support groups. The families are grateful and extend their welcome to Bilkuz and her co-workers. It looks like a long-term community development project is in the works!

One of the key characteristics of a community development project is that it requires TRUST. Since Lizzie cannot visit the project site, due to security concerns, she has to trust Bilkuz completely with her representation and implementation of the project. Lizzie and Bilkuz both have to trust the community and those they appoint to help spread the word and organize the community groups. All involved have to trust their creator with the idea that strangers can help each other!

CROSS CULTURAL EFFORT is also a characteristic we introduced as a crucial part of community development. Of course Lizzie faces cross cultural situations daily, but this is also a cross-cultural experience for Bilkuz and for the community involved. Just because they are the same nationality and even possibly the same race does not mean they will automatically trust each other or understand each other’s hearts and minds. The work requires all parties to have a willingness to bend and a willingness to listen and learn.

As the community AND the development workers listen, validate each other, learn from each other and come to agreements about childbirth issues, the best resources to use, and how to multiply this project to other needy areas…EVERYONE LEARNS SOMETHING. There is no “keeper of all knowledge” passing down her wisdom to others. All are on an even playing field. The development workers are committed to the conviction that the community already has a great capacity for wisdom and for survival. After all, with all their “problems,” they have still survived for thousands and thousands of generations. But, the community also commits to learn. They open themselves up to information and methods that will prevent death and enhance life among them.

Bilkuz ends her work in this community after a year and a half of faithfully teaching and working there. The maternal and infant mortality rates in the community have dropped significantly. Three women from within the community have said they would like to be trained by Bilkuz so that they can spread the project to another village. Lizzie watches in amazement, glad for the progress, but also continuing to ask Father that things of eternal value would spread in this way as well.

One day, well after the project had finished, Neeyaz arrives at Lizzie’s office…her seven year old daughter and three year old son in tow. Lizzie only met Neeyaz once before in the course of the project work. She had stopped to pray with her about her daughter’s illness. Now, Neeyaz explains to Lizzie that she keeps having dreams about a man who guards the health of her children. She says she knows it is the man who’s name Lizzie used to offer her prayer to God. Neeyaz wants to know more…..

And, that is the final element of community development: THE OUTCOME BELONGS TO THE LORD.

Even if it takes twenty years for a “Neeyaz” to come to the door, the work is well worth it. If women and children can live just a little longer in Ebony due to our programs….this gives them even longer to seek and find Truth. Pray for the families of Ebony and pray for the development work going on among them. Ask the Lord to protect this kind of work, never allowing it to be a hindrance to the gospel, but a conduit and representation of it!

Thank you for diving in with me to the community development process over the past several months! I have enjoyed sharing with you and it has challenged me to think through the very real process that is occurring right here on the ground in Ebony right now.

Pray for me in the coming month as I begin a needs assessment period where I will observe births at local clinics and hospitals around the city of Glory Land. It might end up being quite depressing. I have known other Western midwives who have stopped their work out of discouragement because of what they’ve seen happening in local births. But, I also know other midwives who have persevered and allowed the local problems to fuel their passion. These are women who have made a very significant impact on the culture here. This is my desire. Not high ambitions, but a desire I believe is from Him—and I am open to whatever His ways are of reaching that goal.

Thank you for joining me in this process.

Much Love,

Elizabeth Carmichael