The situation that Mr. Banda is in is something that could really bring a person and their
family down. However, there are resources that can help someone who is need, such as Mr.
Banda. I would first respond to Mr. Banda in a hopeful way. He knows he needs help, so
there is no need to put him down or be negative. One tool I would hope would be useful for
Mr. Banda is a church in his area. I will assume that Mr. Banda has told me that he and his
family belong to a local church and attend services regularly. I would take this information
and suggest that Mr. Banda speak with the leader of his church to see if they would be able
to help him. Perhaps they can begin to help him by gathering harvest or crops from other
members of the church to help with his debt. “Indigenous churches using their own gifts-
spiritual, human, financial, and technical- to pursue holistic economic development,
proclaiming and demonstrating the gospel by enabling poor people to glorify God through
sustaining work(p. 139, 2017)” is how Ireland describes a key feature of the church of Jesus
Christ to advance the Great Commission in the 21st century. Someone in the church may
also be able to offer Mr. Banda a work to help him get back on his feet.
One social inequality that Mr. Banda is facing is mental illness. He has become depressed
because of his health and lack of work and has turned to substance abuse as a way to cope.
The substance abuse has begun to affect his daily life by him drinking on credit.This most
likely has also had an effect on his ability to find work. An economic inequality that Mr.
Banda faces is that he lives in a rural area with a family to support. We know he has a farm
that his family uses to sustain themselves, which means they probably do not live beyond
their means and are scraping by. One more economic inequality Mr. Banda faces is lack of
access to healthcare. He has been diagnosed with HIV and does not have the means to get
the medication he needs that could save his life. Because of the lack of access to healthcare,
he may have to travel to get to a place where he can be seen, treated, and receive
medications. This could be a problem for Mr. Banda because his family does not seem to
have money to spare.
Response
I concur with Evelyn’s point of view that compassion and empathy are two fundamental elements
to helping Mr. Banda, mainly because he admitted he needs assistance. Moreover, even though it
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is not apparent whether Mr. Banda and his family have any religious affiliations in the
community, the first step towards helping in his situation would involve referral and
collaboration with the local Church. Faith-based organizations (FBOs) have been associated with
the alleviation of the social welfare of the community members they operate and serve (Irving,
2019). In Mr. Banda’s case, the referral to the local Church in his community would play a
pivotal role in helping him to address and overcome social and economic inequality issues that
include depression based on his health status, substance abuse, and poverty level. These issues
have adversely impacted his welfare and his family as he squanders the little proceeds from the
farm on alcohol consumption, to the extent that his debt has led to the tavern owner demanding
half of the family’s harvest. Nonetheless, the involvement of the Church would suffice the help
needed as it would allow Mr. Banda to prioritize on the essential aspects of his life, and further
allow him to acquire and access the necessary care services (Irving, 2019).
References
Irving, D. (2019, January 4). Faith-based organizations promote well-being in underserved
communities. RAND Corporation Provides Objective Research Services and Public
RESPONSE TO EVELYNE WELCH 3
Policy Analysis