AID INDUSTRY :: THE WAITING CULTURE ::
on Alejandra Barahona (Kenya), 17/Nov/2010 12:25, 34 days ago
It has been days since I've wanted to let some more thoughts come out and after reading an article from theGuardianposted byJo, one of our fellow volunteers, I decided it was time to let it out... Four months have past already and we still haven't get used to this culture, maybe we're just refusing to accept what getting used to means, meaning working at the same pace as everybody else here in the coast, which means really slow... or letting corruption pass in front of us and look the other way... or what about just sitting around doing nothing all day!...Once you are inside the hive you are able to see what others from the outside can't... is it a good place to be? probably not if you are not part of the hive but it does help you gain some perspective and probably learn a thing or two... so what does this have to do with us? lots if you are a volunteer working and living in a strange country... Anyways, being inside and knowing what really is going on has changed our perspective. The NGO world is not at all what you would expect and it's everything you've heard at the same time... Corruption, advantage, disadvantage, using, needing, taking, rich getting richer and poor getting poorer... It's all but a game of strategy where the needy are just being used to get more funding, but where is all the money really going to? How can the managers be driving 4 wheel drive vans while the people they are supposed to be helping can't even afford to pay for dinner? And hey, we fell for it too, here we are, working for nothing for a non profit organization that is making lots of money and all because we live in a wanting culture... we just want things handed to us the easiest way possible, hey, why don't we all just sit around and wait for someone to feel sorry for us and give us things?So who are we really helping? in a way you would think that if we are helping the organization then we might be helping the disabled too right? wrong! we have seen the disparity between a 4 wheel drive and a rusty wheel chair.. we have seen how management is concerned about making more money by lowering salaries and letting people go... who's salaries? not theirs of course, they need to take care of their new car... it just doesn't make sense and after a while you just stop and start thinking if we are really doing something worthwhile for the people who needs it. Do they really need our help? do they really want to change the way they live? they may not be happy but they are not willing to change it anyway... making it better means working harder and who wants that right? not these people...One of the Organization's motto is "disability is not inability" but these people really feel disabled and it's interesting to see how they have been taught by this society that they can get away with it because they have a physical disability... Based on our research we've found out that most disabled people working here work slower that a non-disabled person and their excuse is of course "I'm disabled" which is a funny answer coming from carpenters and handcrafters whose only disability is being deaf, mute or having some sort of problem in the legs and feet...do you really need your feet to cut me that piece of wood? or do not tell me that silk screening 3 colors is to much work if you do not have work at all... It would really be nice to see empowered people working past their disability but that's not the case and it's really sad in a way... how to make them understand that even though your leg is sorter that the other you can still be an amazing carpenter or even better that the rest, how?Don't get me wrong, we like helping if we notice people really want to make a change and help themselves too but not if we have to do all the work... So far it has been working and working the whole time... lot's of things to do but we're supposed to be doing this with the help of others right? not just by ourselves... So back to the title, why aid industry? well, if you have been paying attention, (for more info go to that article in theguardianwe mentioned), the aid industry has grown because the waiting culture has seen potential in it... it's easier to find volunteers than pay someone to do it right? and even though we didn't pay anything to be here like some others do, and we are supposed to be sharing skills and improving peoples lives by making them better at what they do, it still feels like someone is taking advantage of us... So next time, think twice on giving your money to some organization in need or volunteering your services... Just think about it... and if you do decide to help then try to make it worthwhile, not just for you but by the other party as well, research first and make sure they really need your help... So we'll try and try until nothing else can be done, and even if it takes us time to find the right person to train, we have no doubt we'll find it... probably next time we'll focus more on the environment and less on the people but hey, we are here now so have to do the best we can!Enough for now... See ya next time...