She started with a 2001 trip to help Habitat for Humanity. Eight years later, Lynn Twitchell runs a nonprofit organization that helps people in Zambia, from installing village wells to building schools. The mother of an Elon alum visited campus this week and shared with students advice for serving others.
A Periclean Scholar in Residence for the Class of 2009, Twitchell met Elon English professor Stephen Braye last May when he and other students visited Zambia on a service program. The Maine native recognized the Elon name from the time her son, Elton Jason Twitchell ‘99, spent at the university, where he also worked with Habitat.
Why spend energy on behalf of people living a world away?
“There’s oftentimes a sense of entitlement: ‘You’re supposed to give that to me,’” Twitchell said of some Americans. Zambians offer a different response. “People think, ‘We’re worthless. Why would anybody spend time and money to come here and help us?’”
That makes a huge difference, she said, describing her visits to the southern African nation as “going home.” She also points to the advantages Americans have when stricken with misfortune or bad health. “In America we have so many programs to offer assistance that if you’re in need, you can often get help,” she said.
Twitchell spoke with students on Feb. 17 in two of Braye’s spring semester courses. She also planned to visit with students in Resa Walch’s health and human performance course on Feb. 18, and she spoke about her experiences with Habitat earlier in the week, showing slides and videos from her seven trips over the past five years.
In 2004, Twitchell formed Women’s Initiatives that Strengthen and Empower (WISE), a nonprofit to assist families in developing countries that “encourage and support self reliance through education, communication and access to financial resources.”
“It’s pretty scary to have people tell you what they need,” she said. “I’m a conduit. I think my goal here in the United States is to help people be generous. My gift is to help others give.”