Time and Money

Being a (white) volunteer in Zambia presents some unique struggles. Foremost among this is the (mostly accurate) perception that all muzungus are wealthy. Of course, in comparison to the material wealth of Zambians, most of us volunteers are rich. However, I firmly believe for the success of future volunteers, I must maintain I’m here to give my time and not money.
In the teaching projects, some of the biggest need is in infrastructure. Most of the community schools need to repair rooms or add more classrooms. If there would be more money, they would build an office for the teachers and perhaps another toilet for the children. As I re-learned again today, the decision to build and the actual building could be done in short order; the only struggle is finding the money.

Some volunteers have taken it upon themselves to fund individual building projects. At the most basic level, this is a great thing as it meets the needs of the community. However, it also puts other volunteers in tough spots. Once the school leaders learn that the volunteers are willing to pay for things like that, the requests for more money flow in. I have no doubt the need for money exists; however, not all volunteers can meet that need. For instance, the school I worked at today required over $7,000USD to complete its work. The other volunteer I was with suggested she might donate that amount. I could never come close to that without some large scale fundraising effort. I now feel I can’t compete with her value at the school.
Similar problems exist on the medical projects. During the home-based care project, volunteers dispense basic over-the-counter medicines and simple medical care to the homebound and those unable to afford the costs of the clinic. Some volunteers, though, also hand out money on these visits so patients can buy prescription drugs. Now that the precedent has been set, other volunteers are constantly harassed for money and not able to do the good work they set out to do.

Above all these practical problems, the whole situation lies within the context of a bigger moral dilemma. It’s obvious that as a Westerner, I have much more material wealth than almost anyone we work with on the projects. It’s hard to escape the sense of obligation one feels to share this material wealth. But, as others on projects have noted, one must think of the old saying about the virtues of giving a man fish or teaching a man to fish. We might not be teaching anyone how to fish here, so it’s tempting to at least feed people fish for one day. However, we all know what the right answer is to the dilemma posed in that age-old quandary. In Zambia, though, it’s hard to see when the right answer might actually happen here.

Despite this moral quandary, I don’t think African Impact or other volunteer groups can survive in the long-term if volunteers are also handing out funds. There needs to be a clear distinction between volunteering services and donating money. When the line is blurred, so are the benefits of both.

Zac