bimbo saves the world

I imagine that living and working in Lilongwe is very similar to living and working in London. I earn my salary, I go out on Friday nights, watch DVDs, and spend too much time on facebook.

Busy with my routine, I’ve grown blinkers to the fact that next door, down the road, over the hill, in Malawi, England and all over; other people, other humans, spend their days scraping together enough cash for dinner…

These are varied, unique individuals with names and stories; they are not necessarily starving or dying, they’re not necessarily unhappy or living a life of less quality than myself, they’re not necessarily less intelligent or less capable or less anything. Nevertheless, their current circumstances do limit their access to the opportunities and services that I enjoy.

Fortunately every now and again something rocks my comfortable world, dazzles the blind spots, cuts through callouses. I’ve already told some of you... I met Theophilus when he was six weeks old, a big beautiful healthy boy. Five days later he had symptoms of malaria and died.

Such reality checks scream for a response. This kid’s death was wrong, not ok, unacceptable. I’m educated enough to know how preventable it was. I reviewed my options...

What could little jess possibly have to offer? The disposable part of my income (minute), and my professional skills (meagre). No worries, I happen to believe in a drop in the ocean, five loaves and two fishes. With a bit of money and a few management tricks, I'm going to change the status quo.

Option 1: Throw money around.

At the very least I should do this, right. A donation here or there to help a good cause. Every little counts. Agreed.

Whether it’s a relative or a friend, a beggar or a massive organisation – these people could do with transport, medicine, school fees, food etc. You hope they are who they say they are. You hope they really do need what they say they do. You hand over the cash.

Its amazing and very admirable, community spirit at its best. You’ve successfully provided options they didn’t have before, you’ve created the potential to improve lives (their own or other’s). Now they may use your money to go to the hospital like they said they would, or they may buy airtime. They may feed orphans, or they may pay their car insurance. At least you gave them the chance.

This isn’t enough for me. I happen to believe in Gandhi's idea of ‘be the change you seek’. My handout, my cash donation, would represent no significant sacrifice on my part and no engagement with the issues at hand. I want to do more than lazily placate my guilty conscience...

Option 2: Sell soul to a good organisation.

So if giving money’s complicated how about offering my skills? I’ve got contacts in church and NGOs, I’m sure they have a few activities I could volunteer to help with. Maybe I could do some organisation development for them – design a few systems. Or maybe I should join one of these social clubs, no doubt Lilongwe Lions group could use my budgeting know-how.

The people who do this are admirable and amazing. I’ll never be one of them. The prospect just doesn’t get me excited. After a long day in the office the last thing I want to do is exactly the same sort of stuff. Realistically I won’t be offering my professional skills to Lions or any one else.

It might be exciting if it was something exotic that I didn’t do every day, let’s all go to Africa, and build a school. Let’s live in a village and teach English. Let’s paint a children’s hospital ward. Let’s visit an orphanage and hold babies. People want to be part of the process of making a difference; it makes them feel significant, warm and fuzzy. I’m more interested in results.

I happen to believe (like VSO, unlike Peacecorps) that if you’re not proffering hard-learned professional skills, you’re only as helpful as the next local labourer. I'm no builder! Manpower isn’t something developing countries lack. I’ll leave the fun fun fun projects to those more qualified.

Option 3: ??

And so, dear reader, you can see my (our?) quandary; I don’t want to offer my professional skills (dull) and I don’t want to offer my un-skilled manpower (no need). Do I care enough to engage over and above a knee-jerk cheque?

Hmmm will jess actually sit down and think critically about possible responses? Will I take the time to work out how I could meaningfully contribute to a solution? Theophilus’ death was a true tragedy, but am I that bothered?

Watch this space.