Trying to help in ways that actually help
"It's a bit ridiculous that people assume just because we come from countries that have managed the issue of HIV relatively well, that we know how to manage the issue."
"Exactly, it is because our countries have managed the issues well, that I don't know anything about it!"
This was a conversation I had with an intern from the United Kingdom working for another non-governmental organization. He has been semi-coerced into giving a workshop on HIV/AIDS, but he has not received training on the issue, and felt extremely uncomfortable with the situation.
When I left Montreal to pursue my internship in Kenya, I did not expect much. I only knew that I wanted to make a positive impact on the community; and that after volunteering with HIV-positive children in Montreal, I wanted to work with the issue of HIV/AIDS through awareness and thus prevention.
However, after I attended community outreaches with my work, and ran a few sessions myself, I started to see a different picture.
While the sessions for primary schools appear to be somewhat worthwhile for the students, it is another situation for the youth. For instance, in a group session I attended, there was no need to explain what HIV/AIDS stood for, how the virus attacks the immune system, the incubation period, the window for testing, or the routes of HIV transmission. The participants knew all the answers. So how can the sessions be run in a manner that is not a waste of time for them?
There are many public and private institutions that strive to inform the public about HIV/AIDS, and by this point, Kenyans are very knowledgeable about the virus, and how to protect themselves. Instead of lecturing about the hard facts of the virus, now it is perhaps more effective to focus discussion on the stigma of AIDS, and why contraceptives are still not used, even when people understand the risks. Faced with such a knowledgeable crowd, the trainer becomes a facilitator and a question-and-answer format appears to be much more effective and enjoyable for the participants than a plain lecture style on information that has already been disseminated.
What I said to my friend at the beginning of the post was actually a paraphrase from a book called The White Man's Burden by William Easterly, which examines the ineffectiveness of foreign aid. He raises the concern of Western donors wanting to create one-size-fits-all, comprehensive, umbrella solutions without being sensitive to different cultures and realities in the field, which leads to poor implementation and aid that does not reach those who need it.
I find that my internship has been a humbling experience that makes me strongly aware of how difficult the process of "helping" can be. Without an understanding of the reality on the ground, it is almost impossible to propose any solutions that can be successfully implemented. One can have the best intentions and the greatest ideas, but if there is no need for the great idea, or if it is not feasible in the local reality due to cultural, religious, or financial limitations, then it is not useful.
For those who would like to work abroad in development work, I strongly urge you to spend time with the locals from the area, immerse and understand the culture, and then discover how you can make your own unique contribution in that community to maximize your impact.
RAKSHA VASUDEVAN 
HELEN HSU 
Comments
The post speaks about how AIDS and HIV, are not know about much. In high school I learned that AIDS and HIV can kill you and ruin your immune system leaving you open to the wide spread of infections and disease.We didn't talk about the real problems that people suffered from and how to help people who are infected with it we just talked about how you can get it, and how you can prevent from getting it. I do agree with you on your quote "It's a bit ridiculous that people assume just because we come from countries that have managed the issue of HIV relatively well, that we know how to manage the issue" because no one in Canada really has AIDS OR HIV because we provide some knowledge about the disease and how to prevent it from happening.
Though we know what goes on in other countries we, are to busy to help others in need of assistance. Instead of helping people we are to caught up in our own daily lives to turn the other shoulder and lend a helping hand.
Even in Canada more needs to be done in HIV AIDS education. I have heard young people (teens or early 20's) talking about how lucky they were to belong to the first generation that did not have to worry about AIDS because it was now a curable disease. When I interjected and told them how wrong they were they just shook there heads and thought I was crazy. Obviously something is missing in our own AIDS awareness teaching in the public school system.
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