Skill Giving

Is giving soap to villagers in India a thoughtless act? But is it okay to give money to adult beggars? By handing out sweets am I actually helping create more cavities in a child’s teeth? Instead of candy, how about giving meat? I mean, eating meat is a luxury in villages and deprived communities. But villagers don’t really need anything physical from us. It is sometimes more of an insult to assume that they need things like soap which we normally see as useful and desirable. On the other hand, it seems right to leave warm wool quality-socks to your trekking guide, with whom you spent time and got to know. So what is right and what is wrong?

It is virtually always irresponsible to give gifts to the unaccompanied children of strangers – whether you’re in a remote Cambodian village or a rich American suburb. We have no way of verifying that the parents or elders of these kids approve of the gifts or of the begging, and we have no right to interfere with their discipline just to create a feel-good Sugar Daddy moment. It seems like a good compromise to give pens and pencils, but it makes more sense to donate these supplies to schools rather than street kids.

As a guest, however, giving gifts is important. It helps offset the host’s cost of putting you up. Costs are considerable, especially when thinking about food. Giving to the owner of a house you are staying in seems appropriate, even if you are paying, especially if your gift is food. Local handicrafts are also a good way to spread your largess, and invest in a sustainable cause when visiting a foreign community.
It is the arbitrary flinging coins that bothers me. They help support local artisans and perpetuate traditional crafts. But even the non-arbitrary charity methods can cause many problems. The outpouring of donations after the 2004 tsunami resulted in an immense amount of clothing donations, much in excess of what locals could ever use, in addition to other fabrics inappropriate for any local season. So what? Well, locals were concerned that heaps of clothing, especially in the rainy season, could lead to breeding of mosquitoes and the growth of mold. If this happened, malaria and other health concerns, on top of the problems already caused by the tsunami, would add to the already existing multitude of worries. Interestingly enough, a resourceful volunteer came up with the idea of tsunami dolls.

The emphasis for volunteer work in developing countries is to empower and hire local people, when possible, to address local issues, build their own capacities and provide them with employment opportunities. The priority is to fill gaps in local skills and experience and not to give the volunteer an outlet for his or her desire to help. It is much more beneficial for them to hire local people to paint walls, dig ditches and build houses, when compared to bringing a foreign volunteer.

“That said, the days of international volunteers are not numbered. There will always be a need for international volunteers, either to fill gaps in knowledge and service in a local situation, or because a more neutral observer/contributor is required. So, to volunteer overseas, you need to have skills and experience that are critically needed in a particular region, and that can be utilized by local institutions and local people quickly.”, writes Jayne Cravens, on her fantastic Coyote Communications website.