Clinic administrator serving Jesus in the Sahara (a.k.a. Earth's biggest sandbox)
Nurse practitioner journeying with Jesus through the Sahara.
In Person
Breaking the Chains of Dependency: Impacting underserved communities through servant leadership
Underserved communities, such as those in Africa, have been the long-time
recipients of outside aid, yet there is little sustainable change.
Dependency on outside resources and hierarchal, foreign leadership
remains. Could following the example of Jesus’ use of servant leadership
be a way to break dependency and bring sustainable change to these
communities? A small, community-based health clinic in Mauritania, Africa,
was a traditional, non-governmental run clinic for 15 years, relying
heavily on foreign staff for leadership and decision-making. Desiring to
empower local leadership and encourage ownership, a new leadership style
was introduced. Using a servant leader, holistic approach along with
cultural contextualization, education, guiding a shared vision, and
instilling dignity and hope, in less than a year a shift happened.
Personal ownership, critical thinking, shared-decision making, and local
leadership are replacing previous dependency.