"It's Better When We're Together"

By Kristina Novak

I have always admired the dedication and focus of people willing to put aside small differences and be ready to connect with others to increase the quality and impact of their work. Margaret Mead, a great anthropologist and social reformer, understood well, the power of dedicated individuals working together for a common purpose.

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.”

Now imagine that there is not one but many groups of dedicated individuals - each person is different, yet working together for a common goal.  What happens when such a coalition forms? The impact increases, lessons are shared, accountability grows and gaps are filled with the various skill sets.

This is the case for Chab Dai. In Khmer, the name literally means “joining of hands” and that’s what it really is -  a set of connected organizations that vary in expertise and have one common purpose - to fight human trafficking and exploitation. I love witnessing how this ethos results in providing better protection from exploitation and care for survivors.

One of the ways Chab Dai facilitates better connectivity between its members is through various forums such as Child Protection, Aftercare and our Social Work forum. The day is usually spent in sharing lessons learned and looking at best practices and challenges that may lay ahead as well as create space for the forming of new partnerships.  

When it comes to collaboration, there is one forum that I really appreciate right now, which is our Outreach Forum. The Chab Dai members that work in direct outreach to the vulnerable and exploited children, women, men and the transgender community here in Cambodia (altogether 44 participants from 17 organizations), spent a day sharing their work and learning from each other’s field experience.

Collaboration was unfolding right in front of my eyes. As I was taking notes of the meeting and hearing stories from the field, I could not help but admire each individual’s hard work and dedication to serving and protecting our most vulnerable. Their dedication is mirrored by the long hours they invest in their field and by the their resilience and faith they hold for those they help. All of this came across in the presentations they shared.

But there was something else that gave the meeting its energy and focus. It was this unfolding of collaboration. With such a variety of organizations that Chab Dai coalition encompasses - even just within its outreach field - the mutually beneficial lessons, skills and resources of the forum members were quickly recognized. Participants presented on their programs, including their outreach on the streets and in entertainment establishments, running day centres, dorm houses and health clinics, and providing education and employment training. 
Q & A sessions followed each presentation which fostered dialogue on the conceptualization of collaboration for their projects. 

Alongside the building of partnerships, a short training was provided by a member organization on legal issues surrounding outreach and work with vulnerable populations. Such knowledge is essential for protection of outreach workers as well as for educating clients on their own rights in Cambodian law. 

Apart from the presentations, participants engaged in a “Service Mapping” exercise by marking out the geographical areas of their outreach on maps of Phnom Penh and Cambodia. They also used colour coded papers to show data about their services:  Orange indicated "Who For?" (client group), Pink - "Where?" (The establishment), Green answered the "What?" (services and programs), and Yellow indicated "When?" (Night or day). On its completion, the final product had a clear visual of the existing services and mapped out areas of possible collaboration.

It is truly inspiring to see the manifold impact a simple connection can have.  After all, as a line from one song goes, “it’s better when we’re together.” The Outreach Forum organized by Chab Dai was one such space where, even as the forum was progressing, new partnerships formed and the lessons shared were turned into action strategies. I call that a time well spent. Together.

"… Flight attendants, prepare for take-off."

By Joan Jarman

As the summer season approaches, so does the season for short-term mission trips.  Planning and fundraising efforts are dwindling and it’s almost time to hit the long lines for luggage check-in and airport security.  For those new to mission trips…don’t let the initial airport chaos hinder your excitement for it will be quickly forgotten once the aircraft doors close and seatbelts are fastened for take-off.

David A. Livermore, author of Serving with Eyes Wide Open estimates there are over 4 million Americans going on mission trips each year.   The number itself is telling but so is the fact that such large numbers of Americans are choosing cross-cultural trips.  How does that happen in a country like ours where, unlike other parts of the world where students graduate with proficiency in multiple languages, foreign languages are not even taught until high school (and even then produce relatively few who are truly functional in the second language.

One would assume that in a country where mission trips are so popular there would be a high degree of commitment to cross cultural awareness and sensitivity, especially amongst church leaders.   Not so, at least not according to Livermore’s personal journeys and experiences.  He contends that still today there exists a sense amongst Americans  that they have the “right” culture and must therefore “convert” others to their ways.  He goes on to point out that for this very reason short term missions fail…they lack cultural intelligence due to, among other things, neocolonialism and failure to incorporate the voices of non-western church leaders on the receiving side of the short-term mission projects.

As Livermore says, its about ‘changing the way we see and therefore do short term missions.’ Serving with Eyes Wide Open is a good book with good insight. 

For additional resources on the topic, please visit Freedom Collaborative website library http://freedomcollaborative.org/organizations.

The Tragedy of Our Personal Gains

Humans are interesting species. We live in a world where we praise individuality. We rally for the underdog, cheer when they win. In many cultures, we sacrifice for the “greater good.” As a society we are enamored by these two ideas, almost every film or news story proves this. However, in the process of securing stability, we often lose empathy because we see the world as our own playground and only our own personal gain matters. Our own gains are how we monitor success and many consider this progress.

While attending a recent local human trafficking conference, speaker Melissa Farley mentioned the correlation between environmental degradation and woman exploitation. She spoke on how disposability of the environment and women parallel each other. As I sat there and listened, I started to reflect on what I had learned through my studies in environmental policy. The more I thought it over, the more I understood.

Through my numerous environmental classes, the common story is that the slightest disturbance, whether it is to the air, water, soil, etc... causes a chain reaction which can lead to long lasting negative effects. This can be analyzed by the theory, tragedy of the commons. It is the concept where a group of individuals will act rationally with only their own self interest in mind. But each person acting rationally for their own gains causes the depletion of the common good, therefore, it's the "tragedy of the common”. The often quoted example of this was presented by Garrett Hardin in 1968, he explains the scenario of a group of herdsmen all grazing their animals on a common open pasture. Initially, they all see the benefits of this pasture. But each person wants to maximize their own gain so they slowly add one additional animal. Slowly but surely, the collective group has each added more to their herd which in turn lead to the exhaustion of the pasture.

This same phenomenon can be translated into the human trafficking world. Traffickers believe that in order to survive in life, they have to make certain choices. They bypass their initial subconscious thought of the horrors of what they are doing and proceed. They do not deter from their actions because of their selfish own interests. In the process, the tragedy becomes those victims and survivors. Bill Gates once brought concern to this issue when he stated " if you're not fully utilizing half the talent in the country, you're not going to get too close to the top." By traffickers acting with only themselves in mind, they enable the depletion of women's potential. These very women that they are exploiting can be the answer to many world problems, such as poverty, the economy, and unemployment.

This self interest can actually also be seen ( in somewhat of the same light) in the case study of the Gray Wolves in the Yellowstone National Park. Western settlers would kill wolves to protect their cattle (again, with only their own interest in mind). Unknowingly, by killing the wolves, they were causing a downward spiral effect of the ecosystem. The elimination of the wolves caused an increase of the local elk, which caused overgrazing of local plants, which in turn affected the surrounding stream beds, soil, birds, and bugs. The Gray Wolves were a keystone species, a species that plays a significant role in keeping stability in that environment.

What if unknowingly to traffickers, those that they are exploiting are the keystone to society? We do not know that those being trafficked might be that integral part of the future.

Through the competitiveness of our society, we have become addicted to our own personal gains. Sometimes that means that this gain is accomplished through the violation of others. I am, however, not saying that we should not cherish ourselves and our own self worth. But we should be self conscious when our individuality becomes our only infatuation. Though all this sounds like a bleak future, we can do something. After the federal government realized what was occurring in Yellowstone, a plan was composed to protect the wolves. The results were miraculous. The restoration caused a return to a stable environment. We too can achieve a form of restoration in trafficking. We can do this through collaboration. Projects like Freedom Collaborative can be a step in the right direction. Will it solve the issue? No. But it sure is a good start.

Graciously Authentic

The idea of authenticity is something I have been contemplating a lot this year. I often wonder how I can achieve being consistently faithful to the internal instead of the external. How I can undo any counterfeiting of my character and become more bona fide, genuine and trustworthy.

Last week in Amanda's blog, she talked about how every person is unique and not only do we have our own skill set, but we also have our own perspective on things. By acknowledging this, we can grow and collaborate together. But it must start with being authentic.

Struggling to find what you align and identify with and how to act with your innermost being can be difficult. Being authentic can also be painful at times, especially when others do not see the same perspective as you and consequently doors become shut. Authenticity encourages you to be brave and in the long run, it brings the greatest relief to the heart. 

Stephen Covey once said, “The more authentic you become, the more genuine in your expression, particularly regarding personal experiences and even self-doubts, the more people can relate to your expression and the safer it makes them feel to express themselves. That expression in turn feeds back on the other person’s spirit and genuine creative empathy takes place, producing new insights and learning and a sense of excitement and adventure that keeps the process going.”

In this sense, to be authentic is also to trust yourself, and when we can trust each other, we are open.  It forces you to face your fears, not run from them, and allows you to put fear into perspective. In remaining authentic, remind yourself that you can either judge yourself by your weakest moments or by your strongest, but ultimately it is your choice. Authenticity is also a choice. Have the courage to acknowledge your limitations and embrace your vulnerability. What it is that you want, admire, believe, dream and aspire to be? What is it that you cherish most? How do you want to connect with others? When we are loyal to our intentions we become bona fide. And when we align with our self image, stature and public image we are being authentic. So be graciously authentic and thrive in being you.

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Play to Your Strengths

If there's one truth I've consistently encountered in all my jobs, it's that every person has a unique skill set they bring to the table. And while some people prefer to work alone, the great thing about being part of a team is that you have access to all these different skills rather than being confined to rely only on your individual strengths. You also have a place to lend your talents where they're needed.

For example, I'll openly admit that I'm not the best at being a visionary. I'm not the “ideas” person. But if you pair me up with the ideas person, I'm pretty good at figuring out the logical, feasible way of implementing the vision. You tell me the outcome you're hoping for and I'll work really hard to make that happen for you.


This concept also implies that no single person should try to do everything. That's the perfect way to get burned out but accomplish nothing. I'd be foolish to say that I'm going to establish a marketing company, and that I'm going to do it alone. Even if I'm the best marketing professional in the business, if I can't come up with the pitch to pursue I'll never get anything done. Not to mention nobody would actually hire me.

At Chab Dai, I'm fortunate to have people around me with a variety of strengths available to tap into. Our team has some great visionaries with really wonderful ideas on how to aid in counter-trafficking and encourage collaboration within the movement as a whole. We have people who are good at seeing the big picture, and others who are more detail-oriented. Each of us have different interests, educations and experiences that we contribute to the team. We all are very good at our individual jobs, and we're most efficient when we let others do what they do best instead of trying to take on everything at once.

So embrace the team. Offer up the best of your unique skill set and accept that there are some things others can do better than you. Let them, so you can focus on your own contribution, and then the whole group benefits. Working alone, we are ineffective. But together we can really get somewhere.