Plea From a Toubab

When you take those exciting trips to third world countries (as you should), do us all a favor. Don't givethe cute kids candy. Don't give the skinny beggers money. You've got extra coins and granola bars, sure, I get it. You're onlythere for a few days. You think- why not? They want/ need it, you don't. They'll smile and you'll feel fuzzy inside. What's wrong with that?

Too much. There's the incessant expectant ringing of, "Donnez-moi un cadeau!" (give me a present) that will assault the ears of any and all westerners that come after you. NOT TO MENTION the poor innocent volunteers who are JUST TRYING TO LIVE IN FREAKING PEACE WITHOUT KILLING ANY OF THESE ANNOYING KIDS. But beyond that, there are larger issues of not-so-developing nations. There is so much work to do, living is HARD and tiring and uninspiring. And America represents a kind of fairy land of money piles, swimming pools, ice cream, and amazing doctors. The differences of our worlds are astounding and we all know it.

It's easy for the 3rd world people to believethat the reasons for their poverty and America's wealth are inert-- Americans are smarter, god favors white people... It's easy to lose hope, decide things will never change and stop trying.
And the problem with well-intentioned foreign aid or cadeau-givers is that they reinforce these feelings of dependency. Throwing lollipops out your car window or throwing up a water tower that will break in a month (sound familiar?) may seem to do more good than harm. But it makes the floating-through foreigners the capable heroes, and the third world residents the damsels in distress.

You may be thinking candy has nothing to do with empowerment, but that's where it starts. Kids see the white skin and stick out their hands. How nice that they seem to like you and think you're generous, right? Wrong. It may sound cold, but this starts kids on the path of thinking that things can be handed to them. Then to water towers, adults see that foreigners gave it, so they start to think that's how it works. That they can't do it themselves. (And once it breaks, maybe if they just wait, the people who know how to fix it will come... But they don't. True story.)

I'm not saying that people shouldn't help people everywhere. I'm saying that just dropping off gifts doesn't help. Talking to people, working with them, listening... ok well I guess that sounds like the Peace Corps... but back to you tourists:

You've got extra money and candy. Don't teach kids to be obnoxious, stick their hands in your face, and be forever expectant of other people helping them. Shake their hands and be on your way. Put the candy in school houses and check out. Leave the money anonymously. Don't pretend to be a hero. You're not.
(I'm not either. I've given out plenty of granola bars before leaving a place forever. But now that I'm staying, I'm starting to see what this really does. Furthermore, it would be AMAZING not to be harrassed everywhere...)

As I write this from the Dakar regional house, I hear right on cue, "Toubab, donnez-moi un cadeau!" (always this exact phrase! remarkable!) I can tell whenever another volunteer is coming because this shout rings as dependably as a doorbell.

MAKE IT STOP