Why not just donate?

My budget for this three month project including travel, accommodation, food, language school, my donation to the projects and a little spending money is $4000. This amount of money in Guatemala is the annual income for two families living in poverty in aldeas like Chacaya and Panabaj. And these are families with two parents, 3 – 6 children who might also be supporting one or more grandparents.

One of the questions I have been asking myself is, would I have been better to donate the $4000 to an organization already on the ground? (Sharing the Dream or Mayan Families come to mind). Of course on a purely selfish level the answer is easy. The opportunity to live and volunteer in Guatemala is an amazing gift. As well, the many opportunities I have had to meet and build relationships with people from the aldeas as well as people volunteering and working here from other countries has been enriching for me.

But what about the bigger picture – when it is not about me but about helping build a more just society; a society where all have an opportunity to live a life which offers them safety, food and potable water, shelter and time to learn and have some fun?

Early in this blog I referred to Jean Vanier’s Massey lecture entitled Becoming Human. As I was pondering this question I read a couple of passages in the second chapter that speak to the issue. He asks “Where does the broader sense of belonging come from?” And then answers, “I believe it begins with human contact, with friendship, and as we listen to each other’s stories. We are all particularly touched when someone from another culture treats us kindly, even though we are not a member of their group, or when they reveal an inner pain, weakness, and difficulties. Friendships grow between people of different backgrounds and cultures because they meet as persons, not because they share a common heritage. Such friendships grow because we all belong to the larger group of all, the human race.”

And so there is an answer to my question. I think about the kids whose tummies I tickled as they waited to see the dentist, the woman shopping at the market who showed me through sign language and a big smile how to choose the best avocadoes, or the two brothers whose stories of how they survived through the war in the 80’s. These contacts have changed me; and perhaps them. I have the opportunity to come home, to talk to family, colleagues, friends and students about what I have seen and learned. And in the context of Vanier’s message, perhaps it is there that I can add value, understanding, perspective for others. People who will consider international development work, who will donate money to organizations doing international development work or perhaps who will live, volunteer or work with people from other cultures.

As I try to understand more how I can participate in making our world a more just place, I am coming to understand, as in international education work, relationship is critical to international development work. And it is through practice I am learning to build relationships across cultures, across languages and across values.

As I approach the last five weeks of this adventure I look forward to creating and grabbing opportunities to touch and be touched by others.

Adios
Colina