Cultural Humility // Wise Short-term Missions
PRINCIPLES OF GOOD PRACTICE FOR CULTURAL HUMILITY • Acknowledge that our own expectations and behaviors are different from others.
• Accept your role as learner and the hosts as expert on their culture.
Remember: they have had a lifetime to learn it.
• Even if a host is not necessarily an expert on
children, attachment, or trauma, that does not discredit their immense value. Gaining buy-in and partnership from local leaders is a critical and mandatory part of any short-term trip.
• Listen to those from the culture about their way of
life to develop an even richer and more fruitful a) relationship and b) impact to help vulnerable children and families. With this approach, it is the children who will benefit the most.