Note From the Board – Shyla Samson – June 2026

Transparency

By Shyla Samson

Imagine ordering a new pair of eyeglasses only to discover when you pick them up and put them on that the lenses are frosted rather than transparent.  You wouldn’t be able to drive safely, and, in fact, you wouldn’t even trust them to get you outside the optometry store, across the parking lot, and to your car.  You would, of course, insist that the store reorder your lenses.  

For those who wear eyeglasses, transparent lenses are a given. A non-negotiable.  How much more important is it, then, that our lives be transparent?

Transparency in life is the practice of being open, honest, and clear in your actions, decisions, and communications. It means operating without hidden agendas. It means sharing information in a way that is easily understood by others, allowing them to clearly see exactly how and why things are done.

In optics, transparency is the physical property of allowing visible light to pass through a material without significant scattering or absorption. When light encounters a transparent object, it passes completely through unchanged, meaning objects on the other side can be clearly seen as they are.  And that you can trust what you’re seeing. 

There’s a big difference between transparency and translucency.   Transparent objects allow light to pass through unchanged or unobstructed.

Translucent materials (like my frosted lenses example) scatter or absorb the light rays, preventing you from seeing clearly what is on the other side.

Unite 4 Africa, founded by my husband Dr. Okongo Samson, was built upon the pillars of transparency, integrity and accountability. Anyone who knows Okongo, knows that this is the foundation of the life he lives on a daily, personal basis. Because this is the foundation of who he is, it is only natural that Unite 4 Africa was founded on and has always operated on those same pillar principles. Transparency in ministry looks like the practice of maintaining clear, accessible, and truthful communication, free from hidden agendas or deception, so others can make fully aware and informed assessments regarding the ministry and practices. By operating with scrupulous openness regarding operations, financials, and ethical practices we build trust with others.

Time and again I have the privilege of watching how transparency not only brings unobstructed clarity amidst the operations of the ministry but also how ‘the power of transparency’ brings hope and healing to the lives of others. I’ll give you a recent example.  

This past April Okongo and I were ministering to a group of young ladies in Kenya – many of whom had experienced traumas ranging from early, forced marriages, to sexual abuse, to being orphaned at a young age. We spoke very openly – transparently – about sex, how to deal with young men with ill intentions, feminine hygiene, and reassuring them of their God-given dignity and how much God loves them.  We didn’t hold anything back.  

The girls hung on every word with riveted attention.  Why? Because they knew they could trust us in large part because of the Christ-centered love and transparency we showed them.  In fact, several of them asked for counseling after the group meeting. God used transparency to open the door to their hearts. 

Biblical or spiritual transparency involves living openly and authentically before God and others; free from deceit, hidden motives, or hypocrisy. When we live lives of humble transparency, oftentimes others are invited to do the same. On many occasions, through the ministry of Unite 4 Africa, I witness how ‘transparent’ storytelling — telling our own stories — allows for others to become free to be transparent in their struggles and stories as well. As we each become free to be transparent in our hidden places, that is where God can begin to do a life-changing work in us and in the lives of others. When unobstructed Light hits darkness, God Himself begins to heal and bring hope!

^{1 John 1:5} This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all. ⁶ If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. ⁷ But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.

To be a part of the life-transforming work God is doing through Unite 4 Africa visit us at www.unite4africa.org/donate.