The Poverty Tour

Often I find myself thinking of ways to raise sponsorship funds for BECA locally, that is, in the Nicaraguan economy.

One method that I have seen used by non-profit organizations (NPOs) working here is the visiting "helping" brigades concept.

It works something like this. People in the "developing world" are willing to pay a premium to be a part of a volunteer group that travels for a short term period to work in poor communities in a country like Nicaragua. The NPO organizes the trips, administers the local do-good projects, and for their effort, pockets the profits. These profits are then funneled back into their own development activities.

Bridges to Community is an example of an NPO that employs this concept successfully here in Nicaragua.

The visitors are willing to pay a pretty decent dollar to come here and "help." To plant trees. To build houses. To play with children. To teach English.(especially popular!).

(Aside: Always seemed a wee bit odd to me that foreigners are coming here to plant trees in a country where the employment and under-employment rate is exorbitant . . . but I'll save that thought for another blog.)

Okay, so we have these people coming to help. And, frankly, quite often they aren't experts in their field. Often they are college students. Another big constituency is church goers. In my experience, more often than not, their Spanish is rudimentary.

Why do they come? Yes, they come to help. But I submit to you that one of the main reasons they come is to see poverty with their own eyes, "up close and personal". Not that there is anything wrong with that. But let's call a spade a spade.

Back to my original premise. Some NPOs tap into this demand and generate revenue for their organizations.

*Gross oversimplification alert*: People come. People pay a top dollar. People drink in the poverty, plant some trees and leave feeling better about themselves.

And perhaps they leave with a better understanding of poverty. All of this seems like a pretty good thing and a win-win situation.

I thought it was something BECA could stick its toe into. After all we have Hotel and Tourism students in the BECA program. Some of them even speak a little English.

What could be the possible downside (other than some serious mission drift)?

Can't think of one? Try reading this. (And in the spirit of fairness, see an opposing point of view here)

So what do you think? Exploitative or helpful/educational?

And why do I hear my Dad saying . . .  "Have you considered the matter from the other point of view?"

Gulp.

The Cynic

You may have heard of "The Giving Pledge."

It is the scheme of Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffet to prod the "wealthiest individuals and families in America to commit the majority of their wealth to philanthropy."

The idea is to get these wealthy people to make the commitment publicly and explain their rationale for doing so in a letter.

(Aside: All of the letters can be downloaded in one simple, big download and it makes for an excellent read.)

Quite the amazing concept, huh? Well, not so fast. Out come the cynics. For example, some readers of the Weekly Standard  attacked the pledge as “grandstanding”, a “publicity stunt”, or “the work of socialists”. The German publication Spiegel has also documented the strong objections of a group of German millionaires.

These objections to this transcendental act to inspire thoughtful giving REALLY boggle my mind. Nevertheless, it reminds me of someone I once knew.

Me.

I was a cynic when it came to these kinds of things.

• Foreign aid: "Why give money to African states? The money is ultimately wasted by corrupt leaders." 
• The United Way: "All the money goes to administration. Nothing gets through to the people who really need it."
• Flute scholarships in India: "How the hell is learning the flute going to get those people out of poverty?"
• Street beggars: "They just spend it on drugs."

Well, I don't think like that anymore.

These days, I NEVER criticize anybody who gives their time or their money or their expertise or their anything voluntarily to do what they think is giving others a helping hand.

Even if a project seems kinda wacky -- and I've seen my share -- what matters to me is that the "giver" thinks it's meaningful.

And that's good enough for me.

Help with a Hard Question

"Why are you doing that thing in Nicaragua, Walter?"

This is a question I am often asked. Especially by people visiting BECA.

I have a hard time with this question. I just don't know what to say. I usually end up rambling on about something unrelated. In other words, I evade the question.

It is for this reason that an interview by Charlie Rose of Sean Penn caught my attention.

The theme of the interview was Penn's volunteer work in Haiti. About half way through, Rose asked Penn why he was doing it.

"There is something in all of us I think that at once is searching for purpose, paying for sins, and recognizing our skill sets and I think that when those things merge and are complemented by the incredible character of people like the Haitian people."     Sean Penn, July 19th, 2010

Now why can't I think of something clever like that? "Paying for sins." Genius.

Caving In (a little bit)

Everyone here wants to study English. Everyone.

I have never been too crazy about the idea of qualifying scholarships to study English. How come?

I have a bunch of reasons.

1) BECA is about getting a job at the end. English is a fine complement, but it is not a technical career, per se.

2) Most English courses consist of two hours daily. At this rate, how long is it going to take to be literate? 5 years? 10 years? Ever?

3) Personal distaste. I just don't like the concept that a Gringo organization comes to a country that speaks Spanish and says . . . "Learn my revered language and get ahead." It has never sat well with me. I can't explain it any better than that.

However stubborn I may be, circumstances have changed to a degree.

The fact of the matter is that Call Centers represent one of the only growing industries in Nicaragua.These places desperately need English speakers and they pay pretty good. Moreover, we discovered an institute that delivers an intensive course in English at Ave Maria University. 7 hours a day, 5 days a week. They promise a TOEFL (English language competency exam) pass in eight months.

So, with my tail comfortably ensconced between my legs, BECA will pilot one student through the seven month course of English studies.

His name is Nosbal. And I have eight months to prepare my "crow" pie.

Here Come the Pulseras

From time to time, BECA gets visitors.

A couple of weeks ago, three U.S. University students -- Thomas, Margaret, and Chris -- showed up at our office.

They are part of . . .The Pulsera Project! I know, I know, it sounds like they are involved in some kind of wacky science experiment, but it is far from that.

Pulsera means "bracelet" in Spanish.

Many of you have seen these bracelets around. They are handmade woven bracelets. It so happens that Nicaraguans are expert pulsera makers.

The Pulsera Project group came up with a nifty idea. They buy pulseras from Nicaraguan artisans and disadvantaged youth. They buy them for a buck and then ship them off to the United States where University students and groups sell them for five bucks.

The profits are funnelled back to community projects here in Nicaragua. The real mission is to promote the importance of public service to young Americans and create awareness of international social causes.

Consider the following:
Gringo student sees pulsera >
           Gringo student asks about pulsera origin >
                     Gringo student learns more about Nicaragua >
                                Gringo student becomes involved selling pulseras to others.
Repeat.

The real keeners come to visit Nicaragua and see for themselves what is really going on. (Enter Chris, Thomas, Margaret and others.)

It's a simple concept. And that is why I like it so much.

Vacation Time Empathy

I'm in Canada for two weeks. (Happy 50th Anniversary Mom and Dad!)

While in Canada, I've been hearing a lot of this kind of stuff:

    "Wow, Walter* . . . what you are doing is fantastic . . . what a sacrifice you are making.I really admire you."
    or

    "I really have to hand it to you, Walter, for living in a place like that."
     or

    "I don't know how you do it. Don't you miss Canada? Don't you miss your friends?"

Okay, listen up people. I appreciate the kind words of encouragement and everything, but you make it sound like I'm living in some kind of concentration camp.

The fact of the matter is that it isn't that much of a sacrifice at all. Nicaragua is really quite an interesting place and my quality of life is actually pretty good. And . . . it doesn't snow . . . EVER.

Moreover, I'm having a lot of fun doing what I'm doing.

But here is the real kicker: it gives me a tremendous amount of joy doing something that I believe to be meaningful.
 
And I feel really lucky to be able to do it.

*Walter is the name I choose to use in Nicaragua. My family and friends call me by my first name, Howard. (To be explained in a blog entry coming soon.)

A Recap and a Dilemma

First, a quick refresher.

The BECA program consists of two stages: 1) Course One and 2) Intensive. Every BECA student has to pass the first stage (90 day computer course) to earn the opportunity to apply for the second stage (a technical scholarship, usually one to two years in length).

BECA had one Course One this year. 24 students started in April of which 23 finished in June. Of those 23 students, 19 earned the option to apply for a technicial career scholarship. It is our experience that between 50 and 60 percent of those eligible, apply for the second stage. That would mean of this group, 10 to 12 students will be looking for sponsors at the end of 2010.

All in all, not too shabby. 96% of the students finished Course One. That is the highest completion rate BECA has ever seen.

Personally, at this stage -- and with 9 BECA Course Ones under our belt -- I only have one concern. I'm not too happy with the place where we hold the class. The computers are often in bad shape, the software is dated, and the Internet connection is spotty and slow.

This brings us to an important BECA dilemma. I have always been dead set against setting up our own learning facility. I felt it was important as an organization to use the existing infrastructure in the community. However . . . at what cost? What do you do if the existing infrastructure cannot provide what you want? Or . . . is BECA being too demanding?

I don't have the answer yet. But let me tell you, this issue twists me right up.

In the meantime, I will bask briefly on that 96% figure and replay a few times the video recap for Course One 2010.