Today, I received my first donation. I want to remember it always as coming from the kind of people who are thoughtful in there giving and who ask GREAT questions about Hand-In-Hand's efforts. Here is the email that I received.
"Lisa,
I'd like to give $10 to you for Hand in Hand so I'll mail it to you this week. I have a few questions about it, though, so bear with me. Is Hand in Hand just for funding the travel to the Bugabo village? Who is going-you or someone else? What exactly is done to help the village & which NGO is doing it? What steps are taken to make sure the aid money is spent on what it is intended for and not raided by corrupt gov. officials (I'm not trying to paint the Ugandan gov w/a broad brush, but there are widely documented problems in a lot of countries where monetary aid is given & Uganda has had its fair share of them).
Is sex education and realistic family planning involving access to birth control on the agenda (I certainly hope so)? If this is part of a church mission, will it be sensitive to preserving the cultural heritage of the village's belief system or is the aim to replace it with Western Christian theology (again, I understand that sometimes the native beliefs run counterproductive to progress & that a new system can open doors to a better way of life--I just want to know if this is strictly a one religion operation or if it's more of a general idea that will coexist w/the native system). I think what you are doing is great. You are becoming a change agent!
You already know that I do not believe you need God to be good--but I also think there's nothing wrong w/those who feel you do. The end result is what counts. :) If you can answer my questions, I'd appreciate it. I have some ideas for some publicity that might give it a boost (thinking video PSAs & content for your site).
Loving the changes, process & journey that your life is about & loving you!"
I will reply to the specific questions in my next post: "Donation Concerns: Skepticism and Love."
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