Schoolkids going to work in 3rd world countries

c68zapdsm5i1ru

At Mass on Sundays, and at supermarket checkouts, we frequently have kids from local schools appealing, or bag packing, for contributions towards trips to the 3rd world to help build houses, dig wells etc. I know these trips must be hugely beneficial to the children themselves and that'a fair enough. But are they really collecting for a developmental experience for themselves or do they contribute a valuable amount to the work of developmental agencies and third world charities when they visit these villages? We had a student from Gonzaga College yesterday who spoke very impressively about a forthcoming visit they're making (I can't remember the name of the village) and he said they would be helping to build houses and I couldn't help wondering just how much experience a group of well heeled 16 year olds could bring to work like that.
I would just like to know if my contribution is genuinely being used to help people living in the 3rd world or if it's really going towards funding an educational trip for school kids.

MS.ing

Kaelyn Slimy Submarine wrote: »

At Mass on Sundays, and at supermarket checkouts, we frequently have kids from local schools appealing, or bag packing, for contributions towards trips to the 3rd world to help build houses, dig wells etc. I know these trips must be hugely beneficial to the children themselves and that'a fair enough. But are they really collecting for a developmental experience for themselves or do they contribute a valuable amount to the work of developmental agencies and third world charities when they visit these villages? We had a student from Gonzaga College yesterday who spoke very impressively about a forthcoming visit they're making (I can't remember the name of the village) and he said they would be helping to build houses and I couldn't help wondering just how much experience a group of well heeled 16 year olds could bring to work like that.
I would just like to know if my contribution is genuinely being used to help people living in the 3rd world or if it's really going towards funding an educational trip for school kids.

you cant remember the name of a random African village? what kind of an ' education' did you have :mad:

danniemcq

Kaelyn Slimy Submarine wrote: »

At Mass on Sundays, and at supermarket checkouts, we frequently have kids from local schools appealing, or bag packing, for contributions towards trips to the 3rd world to help build houses, dig wells etc. I know these trips must be hugely beneficial to the children themselves and that'a fair enough. But are they really collecting for a developmental experience for themselves or do they contribute a valuable amount to the work of developmental agencies and third world charities when they visit these villages? We had a student from Gonzaga College yesterday who spoke very impressively about a forthcoming visit they're making (I can't remember the name of the village) and he said they would be helping to build houses and I couldn't help wondering just how much experience a group of well heeled 16 year olds could bring to work like that.
I would just like to know if my contribution is genuinely being used to help people living in the 3rd world or if it's really going towards funding an educational trip for school kids.

Cousin of mine did it recently.

Said it was amazing experience and i asked much craic/partying etc and there was some yeah but most of the time it was full on work and by the end of the day he was to wrecked to do much else. I'd say its worthwhile in making kids see what the world is like while also teaching them the feeling of doing something worthwhile no matter how hard it was.

Ambersky

Are there no African students, builders, people in need of work in Africa, willing and able to build their own houses wells etc?
People doing charity work certainly do get a good feeling about themselves but I dont think things are often viewed from the perspective of the recipients of "charity". Charity can be very different from social justice and can actually keep people in their place rather than changing things.

Sir Arthur Daley

There must be no job bridge scheme there.

jane82

Ambersky wrote: »

Are there no African students, builders, people in need of work in Africa, willing and able to build their own houses wells etc?

Absolutely my thoughts. I can understand tradespeople but the last thing a starving continant needs is a gang of students eating all the food. Sure if they were skilled enough to mix cement before they left Id be surprised. What work do they actually do that a starving farmer who lost all his crops couldnt do in lieu of a house or some grub.

RobbieTheRobber

DannieHasABrazilian wrote: »

Cousin of mine did it recently.

Said it was amazing experience and i asked much craic/partying etc and there was some yeah but most of the time it was full on work and by the end of the day he was to wrecked to do much else. I'd say its worthwhile in making kids see what the world is like while also teaching them the feeling of doing something worthwhile no matter how hard it was.

Whilst that is all well and good, couldn't the money raised not be better spent on qualified or at least semi qualified people to do this work than a bunch of school kids, no matter how hard they work.

BrianBoru00

I know of two brothers who did a sponsored climb of Mount Kilimanjaro but they paid for the trip themselves and all the money raised went direct to the charity - This kind of idea is for a good cause and I have no problem contributing to.

However when its a case of people having to raise €2000 to help building a village in El Salvador or some such place - I think this is basically a student getting a super experience and getting other people to pay for it....

Tiddlypeeps

My sister did this a couple of weeks ago. It was cringeworthy looking at the photos on facebook with them posing with poor little black babies. It's pretty much poverty tourism and I wouldn't be a fan of helping fund it.

While out there they painted a school and that kind of thing, nothing that couldn't have been done much cheaper by just sending one person out with some money to hire locals to do.

She said the teachers were all praise, telling them how they should be so proud of themselves. While it is a cool thing to do and they did help out she couldn't help but feel she hadn't actually done a whole lot and it was just unnecessary self praise.

One good thing that does come out of it indirectly tho is a small boost to the economy. The locals seem to have sussed that they can fleece them for all they are worth in the markets.

TLDR: It's somewhat helpful to the local, does teach kids going over a lot about the world, provides a small economy boost but all in all is a frivolously inefficient way to help out.

c68zapdsm5i1ru

RobbieTheRobber wrote: »

Whilst that is all well and good, couldn't the money raised not be better spent on qualified or at least semi qualified people to do this work than a bunch of school kids, no matter how hard they work.

That's what I was thinking too. While I'm sure the schoolkids are full of goodwill and enthusiasm, and learn an awful lot about the third world during these trips, are they really using the money they collect to bring optimum assistance to places devastated by poverty and food shortage? Or is a lot of it being wasted on air fares for students who really don't have much in the way of skill or expertise to contribute?

Ambersky

Do people think about how it feels to be the passive recipient of Charity.
Certain groups like people with disabilities, developing countries, homeless etc when you collect for them its called a Charitable collection and when you collect for the local rugby club, school, etc its a fundraiser. A lot of the time people think of their own children as needing funds but those other people need charity. Your own children would never need charity, who wants charity, it feels like giving with pity.
A lot of people would rather not be pitied and want Justice not Charity. They want to be able to do for themselves, sometimes that means that the playing field has to be made level a bit like for people with disabilities, yet the posters collecting for such groups encourage pity.

anncoates

Like a lot of liberal activities, it;s a bit woolly and cringwoerthy, but I guess it's well-meaning at heart.

At least it's nicer to picture them helping African babies than in 20/30+ years time, when they'll be back here collapsing the banking system.

Ambersky

Again its the children from the developed countries that "Get a Lot out of the experience". Im sure they get a lot, they already get a lot and they are going to get more, but what ideas are they taking away with them.

Ambersky

How about we take turns. Irish students go over to Africa to build houses while we sponsor African children come over here to ....

WellThen?

I absolutely agree with most of you here. It has always been something that has grinded my gears in the past, however if you mention it as such you are looked down on for the most part. "How dare you give out about these people helping poor little black babies!"

You are basically funding a wholesome holiday, to broaden someone else's horizons and widen their perspective. I really think that money could be spent in a more beneficial way for these people. I find the pictures people post afterwards with natives of whatever village so cringe worthy. The locals smiling hoping to get a small treat out of it.

There are some great people out there raising money and doing a lot of work, using the money raised to the absolute maximum, as far as they can stretch it with the place and people in question as the sole benefactors.

jane82

It makes you wonder how much the boss of this charity gets paid for his totally inefficient management.

Sir Arthur Daley

The houses they build lack architectural elegance, wouldnt Kevin McCloud and Sarah Beeney do wreck if they went out there designing?

Ambersky

I Know! I Know! African children could be sponsored to come over here to teach us how to make (more) houses out of cardboard, mud and corrugated metal sheeting. It would, Im sure, do them a lot of good, teaching them about the world and how the other half lives.
Why should it only be the Irish students who learn a lot about the world?