Thursday, September 14, 2006

Can one man really make a difference?

Can one man really make a difference? In the end will all the hard work be worth it, or will it just be another failed attempt to give back people their lives and their dignity? Francis Kabina has dedicated his life to trying to give back people their lives in Sierra Leone, as a UN volunteer.
He uses a intense two week program to train community leaders, trying to give them the ability to put their communities back together. This all seems like a great thing giving back and helping people who in most cases can't help them selves but will these community leaders ever be able to fix such a war torn country?
If these intense training programs that Francis is using to rebuild Sierra Leone never show up on the international stage, and don't fix the problems that these people have will all his work be for nothing? What dictates a success is it one child who can now sleep at night with out nightmares or is it an entire community living peacefully together in harmony?

2 comments:

Lindsey said...

One man can absolutely make a difference, and that is all we can ask for. It's funny that you posted this, jimbo, because Dr. D and I had a conversation about this very idea after class on Wednesday. Even if someone changes only one life, it is not in vain. It's the whole premise of "pay it forward": a domino effect. By influencing one life you ultimately influence another, whether positively or negatively. It's a great example of the interconnectedness we experience as human beings. Imagine what might happen if every man significantly and positively altered (and I mean in a BIG way) another's life.

Elle said...

I agree with Lindsey on this issue. Even if you make a difference in only one person's life it will be worth it. The domino analogy is a very positive one. Often I feel that I can never really make a difference because there is so much wrong in the world. This way of thinking makes me realize that even if I help only one person, I have really started a chain reaction which will help others. The work that Francis is doing in invaluable. He is helping victims to deal with the painful events they have been through. In doing this, he, in his small individual way, is helping to make peace. I think that the only way to make a difference in this world is one person at a time, many people helping in small amounts adds up to alot. You really don't have to have alot of money or resources, you only need passion and dedication.

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