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What does it really mean to empower people? Beyond buzzwords and good intentions lies a complex reality that social impact organizations grapple with daily. This conversation with researchers Dr. Thomas Crea and Dr. Sarah Neville dives deep into the messy, thought-provoking questions that challenge conventional thinking about empowerment.

The discussion takes us beyond simplistic notions of "teaching a man to fish" to examine whether we're creating the fishing holes people need to sustain themselves. As Dr. Crea points out, true empowerment begins when "communities recognize and define the issues affecting them" rather than having external definitions imposed. Yet the structures of international aid, academic research, and nonprofit funding often create barriers to this community-centered approach.

We explore the tension between research that feels extractive and communities' immediate needs for jobs, healthcare, and education. Both researchers share candid reflections on working across contexts from Sierra Leone to Chelsea, Massachusetts, revealing how power dynamics play out similarly whether internationally or locally. The conversation challenges Western individualism through Dr. Neville's observation that "nobody is a self-made person" and questions whether traditional metrics can capture what matters most in human flourishing.

Perhaps most provocatively, we question whether empowerment can be measured at all. Some of the most important outcomes—belonging, dignity, community connection—resist quantification but remain essential. As Dr. Neville notes, "We seem to want short-term, inexpensive solutions to have life-changing, transformative impact," yet meaningful change often requires longer-term investment and humility about what we can

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Travel on International Mission, meet local leadership and work alongside them. Exchange knowledge, learn from one another and be open to personal transformation. Step into a 25 year long story of change for children in some of the poorest regions on Earth.

https://www.helpingchildrenworldwide.org/mission-trips.html

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A bible study for groups and individuals, One Twenty-Seven: The Widow and the Orphan by Dr Andrea Siegel explores the themes of the first chapter of James, and in particular, 1:27. In James, we learn of our duty to the vulnerable in the historical context of the author. Order here or digital download

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Family Empowerment Advocates support the work of family empowerment experts at the Child Reintegration Centre, Sierra Leone. Your small monthly donation, prayers, attention & caring is essential. You advocate for their work to help families bring themselves out of poverty, changing the course of children's lives and lifting up communities. join

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Organize a Rooted in Reality mission experience for your service club, church group, worship team, young adult or adult study. No travel required. Step into the shoes of people in extreme poverty in Sierra Leone, West Africa, Helping Children Worldwide takes you into a world where families are facing impossible choices every day.

Contact support@helpingchildrenworldwide.org to discuss how.

Shout out to our newest sponsor: The Resilience Institute

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