A man said to me, “I want to work, give me the opportunity!”
The Earthquake in Haiti has sparked off heated debates about the pros and cons of aid. With interest I have read the opinions from folks of all walks of life and races. Most of the arguments have not been against emergency aid but aid to people who live in a prolonged state of disadvantage. A few things struck me, the intellectualism of such debates and the lack of personal experience but most of all was the absence of the voice of people directly affected to defend their own position.
Whilst considering all the opinions, questions fleeted across my mind. My emotions were stirred as so many of the statements struck me as being callous, careless and lacking in compassion. It’s so easy to have an opinion when one is divorced from a situation and looking at it from a distance but things change rapidly when one is suddenly faced with devastation oneself... To have nothing and not know where your next meal is going to come from? Can you for one moment put yourself in the shoes of people who daily face this predicament? These situations are not always self inflicted they are often caused by outside sources too many to discuss right now. Let’s just look at need, plain raw gut wrenching unemployment and need. What does it feel like to have no way of feeding your loved ones? What must it feel like to not have a job no matter how hard you try? Day after day living in conditions that are unpleasant and you are constantly struggling to survive. For one moment try and put yourself in this situation. Imagine a constant barrage of disappointment and dread, depression, fear, dirt, starvation, and hopelessness and death. Imagine trying every day to seek work and being turned away, shaking heads, blank stares, rejection and the constant sound of the word no! Every day the same old thing and going home with empty hands having to make do all the time feeling disempowered, helpless and useless. Try and understand what this does to a person. What do you think this does to the soul of a man?
Well here is my story of how I learned to value aid and how when it is applied constructively can change lives...
My home is in what is considered the jewel of Africa, South Africa, yet every day in the town where I live at certain intersections you will see groups of men sitting waiting, hoping that today is the day they get some work. These are pick up points for employers looking for casual labour. What always amazed me was you can drive past these points at mid afternoon and men will still be hanging around till the last moment hoping to get that last opportunity, or was it they just were not looking forward to the long walk home empty handed. Often I wondered what it must feel like to do this day after day, the same old pattern with nothing ever changing and no way out. It must be so difficult to be so stuck and not know how to change the cycle.
In the nineties my contract at the local radio station was ending and it was my intention to take some time off to do some research, my partner was at a loose end and looking around for something to do. An opportunity came up to get involved in starting a training centre. It was a simple operation not heavily funded but enough to cover a living wage. We had everything we needed a warehouse, office, equipment and the know how to teach the skills and run a business. We decided that the centre was going to target training specifically to unemployed people who had no previous skills. Spreading the word was simple, we sent a few of our friends and employees to the intersections and it was not long before trainees were signing up. From here the story unfolds...
To get involved required a month’s total commitment, now that’s a big step because it meant giving up any chance of income in that time. We provided a meal at midday and started with a basic welding course. The first year was an interesting learning curve more for us than the students. People came and went with ideas, programmes but hidden agendas soon revealed themselves, no one lasted very long. During all of this nonsense, trainees pitched daily and just got on with the business of learning a new skill. A saying would often go through my mind as I watched so many different types of people come to the centre and bring along their ideas. They all came, everything from religion to philanthropists and an entire collection of types in between including opportunists. Observing all the goings on along with the how the trainees weathered it all I kept thinking this to myself, ‘the rich think they know everything but the poor can see right through them.’ We often used to laugh and wonder what stories they told about us when we were not around. Anyway without going into too much detail eventually the centre settled into a working routine. All the surplus egos and agendas fell away and those who were meant to be there got on with business at hand.
What we learned in the first year was invaluable to teaching us how to let the centre work.
We adopted a principle based on mutual respect for persons, beliefs and culture. The only programme was the training programme and a few security rules. All we did was teach a skill and form good working relationships with the trainees, who were mainly men .We left it to the men to sort out their meals and how they were going to fit their lifestyles in at the centre. Within centre life the trainees created their own vibe, they chose the radio stations and within their midst natural leaders rose so did spiritual input and anything else part of daily culture. We made a point of only getting involved when necessary with very little interference. If donations came in we handed them to the guys and they would decide how to dispense them amongst the community. The atmosphere at the workshop was really pleasant, friendly and busy it had a sort of a bounce, a vibe. My two younger girls grew up in and around the centre, they knew most of the trainees who had been with us for more than a month, it was good. The guys even helped them with a few projects for school. It was a great atmosphere.
As we became established teams took on outside contracts thus enabling us to offer many of the men a chance to prolong their training and earn a small income. Building and woodwork were introduced on a small scale. Many prolonged their stay worked for a few months and on the production side earning incomes and gaining experience. A few stayed for years and some assisted with training. We did not have any of the fancy programmes or paraphernalia of higher learning, nevertheless something happened. Men who had been without jobs, had no skills and were struggling took the one little opportunity offered to them. They came everyday and trained. And it was what we saw occur again and again that kept us going through some tough years. As they gained confidence in a skill they changed, it was organic they did it by themselves. The weariness worn like a cape would slide off and be replaced with something positive it was tangible, like going from a noun to a verb.
The centre became well known in the area and eventually we were getting calls and able to find placements for many of the trainees. Some went on to do other things but as far as I know none of those men ever went back to sitting at intersections. In the time we were open approximately 1000 trainees went through the centre and either found employment or started their own business. Many have kept in touch so we have been able to track their progress, they have homes, and their own vehicles, are elders in their churches and established members of communities... It was the most rewarding thing to be a part of seeing men standing up and being counted going out and changing their lives. We saw it all the time.
It is with really strong feelings I write this blog, if we are going to offer aid it must be done with understanding of ‘how to help but do no harm’. Cultures must be allowed to take skills and apply them within their communities, then it is constructive.
One other thing, over the years because we had the facilities we were often the base for emergency aid projects. In our area as in all places, we annually have fires in the squatter camps and some years flooding. Disasters are a part of life they will always be with us. There can be no question of should we or shouldn’t we, when homes are destroyed and people are suddenly left destitute or displaced. I cannot tell you the number of times I witnessed whole families having to start from scratch. It is heartbreaking. No amount of giving is worth the measure of an argument. It is devastating to lose everything you have in a day. There is no way you can solve that problem on your own. Often people just cannot move from a spot without a helping hand. It happens so fast. One day you may be in need of aid, disaster is no respecter of persons it strikes at random. The day we as humans stop helping each other is the day the world is really in trouble...
THIS AFRICAN CAN supports ‘African solutions for Africa’.
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