[16-8-2010]
Being here at my CBO for about 4 weeks I've begun to see the inter workings of the organization and it's relationship with the community it supports. Before I left for Kenya I had a general understanding of how Americans fund programs. With this concept, everybody needs a little seed money to get things running in the hopes that they will build a system that is self-sustainable. With that said, I must keep in mind that I am dealing with what seems like a totally different system. I am living on a continent compiled of countries so used to accepting donations that it seems almost rude, from an American perspective, not to donate to the orphan you see on tv. Since arriving I have been overwhelmed by the amount of aid pouring into the country. For instance, my house is plastered with USAID posters declaring the President's Malaria Initiative. I'm good buddies with the USAID coordinator in this region, and I can't help but to notice the songs people have been singing praising God for bringing the mzungu with her money. Did the miss the point when countries are supposed to stand on their own feet and start giving back to society, or have we been too busy writing checks to notice? There is absolutely nothing wrong with the notion of donating goods and materials, but at some point it's gotten twisted, became counter-intuitive, and absolutely ridiculous. It starts at the grassroots with small CBOs trying to make a difference. I get the feeling that the founders are surrounded by death, disease, and futility, and they are grabbing at anything to alleviate the situation, if only temporarily.
Yesterday I attended the meeting of a powerful group of women. Together there were compiled of PLWHA (people living with HIV/AIDS), widows, caregivers of OVCs (orphans and vulnerable children), and overall concerned community members who are everyday struggling against the downfall of their society. They listed their strengths, and I was empowered just being in the same room as them. They have skills in chicken rearing, farming, basket weaving, pot making.... But they needed help raising more money, starting a business, and investing. "How can we only help her orphan child pay for school fees when this lady here has five orphans at home who also have school fees. We need more money." I've been in Kenya long enough to know when to read between the lines, but I couldn't in good conscience promise them anything that they weren't willing to work for, and I knew they'd work for it. "I don't think writing a proposal is advisable. Even if you do get funding, how will you get money for school fees for the next term? I am moved by your willingness to help each and every orphan. Would you believe me if I said you have the resources here to do it?"
Today someone from the German Development service came by to discuss a proposal of ours they want to fund. She tore it apart, and rightly so. The ideas were scrambled, the sustainability questionable, and the spending scheme wasteful. Idea were discussed, and in the end she took a tour of our quaint little office, left the check on the chairpersons desk, and jumped into her SUV, feeling like she'd done a good deed. If only she understood how many generations she was hurting in the long-run.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
5 comments:
I completely agree that giving charity to countries who don't know how to support themselves can be counter productive. Allowing people to invest in themselves and their own communities will ultimately help solve many social issues. I know it can be frustrating but keep you head up and be consistent with them. Keep you eyes open for opportunities to bring short term loans to your region so people, especially women, can start investing in themselves.
Thanks boowardson!
Hey Helen!
I've been reading your blog with great interest! Concerning the cultural practices like wife inheritence that contribute to the spread of HIV: What do you propose (if anything) to do? Greg Mortenssen said you liberate women by educating them. Will this work in Africa? How do women get liberated in other countries, and will these approaches work in Africa? Remember, economics is the study of people's motives, and can be applied to anything, including sexual practices (think freakanomics). Change the motive, change the practice (easier said than done I know). I'm glad to hear you're eating well though!
It seems to me that one of the only ways to create a truly sustainable support system is to build factories or farms that create the revenue needed to continue. Are there are examples of something like this in Kenya? Or any examples of something that has been successful and sustainable?
@chris: you've got me thinking. When I ask people what their number one issue is with their home/group/CBO they always say they never have enough money. Money is invariably the driving force between what makes a group feel successful, even if they've converged to help the orphans/widows. Keeping the young girls in school is my main focus here, so I'll let you know in two years.
@lisa: Farming is a way of life here, I've had several farmers ask me how it's done in American. I tell htem we stopped using the bull-system decades ago and now grow food to feed thousands instead of just our families. Any examples of successful factories can be found in the large cities and are one of the many reasons there is a huge divide among the rural and city life here. It's just not easily adaptable in this culture, but not impossible to comprehend.
Post a Comment