About two weeks ago, I took a field trip with a few other volunteers working in my school system. There are endless sites across the country that are deserving of a day’s attention (or more), but our field trip wasn’t for a photo safari. The administrators in charge of our (private) schools wer[...]
Posts Tagged ‘poverty’
Think Fast: Are “Hunger” and “Poverty” Experiments Legitimate?
Approximately 1 billion people currently experience hunger. According to World Vision International, about 1 in 4 of the world’s children suffer from malnourishment, and about 5 million children will die this year from hunger-related causes. Hunger is a formidable issue that fuels civil unrest, a [...]
Worlds Apart
I am poor by common U.S. standards. When friends and family give to me instead of me having to go to a second-hand shop, I find myself overjoyed. When they buy lunch or coffee for me and my husband, I am humbled. But that humility can turn sour. Sometimes, I feel like a moocher, a [...][...]
Pennyless
Pets are not people, not more worthy of life than humans. I distinctly remember experiencing reverse culture shock to an extreme when I came home for a quick vacation during my teaching stint in Honduras. Fresh off the plane, I went to one of my brother’s lacrosse games. I overheard person aft[...]
If I Won the Lottery Tomorrow: Why Everyone Should Volunteer
I think it should be mandatory for every university degree to include a volunteer component, whether locally or internationally. Why? I have recently returned to my home in Canada after eight months of working at a Costa Rican microfinance organization. Most of my friends have university degrees and[...]
“Let yourself be defined by your actions”
Cajón del Maipo, Chile: no internet access, no phone service, no distractions of city life. Every class of VE Global volunteers gets to go on a weekend jornada, or day trip, to this quaint little ranch in the mountainside outside the city that is rented out by an adorable and generous hippie co[...]
Everybody Say Lúcuma: A Follow-Up to “Buying a New Jacket While Surrounded by Poverty”
In response to my post “Buying a New Jacket While Surrounded by Poverty,” I received a number of insightful comments, both privately and through La Vida, on the question of how much personal spending is reasonable to help the underprivileged, and whether this should increase when working closely[...]
