"If you have come here to help me, you are wasting your time. But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together.”

– Lilla Watson, Aboriginal Activist.

This quote exemplifies our commitment to “partnering” with and not “helping” another culture.  We have much to learn from our partners in other countries. 

Our goal on trips to Costa Rica or Peru is to avoid Ethnocentrism which is the conscious or subconscious belief that the way something is done in your own culture is the way it is, or should be, done everywhere. Volunteers can be ethnocentric when they assume that they understand a problem in another country without learning from the local people first.  We prepare for our trips by asking the local leaders what would benefit them and how we can serve.  We travel to other countries to learn and grow together and it can help foster a culture of deep friendship and respect for the cultures we are serving.