Will you be a voice for our children?

Have you ever heard a quote that just really made you think?  This past week I attended the NC Center for Non-profit Conference.  The keynote speaker shared a wonderful quote that has had me thinking all week.  The quote was "Until the lion tells his side of the story, the tale of the hunt will always glorify the hunter."  Zimbabwean Proverbs

I couldn't get the quote off of my mind and decided to research it a little more.  The articles talked

about how hunters are powerful and respected personalities in their communities. They are believed to have some supernatural powers. They often have great stories to tell that emphasize their achievements and their hunting skills. People often praise them and celebrate their exploits. This is especially true when they come home with big animals like an elephant or a lion. 

Even though people celebrate their stories, they are also aware that they will never know all that goes on in the forest. When a hunter brings home a lion (or any animal) it may very well be due to the hunter's skills, but it may as well be due to pure luck. The lion might have been sleeping or injured. No matter in what circumstances the lion is killed, a hunter will always tell a story that makes the hunter shine. Is the hunter telling the true story or just bragging? No one will ever know. 

This Ewe-mina Proverb refers to this unknown part of the struggle between the lion and the hunter because we Africans know well that a story is never complete until one hears from both sides. The one who does not have the voice is often the loser.

Many of the children that we serve have no voice.  Children who go hungry, homeless, abused, fatherless, sexually abused, abandoned, and it goes on and on......  



Erica Parson's case is evidence of the voiceless.  We may never hear her voice.  Who will be the voice for these children?  Who will hear their side?  I will!  Will you?

 Norma W. Honeycutt, Executive Director


http://www.afriprov.org/index.php/african-proverb-of-the-month/32-2006proverbs/224-april-2006-proverb-quntil-the-lion-has-his-or-her-own-storyteller-the-hunter-will-always-have-the-best-part-of-the-storyq-ewe-mina-benin-ghana-and-togo-.html