To do the most good for the famine victims, we must seek justice

Feb 24th, 2012 4:59 PM UTC
By Guest Blogger

Isaac Barnes and Don Golden of World Relief seek to use the strengths and capacity of the famine victims to mitigate food crises in the future.

In February 2012, the United Nations (UN) declared that the famine in southern Somalia is now over, seven months later. I find little triumph or accomplishment in this technical press statement.

Why? Take a look to the greater Horn of Africa, to Turkana, Kenya. In Turkana, thousands have lost their cattle due to drought and now rely on food aid to live, their dignity and vitality greatly diminished. This lack of restoration and perpetual brokenness is not right; it is an injustice. And while the Turkana remain disempowered and marginalized from restoring their livelihoods and dignity, the broken social and political systems that perpetuate famine and injustice will recycle again.

Women in Turkana, Kenya. Photo credit: Thomas Busch/ World Relief

Disaster relief cannot start after the UN or international media deems a situation to be a “famine.” Instead, effective disaster relief must start before a disaster strikes. If another drought hits Turkana, a major food crisis will be inevitable; unless, beforehand, the people of Turkana are empowered with the knowledge, resources, and tools they need to cope with their lost livelihoods.

Practically, disaster prevention is less expensive and saves more lives. But the efficiency of disaster relief must go beyond the dollars-to-beneficiaries ratio. Instead, good and comprehensive relief work lies in the restoration of local people and communities to build their own resilience to the challenges of their environment.

This collaborative and relational approach to disaster relief is about justice –- righting broken systems and relationships that don’t work. It sounds complicated. But to do the most good, we must seek justice. Justice seeks to empower local capacity and sustainability. Therefore, simply put, justice guides and informs the best disaster prevention because communities with good systems –- political, social and familial -– are better equipped to weather a disaster.

SEE ALSO: Save Turkana

It is with this desire to do the greatest good that World Relief’s disaster response in Turkana now transitions from food aid to local agricultural initiatives –- bringing restoration and justice to its broken food system. So instead of temporarily responding to a food crisis, we are, with a heart for justice, working to restore Turkana’s resilience to mitigate future drought and hunger with their own strength and capacity. One is inextricably connected to the other: to do justice is to do good disaster relief.

At the Justice Conference this week in Portland, Ore., World Relief has gathered advocates, activists, artists, professors, professionals, prophets, pastors, students and homemakers from around the world to raise and combine their voices around these great issues of justice. Our call to action is for today, and it starts with you and me. Join us at www.thejusticeconference.com.

Isaac Barnes is the Marketing and Communications Manager at World Relief in Baltimore, MD. He has a Masters in Media and International Development and has lived and worked in Mozambique, Kenya, and Burundi.

Don Golden is Senior Vice President at World Relief in Baltimore, Md., and co-author with Rob Bell of the book, “Jesus Wants to Save Christians,” a call for Christians to engage the great causes of our day.

TAGS: Faith, Famine, From Our Partners, ONE, Policy News