Talking money with the carpenter who builds things for my classroom, such as this easel.
For every traveler or volunteer living in an impoverished country, the question of money donations arises. The sad-looking woman with her tiny baby and the plastic bowl for coins by her side on the street; the man with one leg and his hand out….these are the obvious ones, and each person decides for him or herself whether to drop a coin in, or not.
I understand there is no social security disability payment in Guate for those not previously regularly employed (70% of the population or more,) thus sitting in the street may be the only avenue for some disabled folks, and even some who are simply unable to find work. On the streets of Antigua, where I walked to the market nearly every day, there was a line of these folks, somewhat evenly spaced. I became acquainted with several in my passing over a year and a half’s time and there were always smiles and greetings, whether I gave or not. I simply decided that I would give when I felt to do so – maybe when I had coins accessible or hadn’t given recently – but I would always smile and say “Hola” and always chose to treat them like human beings.
So you make the decision to give or not give money and/or food based on your philosophy, your feelings, and of course, your ability. Harder is the situation that arises when you actually live in an emerging country and get to know the people well. And the better you know them, the more likely you are to hear their stories: “My wife needs to go to the doctor, she is in so much pain” or “I can’t pay the mortgage because I lost two months work when I had appendicitis.” They don’t throw the stories at you and there isn’t a direct request…but how can you let your friend’s mortgage lapse, or their wife go without medical care? Worse yet, their child? And you have the money in the bank, or in your pocket. You know you do, and they probably know you do. What do you do? So far, I’ve given. And in each of these cases, I haven’t regretted it – although of course when the day comes to repay, it’s just as hard for them to repay as it was for them to come up with the money in the first place.
Probably the best advice is don’t do it; money between friends is difficult, in any country.
And if you do, be clear that it’s a loan, not a gift, and set a date for repayment, or probably better yet, find some non-monetary way they can repay you e.g. some work that you need and they can do.
In the case of the projects I work with, I find money is the last resort. I’d much rather do something to help – translate, write flyers for their activities in English and distribute them in local hotels, give guidance (when asked) based on what I know about good organization and procedure. But at my school it’s all about materials, especially good children’s books in Spanish, wooden puzzles, etc…- things which are simply unobtainable here. Thank Heavens for my benefactors; I run through my own money pretty quickly.
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