The Dark Side of Philanthropy

Today we returned to Chinampas to distribute the rest of the shoes. This time we had a plan. But what is the saying about "best laid plans"? (I had to look this one up. It's a Burns poem)

"But Mousie, thou art no thy lane,
In proving foresight may be vain:
The best-laid schemes o' mice an' men
Gang aft agley,
An' lea'e us nought but grief an' pain,
For promis'd joy!”
 http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/To_a_Mouse

How true!
When we arrive there is another large group waiting for us. We hand out tickets. One per adult who gets to choose one pair of shoes, so that we have enough for everyone. 

We use the classroom and place all the shoes (200 pair plus) on the floor. I'm the bouncer, collecting tickets, and we allow a half dozen people in the room at a time. The others in our group are personal shoppers assisting the locals and ensuring things go fairly. However the children come and go at first until I realize they are sneaking out pairs of shoes for their mothers who are waiting in line. It is like something out of a Dickens novel. One particular girl I kept catching was truly an artful dodger.

We just wanted to be fair and make sure everyone got a pair. After all of the tickets were collected there was a press of bodies at the door. Men, women, and children pleaded with me but my ignorance of the language provided a benefit. I didn't cave. We didn't have enough for everyone to get a second (or third) pair who still lingered so we decided to pack up a box and distribute them at another village. The crowd didn't like this and things got somewhat tense.

It left a bitter taste. To add to this taste, I didn't hear words of appreciation. None or little “gracias”.

The others felt similarly.

There are many lessons here.

It  had me thinking about the nature of service. Should we only do it if it makes us (the givers) feel good? Isn't it just an imperialistic mindset to demand they say thank you for something we throw away? 

It's also a lesson in economics as we discussed on the ride back. Since these shoes had no cost, they had no value to the receivers. If given the opportunity, they would take as many pair as they could carry (or so it seemed). However, if we had put a price on each pair, let’s say $.50, would they be more judicious in their choosing? We thought they would.

It reflects current US policy in Afghanistan. Or history- think Vietnam. Or religion, visa vie the conquistadors.  I guess it also relates to the saying about “good intentions.”  

A lot to chew on here. One thing I am certain; there are no simple answers.