Worthy Causes Or Misdirected Endeavours?

Some months back I talked about a time where I tried to help a girl called “April”, but was instead deceived. To make weeks of stories short, she said she just started working as a “girl bar dancer only, not the streets”(she was actually a street veteran); 16 years old (maybe, now I think older, but still young); and was trying to earn some money during the holidays to continue study nursing (Ahh… no! She sat next to the guys before I arrived, to see if she could peddle herself).

I couldn’t let April go without offering assistance – to pay for her studies. It was going to put my Sugar and I in a higher financial commitment and more emotional responsibility for several years, but I wanted to follow it through. Plus I needed to act on my need to give to someone in need.

Being very aware of scams, I offered very basic help to start with, stayed business-like, and asked for a lot of proof. We discussed a great future for April, if she were legit. I took a leap of faith… invested time and approximately AUD$60 on her… found out the truth… and was disappointed.

… I tell this story as a lead-up to the topic of financial aid and/or volunteer work.

I may sound idealistic, but I still can see issues realistically... it's a gift (heheheh). Due to my experiences; my knowledge in governance and its systems; basic common sense; and personal interests, I became aware of the following (but please note I write it here very simplistically, I suggest for you to actively find out for yourself to understand fully and make your own decisions):

• There are a lot of aid agencies or organisations that are trying to help, children especially, in poorer countries – so many that people are starting to take it for granted, and even turned it into a profitable business venture.
• Volunteer work and financial aid has become a money-making industry – hard to tell who really means to help without expecting adoration, and who is helping for the adoration, and who is keeping all the glory (money)???? Where have all those billions of dollars of financial aid gone?? Can you see any improvement after these all these years??
• There are many people like myself who wants to volunteer – some has good ideas, some don’t. Some has good things/experiences to share, others don’t.
• Many of the aid agencies only offer up to high school sponsorship - why give them a lifeline, then snatch it off just before the finish line??
• Many of these children whom are sent to school do not finish high school because they weren’t interested in school – waste of money?? Worthy cause?
• Many of the girls who became pregnant or had children were not offered to continue their education – one mistake and they are not worthy of help, even if they ask for it??
• Many university students are working very hard trying to finish their degree – where is help for them? Aren’t they the ones who could educate and change their country, not us?? Shouldn’t we help the ones who actually want to do it??
• There are too many kids in the street and other problems – are the endeavours to improve their quality of life misdirected?? Should we be focusing on birth control and making them understand responsibilities?? Are we stopping the “faucet from leaking by stuffing it with paper”??
• There are many people/volunteers/tourists who are gullible/kind/egoistic that they hand out money or help without thought, believing they are giving good welfare, which then results to the locals taking advantage (they cant help themselves, it’s so easy, its human nature) – aren’t we as a collective sending the wrong message??

...Understanding all these, and knowing many, many, many more issues (the list above is definitely not exhaustive), I know I will come across more “April” in people and in situations. But every time I trip, I check for bruising, I make sure I learn not to do it again, and then continue walking.

I still would like to go overseas. I will leave home issues to others who don't want to travel for now. There are so many volunteers here in Australia that they now have interviews and waiting lists! I do hope when I do finally carry volunteering out, it will be with a worthwhile group.

I still want to support the helpless or disadvantaged. But my compassion feel limited to those whom could not control their mistreatment and only to those whom wanted to help themselves. I believe in the proverb, “Give a man a fish, feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, feed him for a lifetime”. But experiences has thought me, you can teach someone how to fish and even give them the tools needed to do it easily, but if they don’t want to lift a finger to do it, they will never have fish.

The safest bets are animals and nature (i.e. sustainable development), but I would still consider some people (children and adults). There are plenty of volunteers and agencies out there willing to help out those not in my list, they can worry about it.

Optimistically, I can also start up a foundation. At the moment I’m trying to figure it out, working out where my current motivations are, harmonising my need to see the world (spend money on myself) and my need to give to the world and/or it’s inhabitants (spend money on them). Best case scenario, is to be able to do both fully and well.

…. We will see….