The DOs and DON’Ts of Disaster Donations
Don’t take up a collection of goods to send over
Don’t go over individually to volunteer
Do consider donating an equal amount of money to disaster preparedness programs
Don’t support any adoptions or evacuations of orphans
Don’t assume there is a body overseeing and regulating the aid
Do consider holding off some of your donations until later in the rebuilding process
These are just headings from a great blog called "Good Intentions Are Not Enough"
Please have a look to see the reasoning behind these statements and other interesting posts
http://goodintentionsarenotenough.com
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Social Capital vs. Economic Capital
I was walking with a buyer (buyer is a farmer who acts as a part time agent for the company, buying cotton on the company's behalf) for the cotton company I'm working with, a very entrepreneurial and intelligent man. We walked past one of his farmer’s cotton fields that was being harvested. It was being picked late and the quality was compromised as a result. I asked him what quality grade he would give it “Grade A. I can’t give him any less because he’s my brother in law”.
We continued walking and saw his personal cotton field also being picked. There were two women picking the cotton and on the ground lay 3 empty, brand new picking bags. Beside the picking bags was a large pile of picked cotton sitting on the dirt. This was really compromising the cotton quality. He went and shouted at the women for not using the picking sacks (they wanted to take them home to use and window shades) and I asked if he would deduct their pay “No, I can’t they are my sisters”
This is an example of trading economic capital for social capital, another way Zambians “buy insurance” and stability in their unstable and dangerous lives. By trading money for favour with friends and family, they are providing some security in their lives. If they die, go bankrupt, lose their job, then there is an external force, a social network that can help cushion the blow to them and their immediate family.
We continued walking and saw his personal cotton field also being picked. There were two women picking the cotton and on the ground lay 3 empty, brand new picking bags. Beside the picking bags was a large pile of picked cotton sitting on the dirt. This was really compromising the cotton quality. He went and shouted at the women for not using the picking sacks (they wanted to take them home to use and window shades) and I asked if he would deduct their pay “No, I can’t they are my sisters”
This is an example of trading economic capital for social capital, another way Zambians “buy insurance” and stability in their unstable and dangerous lives. By trading money for favour with friends and family, they are providing some security in their lives. If they die, go bankrupt, lose their job, then there is an external force, a social network that can help cushion the blow to them and their immediate family.
There's nothing wrong with poverty
I've been asking myself the question "Is poverty wrong, evil, unacceptable. Is it just plain bad?"
The obvious answer and the opinion I've held until now is that yes, poverty is an evil thing and I should do everything in my power to get rid of it.
My previous belief was that a "humane death" was good and that long painful deaths, where the animal is afraid and in pain for several minutes, are wrong, evil and unacceptable. What I discovered is that slow painful death, full of fear, is normal. It's not the exception to the rule it is the rule. Now just because something is common doesn't mean it is right, but this is more than common, it is the way of life. It is like saying carnivores are evil. I just can't accept that one of the fundamental workings of the world is evil. It was a foundation shifting understanding. It's not that I now think that slow painful death is good, in fact I avoid it with animals as much as possible, but I stopped thinking it was some kind of despicable evil.
The same is true of poverty. It is as natural as death itself. Can a deer live in poverty? No, it just lives. It's so natural that I don't think people even knew they were living in poverty. Standards change over time and are relative and if something is okay at one point in time, I can't understand how situations change and now it's evil, simply in and of itself. Is it possible that the way we live now will one day be considered horrible and unacceptable? I define a person living in poverty as someone who can not decide what kind of career they want to have, must spend the majority of their time addressing basic needs like getting food, shelter and water, having no option but to drink water that might kill them, no chance of knowing why you're sick or what to do about it, 1/3 of your children dying at a young age and a real chance that you could starve to death. This is true for all animals and I think has been true for humans for most of our existence.
The next question I asked is "If that's not evil, then what is?" My answer: "Rape, torture, greed, violence, allowing someone to starve to death." The difference is that all things that I consider evil are interactions between people. My argument is that evil can not exist outside of people, only within and between. There's nothing evil about someone starving to death. That doesn't mean it isn't a terrible experience for that person or extremely sad. There is something evil about allowing someone to starve to death.
Life and death are equal parts, just like joy and sorrow, pain and happiness.
What does this mean then? How does this understanding change the way I live my life? I don't know yet. It changes my motivations right now though. I no longer think of poverty being an evil that I'm seeking to extinguish.
Why would I want to stop poverty if it's not evil? Would I want to change places with someone living in poverty? No. There is something missing. I believe people should love each other. That means helping each other do the things we want to. If was living in poverty, I would want to change my situation and if someone else was able to help, then I would want them to. So then by "Doing for others what I would want them to do for me" I am helping people that are living in poverty.
What is the opposite of evil? Goodness is far to soft a word, so I will say Holiness. What is holy? Forgiveness, mercy, grace, love, peace, understanding, generosity. What should I do? Do good, be holy, love and serve others.
There is a time for everything and everything under the sun has a place. Hunger, pain, laughter, celebration, rest, work. What I'm finally understanding is that they are all equal and important parts of life. They are life! I have fallen in love with the most beautiful person in the world to me. If she died today it would be tragic, but I think that I would have lived more than if I avoided the pain by not ever meeting her. One day she will die and so will I, but it's all part of something, something bigger.
Ecclesiastes:
There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven:
a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.
What does the worker gain from his toil? I have seen the burden God has laid on men. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of people; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and do good while they live. That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil—this is the gift of God. I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that people will revere him.
Whatever is has already been,
and what will be has been before;
and God will call the past to account.
And I saw something else under the sun:
In the place of judgment—wickedness was there,
in the place of justice—wickedness was there.
I thought in my heart,
"God will bring to judgment
both the righteous and the wicked,
for there will be a time for every activity,
a time for every deed."
I also thought, "As for people, God tests them so that they may see that they are like the animals. Man's fate is like that of the animals; the same fate awaits them both: As one dies, so dies the other. All have the same breath ; man has no advantage over the animal. Everything is meaningless. All go to the same place; all come from dust, and to dust all return. Who knows if the spirit of people rises upward and if the spirit of the animal goes down into the earth?"
So I saw that there is nothing better for a man than to enjoy his work, because that is his lot. For who can bring him to see what will happen after him?
The obvious answer and the opinion I've held until now is that yes, poverty is an evil thing and I should do everything in my power to get rid of it.
My previous belief was that a "humane death" was good and that long painful deaths, where the animal is afraid and in pain for several minutes, are wrong, evil and unacceptable. What I discovered is that slow painful death, full of fear, is normal. It's not the exception to the rule it is the rule. Now just because something is common doesn't mean it is right, but this is more than common, it is the way of life. It is like saying carnivores are evil. I just can't accept that one of the fundamental workings of the world is evil. It was a foundation shifting understanding. It's not that I now think that slow painful death is good, in fact I avoid it with animals as much as possible, but I stopped thinking it was some kind of despicable evil.
The same is true of poverty. It is as natural as death itself. Can a deer live in poverty? No, it just lives. It's so natural that I don't think people even knew they were living in poverty. Standards change over time and are relative and if something is okay at one point in time, I can't understand how situations change and now it's evil, simply in and of itself. Is it possible that the way we live now will one day be considered horrible and unacceptable? I define a person living in poverty as someone who can not decide what kind of career they want to have, must spend the majority of their time addressing basic needs like getting food, shelter and water, having no option but to drink water that might kill them, no chance of knowing why you're sick or what to do about it, 1/3 of your children dying at a young age and a real chance that you could starve to death. This is true for all animals and I think has been true for humans for most of our existence.
The next question I asked is "If that's not evil, then what is?" My answer: "Rape, torture, greed, violence, allowing someone to starve to death." The difference is that all things that I consider evil are interactions between people. My argument is that evil can not exist outside of people, only within and between. There's nothing evil about someone starving to death. That doesn't mean it isn't a terrible experience for that person or extremely sad. There is something evil about allowing someone to starve to death.
Life and death are equal parts, just like joy and sorrow, pain and happiness.
What does this mean then? How does this understanding change the way I live my life? I don't know yet. It changes my motivations right now though. I no longer think of poverty being an evil that I'm seeking to extinguish.
Why would I want to stop poverty if it's not evil? Would I want to change places with someone living in poverty? No. There is something missing. I believe people should love each other. That means helping each other do the things we want to. If was living in poverty, I would want to change my situation and if someone else was able to help, then I would want them to. So then by "Doing for others what I would want them to do for me" I am helping people that are living in poverty.
What is the opposite of evil? Goodness is far to soft a word, so I will say Holiness. What is holy? Forgiveness, mercy, grace, love, peace, understanding, generosity. What should I do? Do good, be holy, love and serve others.
There is a time for everything and everything under the sun has a place. Hunger, pain, laughter, celebration, rest, work. What I'm finally understanding is that they are all equal and important parts of life. They are life! I have fallen in love with the most beautiful person in the world to me. If she died today it would be tragic, but I think that I would have lived more than if I avoided the pain by not ever meeting her. One day she will die and so will I, but it's all part of something, something bigger.
Ecclesiastes:
There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven:
a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.
What does the worker gain from his toil? I have seen the burden God has laid on men. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of people; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and do good while they live. That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil—this is the gift of God. I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that people will revere him.
Whatever is has already been,
and what will be has been before;
and God will call the past to account.
And I saw something else under the sun:
In the place of judgment—wickedness was there,
in the place of justice—wickedness was there.
I thought in my heart,
"God will bring to judgment
both the righteous and the wicked,
for there will be a time for every activity,
a time for every deed."
I also thought, "As for people, God tests them so that they may see that they are like the animals. Man's fate is like that of the animals; the same fate awaits them both: As one dies, so dies the other. All have the same breath ; man has no advantage over the animal. Everything is meaningless. All go to the same place; all come from dust, and to dust all return. Who knows if the spirit of people rises upward and if the spirit of the animal goes down into the earth?"
So I saw that there is nothing better for a man than to enjoy his work, because that is his lot. For who can bring him to see what will happen after him?
Norah 3
I guess the whole point of putting all this on facebook and my blog was to start a discussion about what should be done, by everyone, in general.
1. If people think I should do something, they should. There are literally millions of kids like Norah.
2.... If people then decide to do something what should they do? The first thing most people think of is getting a sponsor child, but I'm saying that's a bad idea and can actually do more harm than good.
3. You can't just throw money at things. Give your time first and foremost. Learn about development, read a book, talk to someone. It is possible to do damage with aid projects, so you have to think about the big picture and make sure you're doing the right thing.
A final note on Norah. I can guarantee that if I gave money to her family that it wouldn't be spent on school. If you gave money to a Canadian family that had trouble buying food and told them to save it until their child was in college, do you think they would? If I just gave money to the school it would probably be stolen by the staff. The truth is that there isn't much I can do to directly help Norah. I want to help her and that's why I'm living in Africa. I think what I'm doing now is the best thing that I can do. Helping working adults earn and keep an income so THEY can take care of their kids.
Norah is special so what I'm about to say is not to take that away. Her situation is not unique. I met a grandmother that is caring for 8 orphans. My neighbour has 2 orphans living with her. Generally, my neighbour's contract is ending soon so he rode his bicycle 110km round trip yesterday for a job interview. Not on pavement, but on dirt road. Not on a mountain bike but on a 1 speed heavy and slow bike. He left at 3am with no flashlight. He wanted to borrow money from me to take a taxi but we were sleeping and he didn't want to wake us up. Life is hard but people, smart people, work hard.
1. If people think I should do something, they should. There are literally millions of kids like Norah.
2.... If people then decide to do something what should they do? The first thing most people think of is getting a sponsor child, but I'm saying that's a bad idea and can actually do more harm than good.
3. You can't just throw money at things. Give your time first and foremost. Learn about development, read a book, talk to someone. It is possible to do damage with aid projects, so you have to think about the big picture and make sure you're doing the right thing.
A final note on Norah. I can guarantee that if I gave money to her family that it wouldn't be spent on school. If you gave money to a Canadian family that had trouble buying food and told them to save it until their child was in college, do you think they would? If I just gave money to the school it would probably be stolen by the staff. The truth is that there isn't much I can do to directly help Norah. I want to help her and that's why I'm living in Africa. I think what I'm doing now is the best thing that I can do. Helping working adults earn and keep an income so THEY can take care of their kids.
Norah is special so what I'm about to say is not to take that away. Her situation is not unique. I met a grandmother that is caring for 8 orphans. My neighbour has 2 orphans living with her. Generally, my neighbour's contract is ending soon so he rode his bicycle 110km round trip yesterday for a job interview. Not on pavement, but on dirt road. Not on a mountain bike but on a 1 speed heavy and slow bike. He left at 3am with no flashlight. He wanted to borrow money from me to take a taxi but we were sleeping and he didn't want to wake us up. Life is hard but people, smart people, work hard.
Farmer Behaviour
This is a spreadsheet I made on the main categories that influence how rural Zambians make decisions. It's pretty self explanatory, but feel free to ask questions.
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Dollars, Kwacha and Eggs
I was talking with some friends about how much things cost. I would ask them how much something costs in Zambia and then they’d ask how much something costs in Canada. The bottom line is that in absolute value, most things cost more in Zambia and wages are lower.
I took the example of a Canadian accountant vs. a Zambian accountant buying eggs and gasoline
A Canadian doing the exact same job as a Zambian can buy a lot more of the same stuff than the Zambian. That sucks! Pretty unfair I think. People get paid less and stuff is more expensive!
I took the example of a Canadian accountant vs. a Zambian accountant buying eggs and gasoline
A Canadian doing the exact same job as a Zambian can buy a lot more of the same stuff than the Zambian. That sucks! Pretty unfair I think. People get paid less and stuff is more expensive!
Monday, July 19, 2010
Why do farmers want money NOW! And then spend it NOW!
The question is why are farmers basically willing to pay a fee to get money faster? Why are poor people willing to settle for less money if it comes sooner? Why would they make an irrational, and even stupid decision like that? The root cause is trust. Trust in each other, trust in the economy, trust in their own future. I think what they are buying is stability, predictability. You could want to get your money, put it in a bank and withdraw it later and buy some stuff bit by bit. If all things go as planned, you will have more than you would any other way. The problem is that plan A never works. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, or, put another way, $100 now is worth $150 in six months. You could be dead in 6 months, or someone else could die and you have to give their family money, or someone steals from you, or the price of copper drops, or any number of things happen, and then your future $150 becomes $50. So it’s better to just take what you can get while you can get it, yes it’s less, but it’s more than nothing. It’s like buying insurance for instability, but you get the settlement right away. You take your maize and sell it to the guy on the side of the road for 40 pin/bag instead of 65 pin/bag at FRA because FRA takes 6 months to pay, and after 6 months, a new guy is running the place and the old guy ran off with your money, and now you have no way of getting anything, meanwhile your idiot neighbor who sold to the guy on the side of the road, also doesn’t have money for inputs or mealie meal, but he has a swank radio that’s not going anywhere anytime soon.
The starving buffet. If you stop someone from eating for 2 days, but you tell them that on the third day you will take them to the best buffet dinner. Do you think they will put a reasonable amount of food, well portioned onto their plate? Would you? No! Instead you would fill up the plate with all the sugary and fatty foods you could find, because you earned it when you starved, and you want it and you can have it! That’s why I think people splurge when they first get paid, wasting valuable money for their futures.
The starving buffet. If you stop someone from eating for 2 days, but you tell them that on the third day you will take them to the best buffet dinner. Do you think they will put a reasonable amount of food, well portioned onto their plate? Would you? No! Instead you would fill up the plate with all the sugary and fatty foods you could find, because you earned it when you starved, and you want it and you can have it! That’s why I think people splurge when they first get paid, wasting valuable money for their futures.
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