What I’ve learned along the way
By gef on Jun 1 2011
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Next month I’ll be moving to Nairobi to support the GEF Kenya Board of Advisors and staff. I’m excited to be going and to have the chance to be in Kenya full-time to support the work taking place with secondary school students. As I sort through storage units, visas, insurance and the multitude of other things that one must think through when moving to another country, I keep thinking about service and action. When the move comes up in conversation with donors, friends, volunteers, university students, the general reaction I hear is “I wish I could do that.” This makes me wonder what they mean by “that.” Many times they mean to spend time in another country but not always. Other times “that” refers to a desire they have to be of service to others and to find some greater meaning with their time and talents.
Recently, I’ve come across several wonderful articles written about finding jobs, taking action and service to others (I’ve included a couple links below). In an article written by Rye Barcott, one of the co-founders of Carolina for Kibera (CFK), Rye makes the point that there’s no time like the present to help others, that you don’t have to wait to make a difference. Seeing as I’m going to Kenya to support the organization I work for, I, of course, relate to this mantra, but I’d like to refine it a bit. I’ve had a lot of conversations with people who want to know about my job and specifically about how to get into international development. I always say the same thing: start where you are. Do something right now, in your own community and build upon that towards the change you’d like to see and ultimately you’ll end up where you’re supposed to be. Your initial actions don’t have to be monumental. You don’t have to start a nonprofit or move out of the country to make a difference, even if what you are interested in is international development and that’s where you’d like to be in the end. Supporting change domestically and internationally is not mutually exclusive.
A friend of mine applied to the Peace Corps and ended up waiting a long time before she was accepted. While she anxiously waited, she wanted to do something more with her time and found a volunteer opportunity with a local organization where she met with a woman from Taiwan every week to help her with her English. It wasn’t long before conversations with my friend where no longer about what she was hoping to do one day but what she was doing right then. While I never met the woman my friend worked with, it was obvious that they had bonded – I heard a lot of interesting stories about Taiwan and ate some fantastic Taiwanese food. This ended up mattering just as much as the next big service project.
For me service and change are about incremental steps, patience and helping out where I can right now. Not everyone will start high impact international NGOs or be social entrepreneurs, nor should we all aspire towards this. There are so many amazing individuals and organizations out there that could use support in one way or another. Of course donations go a long way, but if the cause really matters and you want to do more than there are ways to be involved. The opportunities may not always be what you’d hope for, but every project no matter the size or the location is important. If you let go of your personal goals and just help where you can, not only will you make a difference, but you may find that you’ll end up where you had wanted to be… or someplace better.
David Brooks’ article for recent university graduates
Rye Barcott’s article on making a difference right now
- Suzanne
