“Africa changes your life. i would stay here “I can’t be the same anymore,” you say as you fly home after a month of volunteering on the continent you’ve traveled more in your life than most of its residents. Two realities that should be one but are not: it is one thing to live in poverty and another to experience certain deprivations when visiting.
Living without electricity (but by the light of your iPhone’s flashlight) or eating rice every day can please you and seem “exotic” for a limited time. Your mind is counting down the days until you return, fully aware that there is an escape route and knowing that if you get tired you can take a plane back and return to your comfort zone. And in that moment of return, the well-known idealization of poverty takes place.
Peak season: Good doctor seeks sick black man
The heat is coming, summer is approaching and the high season of tourism, volunteering and volunteer work is beginning. For another year, our inboxes are full of messages from well-intentioned people who want to help “wherever it’s needed” because “I’ve always wanted to help” and with a heart without a head “I’ve already started”. Collect all kinds of medicines”.
When I see the work of many NGOs in Africa, I ask myself: where are the black doctors?
Both professionals from medicine, nursing and other health areas work well together and do voluntary activities throughout the year, but on these dates we also succumb to the dreaded “voluntary”. Look for a sick black man this summer, good doctor. It’s a very obvious message that can be read between the lines of most campaigns.
Five “zascas” to idealize poverty
Doctors have prejudices, we are doctors with limitations. Here are some examples:
– “I just had my first C-section in Africa and in my life. What an adrenaline rush.” And I hope it’s the last time. In Africa you will not experiment or use techniques that are not allowed in your country.
– “Fortunately they didn’t catch my suitcase loaded with medicines. Since they are so corrupt, they would have made me pay for it.” Let’s not appreciate the corruption of a foreign country we’ve just landed in. But what we can say is that (medical) material cannot be brought in in this way.
– “I want to go help and they said no!” Accept that volunteering does not meet your needs, but those of the beneficiaries. Although it may not appear so, as this is not always the case, if you do not meet a number of conditions, you must accept “no” as an answer.
When you donate material from the hospital, you’re not actually donating it, you’re stealing it
– “I have been told that two months is a short time.” It is clear that two months is more than one, but a longer stay is certainly not two months.
– “I have already started asking all my colleagues to start collecting all kinds of medicines. Surely everything is useful in Africa.” Do not steal any material from the hospital. When you donate material from the hospital, you’re not actually donating it, you’re stealing it. Did you ask what you need? Have you seen if you can get it in the country?
More information
Decolonize the spirit and cooperation
Decolonize the mind, as stated in writer Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o’s book of the same name. If there are no medicines, it is not a question of smuggling them in, but of creating the conditions for their manufacture. If there are no doctors, it’s not about helping when I’m fine. Not training informally, but strengthening the health and training system through the country’s institutions after a complex preliminary analysis, obviously cannot be accomplished in a long stay of two months.
When I see the work of many NGOs in Africa, I ask myself: where are the black doctors? Here’s an example: The medical director of a Norwegian hospital is surprised by a man in a hat. He speaks a language I don’t know, but he makes himself understood with his few words of English. He hardly understands any Spanish. He says he is a doctor, he wears a stethoscope around his neck, but what is striking is the fact that he is not wearing a lab coat and wears very short pants above his knees. “Hi! I’m a doctor and I’m from the ‘coop’ to help with whatever is needed. I can visit children, adults, pregnant women, help with deliveries, I can help with cleaning, cook… you name it !’ Apparently the director is asking for the title of doctor and specialist in paediatrics, since she confirms that it is her and that she didn’t bring it with her.
Don’t do in Ethiopia what you wouldn’t do in Norway.
The W of journalism applies to voluntary commitment and cooperation
- Que? What is a voluntary service? What is cooperative? What is development cooperation? What is humanitarian aid? What is voluntourism?
- Why? ‘Cause I wanna go Why do they need it or me? I insist: Not everything is possible. Good intention is necessary but not sufficient.
- For what reason? So that. To find myself? have an experience? Help? To build a better world? Avoid posting photos on social media as much as possible. Always respect people and especially children. Use the networks sensibly.
- Where? To where? Where is it necessary? Where I want?
- How? How do I train? Conduct a training and learning process: before, during and after. Accredit and validate your education and experience.
- If? If? And how long? A few months? Years? Lifespan? Can I make a living from this?
- Quien? With who? NGOs, governments, associations, foundations… Don’t do it alone. It is advisable to contact a recognized organization.
Cooperation and aid have changed, they have improved, but there is still a long way to go to eradicate the colonial mentality and white supremacy.
You can keep following PLANETA FUTURO TwitterFacebook and Instagram and subscribe to our “Newsletter” here.