"I say this as someone who grew up without a father in my own life.  He left my family when I was two years old. I still felt the weight of that absence. It is something that leaves a hole in a child’s life that no government can fill.”- President Barack Obama

For the past three years, President Obama has strongly advocated for fatherhood and healthy families.  Last summer, The Mentoring Project President, John Sowers, participated in a White House Fathers Day event that included top politicians, celebrities, actors, and leaders of national non-profits organizations.

For the past three years, I had the privilege of mentoring a young guy named Oz. I usually picked him up after school and we would go get a burrito, or to the carwash, or to hit wiffle-balls. Sometimes went to Chuck-E-Cheese and I would dominate on the Skee Ball. Oz liked the tickets. And the cool prizes. Like laffy-taffy. 

I remember once, after I picked up Oz from school, the first thing he asked me was, “Are you an Uncle now?” His mother had told Oz about my nephew, and Oz and his mom had been praying for him and his health. I was impressed that he remembered and had been praying for us.

As made our way to the Cold Stone Creamery, I asked Oz the usual questions: 

"How is math going? How are you treating your mother? How is track?" 

That week, Oz won a track race with the other first graders in his school, and he was pumped to show me his gold ribbon. I listened to it several times and told him how proud I was of him.

Oz also had a new green-and-blue football that changed colors when you held it. But I knew that Oz was struggling some in school and his mother had recently hired a tutor, so I asked him how that was going. He talked about how hard it was, but I told him that I was proud of him for trying.

Later, while Oz was downing his chocolate fudge ice-cream cone, I decided to ask him about his father, as Oz never spoke of him. I asked him if he ever saw his dad.  

Oz said: 

“I don’t have a dad. Will you be my dad?”



I sat there. Stunned. Not really knowing what to say. After a moment, I managed to get out, “I am here for you buddy and I love you,” to which he replied, “I love you too.” 

- Spanning continents and turning charity upside down -

Bob Goff, founder of Restore International, called me last week to let us know that young men from The Restore Leadership Academy (pictured above) have decided to make a donation to The Mentoring Project to provide mentors for kids in Portland, Oregon.

Apparently, with the help of Restore, a number of these young men have started growing & selling their own crops. After hearing about The Mentoring Project, they wanted to give a small portion of their profits to our work.  

When we heard this news we were shocked, and a little unnerved. What were these young men thinking? Are we seriously going to accept donations from kids in Uganda? Many of these students were former child soldiers, their lives upended by poverty, conflict, and civil unrest, and now they want to give to The Mentoring Project?

It's easy to be cynical about something like this and assume it's not in the best interest of The Mentoring Project to accept donations from young people who are, for the most part, in a much harder situation than the fatherless boys in Portland.

But in talking to Bob about it, we realized that accepting the contributions and allowing Ugandan youth the opportunity to give generously is the most empowering thing we can do.

Bob described these students as the future leaders of Uganda and how this donation is a powerful incentive for the development of their country. The gift is a boost for us, but also an act of nation-building for them. 

Due to an eclectic mix of colonialism, foreign investment, and resource allocation, the world of international aid and development is dominated by 1st world countries supporting the livelihoods of 3rd world countries. Rarely, is it the other way around.

Coincidentally, alongside my work with The Mentoring Project, I run an international education organization called These Numbers Have Faces. As both organizations solicit support through various means, it's exciting, and also inspiring, to see ordinary Americans, Canadians, and Europeans feeling empowered and overjoyed to give to our work in America and South Africa. 

We've learned that there is something meaningful and deeply enriching in the act of giving itself, regardless of the amount.

Remember the parable Jesus told about the widow who gave her last coin to the poor in Mark 12? In the same vein, let's not take away the opportunity for the boys from Uganda to be blessed by God and experience the joy of giving.

We wanted the students in Uganda to know how much we appreciate their donations, so we mailed them a few copies of this thank you page showing one of the mentees they are helping us support here in Portland.

Basically, Restore International is turning charity on its head. They are saying that the privilege of financial progress and the joy of financial generosity shouldn't be reserved exclusively for the global north. And, maybe if we gave the global south more opportunities to experience the joys of giving, they'd be more likely to pull their own countries out of poverty. 

Needless to say, we're just thrilled to be along for the ride.

- Justin Zoradi, Marketing Director, The Mentoring Project
justin@thementoringproject.org

Rewriting the Story: The TMP Mini-Documentary

Featuring Donald Miller and three mentor/mentee pairs, Rewriting the Story the new TMP mini-documentary is a great introduction to our work and the transformative power of mentoring. 

Please share this video with your friends and family. 

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