One of the great challenges that any charitable organization faces is that institutions tend to give rise to brick and mortar. Lots of brick and mortar. Once this gets to a certain level, the tail often wags the dog.
All ministries begin with high ideas which center around people. You know what I mean –
things like bringing people to Christ, helping people who need it, creating community, or training leaders for ministry.
At the core of Blackbox International is the desire to help some very vulnerable people – trafficked boys. Part of this equation is making sure that facilities don’t start to wag the dog. Instead, we are committed to utilizing facilities that will be culturally appropriate. They will be ones which are typical for the area. They will look local. They will feel local. This is important for several reasons:
- Blackbox seeks to maintain a low profile abroad for a number of reasons, especially related to issues of safety and dignity.
- It will not only help the boys in their healing, but it will facilitate a healthier reentry into their own cultures. This is crucial.
- It will be cost-effective, which makes the ministry more reproducible.
Thank you for partnering with us.
Chris DeWelt
Trustee, Blackbox International