Staycation for Tet

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Charity begins at home

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I shouldn’t be surprised by how many people regularly ask me what they can do to 'help' somewhere. What I’m not surprised about is how hard it is to be socially conscious. 

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Eat that delicious, but kinda endangered fish; do tofu instead. Throw out that dead battery; drat, find someone, somewhere to recycle it. Motorbike three blocks for an errand; sigh, walk.

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For those with stronger resolve, this is the time of year where many take trips to 'do good', with the catchy name of voluntouring.

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Someone once offered to come over here and 'mentor' the staff where I worked. That’s awesome, but uh, in what? She figured, since she was retired, she had plenty to 'share' about being 'in business', so she’d just, you know, take questions and give 'leadership examples'. And no, she had no nonprofit or development experience and she had never worked in Vietnam. OK, but effective mentoring, and in a cross-cultural environment, isn't just about plopping folks in a room and holding forth on your personal work history.  

 

Still others jet off to the nearest developing country orphanage to 'play' with the deprived cute kids. What is the long term benefit with random strangers rocking up to hang out with little kids and who then leave after an afternoon or a few days? Too many of those 'orphanages' are stocked with kids who have living relatives and are there simply because of poverty. And you with your irresistible candy and gum and stickers perpetuate this. Speaking English doesn’t make you an English teacher. Knowing how to hold a hammer doesn’t mean you should be building peoples’ homes.

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So, to assuage your socially conscious desires I propose this year you take a staycation for Tet.*

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Plenty of opportunities exist to 'do good' right here, if you're thoughtful about it. Contact the organization you like and ask them what they need (if they don’t already have a wish list posted online) or if they have any upcoming events they need extra hands for. If they don’t have anything for you don’t get discouraged, contact someone else. You might have to hunt around a bit for a nonprofit that needs what you have or want to offer. Be creative. Donate art supplies for children and youth; donate your kids’ (non-broken, non-junk) toys, donate your kids’ or your (non-ragged, non-dirty, non-underwear—yup, have seen that too many times) clothing.

 

Furniture? Kitchen goods? If the charity has asked for it, sure. Hold a neighbourhood garage sale and donate your proceeds. Make art, sell it and donate the proceeds. Donate a day or two of your salary. Buy the charity’s merchandise. Spread the word of their mission. Educate yourself on the particular issues the organization is tackling.

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Back to those teachers and builders. That type of voluntouring takes bread out of the mouths of real, and local, teachers and builders. Donate books or bricks or better, salary, to hire and train local men and women in order to support the local economy. Lead by example with your kids and circle of friends in practicing the dignity that should always be attached to social consciousness.

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This shouldn’t ever be about your Facebook pictures with you surrounded by faintly bewildered 'poor' people.

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* Note: Tet is the Lunar New Year in Vietnam and an important national holiday time.

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Photo:  Pasar Triwindu antique market, Solo (Surakarta), Java, Indonesia / Kukuh Himawan Samudro /unsplash.com

 

This article originally appeared in Word Vietnam magazine and has been adapted.