04 Oct What makes our Awareness Trips different to other mission trips
Over the 13 years that Go Beyond All Borders has existed, we’ve learnt so much on how to effectively and appropriately help communities in developing countries. Along the journey, we’ve stopped doing some things that we thought were helping, only to be shown that in actual fact our helping was actually doing more harm than good.
Here are some of the Do’s and Dont’s we’ve learnt along the way:
We don’t go with a Hero/Savior mentality of, ‘we know all’ because we are from the West.
We DO go with a humble heart to serve and to learn from the community and culture we are in.
We Don’t Go to do jobs that someone there can do.
We DO come along side and help local workers, or employ people who otherwise may not have employment. As the old saying goes, ‘Feed a man a fish & you feed him for a day, teach a man to fish and you feed him for a life time.’
We Don’t single out, or give treats to, one or a few children.
We DO provide much needed protein, fruit and treats to everyone within the household, school or small community.
We Don’t take anything from home that the community may need including school supplies, clothing, etc.
We DO raise funds to buy anything that may be needed, and purchase these locally from supermarkets, markets, stalls. This supports the local economy and makes sure that the families and children we are helping have jobs in the future.
We Don’t support any organisation that does not adhere to the UN guidelines of working with children, and that haven’t had the appropriate checks by local governments and councils.
We DO seek out appropriate legal documentation of all organisations we support, and have a strict application process and training in our working with children policies. All travelers must have a current police check and/or working with children check.
Our goal at Go Beyond All Borders is to bring awareness to children and families in need in our world and help in a way that enhances and develops local economy and the communities we support.
We believe that by doing this we will make an impact on the community, both short & long term.
Go Beyond All Borders will continue to be open to learning and growing in everything we do so that we can ‘Love Large’
Caz Holmes
Founder/Director
PHOTO BY CAM GREENWOOD
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