Soap box sidebar

So besides helping these villagers build new houses, the group also really wanted to give them presents. They lined up all of the kids and passed out cookies, balls, kites, frisbees. The kids loved it.

But Heifer isn't about giving. It's about teaching. Groups come and work side by side with members of the community, teaching them how to build houses instead of just doing if for them. I think watching those kids stand in line to receive their gifts was one of the most uncomfortable moments I've experienced. Ever. It was this horrible manifestation of the North American Santa Claus. I wanted to tell these kids that their happiness was costing them their independence, their cultural sovereignty. This giving of the gifts was

 really just another form of cultural subjugation, hiding behind the guise of charity. By giving instead of teaching, this group was keeping the villagers dependent on charity instead of helping to empower them through learning. 

I'm sure the group meant well with all of those gifts. But they were focused on how it made them feel to give, rather than on how it made the villagers feel to receive. Some of the parents who watched their children receiving gifts were visibly uncomfortable. I think they understood that those strings tied to their children's new kites were also tied to American wallets and charitable organizations. They don't want to remain tethered to other. They want to move towards self-sufficiency. For me, this particular village visit was a lesson in giving and how to go about helping in a meaningful and sustainable way.