SOLIDARITY GIFTS

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SOLIDARITY GIFTS

Petra NEDBALKOVA

Have you ever thought of giving someone a cow ? Or a mosquito net ? Or a toilet ?

If you cannot help 100 people, at least help one! Or Would you like to give a different gift, especially one that makes a difference ? These are devises of NGOs proposing different kinds of Solidarity Gifts.

What is a Solidarity / Humanitarian Gift ?

The concept varies depending on the NGO’s Solidarity Gift concept, but the principal idea is the same.  It’s a way of helping a child or family in need by giving them a concrete useful gift in the name of someone (your family member, friend, colleague…). The Gifts are aiming at the communities with which NGOs are working in the developing world.

How does it function in practice ?

It is simple : you consult the NGO’s Solidarity Gift Catalogue on the Internet, you choose a gift you like (because you find it interesting, useful or original : for example a cow, school supplies, vaccines…) and you pay online. Then, the chosen present will go symbolically to your relative or friend who will receive a card / postcard and, basically, will benefit a destitute family or a child of an area where NGO works. Or you can just buy a Solidarity Gift « for yourself », just because you like the idea, without giving a card or photo of it to someone.

The form of the Gift Card depends on the NGO Solidarity Gift (SG) concept: sometimes it’s just a card with the NGO logo and an image representing a family in need, sometimes it’s a signed photograph, etc. Sometimes you can also add a personal touch to your Gift Card by choosing the image or by writing a personal message to a relative or friend who will receive the card.

Once bought and paid online, the gift is supposed to be given to a beneficiary family or child in one of the NGO’s country of intervention. NGOs want a donor to be able to give unusual and beautiful gifts that not only will make his family and friends happy but, most of all, will be useful for other people in need. This way you can make three persons happy at the same time: yourself, the person who gets the present, a child or a family (or a community) in need.

What about Solidarity Gift journey monitoring

Gifts can be bought in the country of origin of the NGO (in France in case of a French NGO) and then sent to the field or it can be bought directly in the country of a development programme (which is better for the local economy development). For example one of the French NGOs offers Solidarity Gifts Catalogue in all countries where it has development programmes. Once its local staff identify the most vulnerable families’ needs and quantify the number of gifts, then the gifts demand is sent to the headquarters in France, which will try to advertise the gifts demanded by the field.

The purchase of a Solidarity Gift is supposed to make a lasting impact on the individuals, families and communities with which the NGOs are working all over the world. The problem is a potential Solidarity Gift donor has to believe in NGOs promises : apart from a photo of a gift - in the case of some NGOs, but not all NGOs - there is no other evidence proving the present was really given to a family in a developing country, so the donor has no possibility to verify the gift journey process. That is a pity, because if the donors could identify the exact beneficiary family, it would surely increase the number of Solidarity Gifts sold.

Unfortunately, as one of the French NGO proposing Solidarity Gifts List states, it is money and time consuming to ensure a gift journey monitoring : for example to send an NGO field staff to take picture of the gift with the beneficiary family and then post it to the headquarters.

Place of Solidarity Gifts within NGO Marketing Strategy / Marketing game

Let’s not forget the role of consumer in the Solidarity Gifts selling process. Solidarity Gifts marketing strategy answers to a change of donors’ behavior which occurred during the last years. Actually, an ordinary consumer is a « donor-participant / involved donor », he/she is no more passive ; he/she is both donor and participant concerning a donation. In other words, a     « donor-participant / involved donor » is no more giving money without thinking or asking for whom and for what purpose it will be used, on the contrary, he/she more and more demands concrete proofs about its utilization. So we can observe an ordinary donor makes currently the same requests as an ordinary consumer. His/her donation is no more an act of           « generosity for free », but rather considered as an « investment », a kind of « involved generosity », because he/she is expecting to have information about his/her donation in return.

Solidarity Gifts offer answers to specific field needs : an individual need of a child/family in developing countries, but also to an expectation of consumers’ behavior demanding concrete proofs about using their donation. Thus SG meet at the same time the requirements of both field and consumer in order to maintain the balance between supply and demand.

                                         

Solidarity Gifts Market

The Solidarity Gift Market has been considerably developed during the last years; many International NGOs have their own original Solidarity Gift offer. The most known are Unicef, Oxfam, World Vision, Plan, SOS Enfants, Aide et Action, Elevages sans frontières, etc. Potential donors can choose within a large-scale Solidarity Gifts offer. The most of Solidarity Gifts are not seasonal: any occasion can be a Solidarity Gift moment. NGOs propose presents for every pocket and for every occasion : Birthday, Christmas, Saint Valentine’s Day, Mother’s and Father’s Day, weddings (wedding gifts list), etc. There are just some examples :

-       Unicef (many types & categories of SG; e.g. vaccine cooler box, jeep, etc.)

-       Oxfam (many types & categories of SG; e.g. set of tools for victims of natural disasters)

-       Vision du Monde France (6 categories of SG : food, water, health, education, environment, liberty ; e.g. toilet, solar panels for a medical center, etc.)

-       Babyloan (proposes a Gift Passport: a « voucher for a solidarity loan » which will helps a microentrepreneur to expand his/her activity)

-       Elevage sans frontières (is selling « a breeding animal pack » including the animal, its transport, beneficiary’s training, etc.)

In the era of consumerism, Solidarity Gifts represent ideal gifts for those who ran out of ideas but still want their present to be meaningful. Maybe you have never thought to give a cow or a tree plant as present but they can be a good gift for many families.

Bibliography

-       http://www.babyloan.org/en/passports

-       http://www.associazionesonia.org/en/solidarity-gifts.html

-       http://bilder.buecher.de/zusatz/21/21047/21047691_lese_1.pdf

-       http://www.elevagessansfrontieres.org/dons-et-legs/offrir-un-animal

LBGT

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LBGT  -  by Claire MANDON

Lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people are among the most persecuted individuals in the world today. Seventy-eight nations criminalize same-sex relations. Seven of these apply the death penalty for consensual same-sex conduct. In many more countries, LGBTI people regularly face harassment, arrest, interrogation, torture and beatings.  LGBTI refugees, as forced migrants and sexual minorities, are "doubly marginalized." In this context, the Lesbian and Gaypride Montpellier Languedoc Roussillon, as many other LGBTI's associations, receives constantly LGBT's asylum seekers. The association help them trought gathering as much information as possible about the discrimination and violence they suffer in their own country. The aim : making up a convincing application to obtain the refugee statute in France.

Sergey is one of those asylum seekers, coming from Kazakhstan and this is his story :

« In 1990, I moved with my parents in the region of Orenbourg (Russia). We lived in a small village. Quickly, people of my age started to laught at me and refused to have any contact with me. Because of my eyes, they gave me a girl name. I was not able to talk about my private life. After that, I began working in brick factory. I had a lonely life, and I was very withdrawn by fear of rumors. But at work, everybody began to talk about me behind my back. One day, the word « gay » appears in my pay slip. I was very surprised but also angry and at this time, signs of depression appeared. At night, boys were constantly calling me and laugthing at me. I lived this situation during thirteen years. Seeing my sufferings,  my mother decided to move in the region of Kalingrad, thinking that people were more tolerant towards gay people.  In 2003, we bought a flat in the seaside and we started a new life ».

« I was hired as painter. I was thirty three and still single. People started asking me questions about it. Throught internet, I meet a boy and we started to see each other secretly.  December 31, I was getting ready to go to his place in order to celebrate New Year together.  Close to his house, I saw my neighbour Andrey and other boys, all living in my village. They were totally drunk. Andrey called my name et asked me for a cigarette. When I told him that I didn't smoke, he asked « faggots don't smoke ? ». I wanted to leave but Andrey, who was younger and stronger than me, took me and threw me on the frozen floor. He laid down on me and breathed out on my face laughting. After that, I picked up and I ran to my house. Boys were yelling « fag, hermaphrodite ». Given that I had many scars on my back and I decided to go to the police to press charges. My statement was denied by the police who said « They are boys, you know them and their mentality. If you are affraid, stay at home » ».

« Because of those events, I felt again into a serious depression.  In february I went to a psychiatrist thinking he would help me. I told my doctor that I was gay and that I was in a deadlock hopping to die. The doctor listened to me and advise me to go to the Serbeskova Institute in Moscou to cure my homosexuality. I was against this idea knowing that homosexuality was not a disease. After a long speech about homosexuality contagiousness, he prescribed me an antidepressant and send me back home ».

« At the beggining of July, I found the word « Gay » on my  front door. Right at this moment, I understood that staying in Russia was too dangerous, especially since the promulgation of a new law prohibitting the spreading of homosexuality in different regions. I took the decision to run away in France, hearing that Montpellier was very tolerant towards gay people. July 24^th I left Russia. In case of return, I'll be in danger and I won't bear any other humilation ».

« I ask protection to France ».

Cultural codes and cultural sensibility

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   Cultural codes and cultural sensibility

by  Sarah Dauphin and Servane Fouillen 

We  have all already travelled or worked abroad.
We have all tried to assimilate in another country, whether it was for a short time or not.
But who has ever been abroad and managed to avoid making any cultural misunderstanding?
Hopefully, these cultural misunderstandings often lead to funny stories you can tell your relatives when you come back!

As a crazy Erasmus student, I have already entered a Finnish sauna with my swimsuit. How dirty it must have seemed for my Finnish naked neighbors! 

As an intern in Palestine, I have already proudly told the taxi driver an address in Arabic, and ended up in a completely different place. How confusing it must have been for the taxi driver!

As an adventure tourist, I have already paid my tomatoes in Burkina Faso by giving my coins from my right hand. How non respectful it must ahve been for the storekeeper!

As a tourist, I have already entered an Italian church with a tank top. How shocking it must have been for my neighbors!

But these cultural anecdotes are not funny anymore when they illustrate a denial of one other’s culture, a refusal of trying to understand and adapt.
Unfortunately, these cultural misunderstandings can also happened at work, and in the humanitarian sector they can lead to a project that is not adapted to the context and the cultural aspects of the country.

As an expat, I have already participated in the building of concrete toilets in Africa. But what if the beneficiaries prefer their own way of sanitary and keep closed this useless white building, which doesn’t fit in between all the red-soil houses?

As an intern, I have already seen some condoms distributed by an NGO hanging on trees in Benin because people were sure that AIDS comes from Vodoun. So condoms on trees were used as protection against Vodoun.

It is not always easy to understand another culture than yours, but in the humanitarian sector, it is essential. The needs of the beneficiaries during a crisis are often the same: food, shelter, medical and psychosocial care. But each crisis is different because of its environment and its context. We often attribute our cultural mistakes to the others: they are “weird”, “savages”, “not educated”, “less regarding”, “exotic”. But just think a minute, what if humanitarian workers from Southern countries come to save lovely France and lovely French?

How about African elderlies who would arrive in our towns… naked breast?

How about Birman women who would arrive in France and try to make us healthy by putting on all our faces their green Thanaka powder?

How about people from Burkina Faso who would feed us with caterpillar sandwiches ?

This is just to make you reflect on the impact of being a cultural-non-curious tourist or worker,
… just to encourage you to think about your behavior abroad,

… just to make you aware of the importance of being careful with our own cultural approach.

The 5 stereotypes of a typical humanitarian worker by Ghizlaine AHMANE and Eléonore CHAZOT

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The 5 stereotypes of a typical humanitarian worker

1)     No, humanitarians workers are not all communists or ecologists ! Just like everyone, We enjoy having twenty minute showers (without thinking about mother Earth), taking our 4x4 to work every day, and complain about paying taxes!

2)     We do not wear only hippy clothes, have dread locks and smock joints. Zara, H&M and Gap are also our favorite shops. We do watch TV reality shows, and love having a smart phone.

3)     No, we are not idealistic, nor love and help everyone. We are not ready to go on the field anywhere including dangerous areas. We first check if it’s a good (safe?) area to travel, if it’s sunny and if there’s a swimming pool in the estate !

4)     Don’t be mistaken, it’s not easy to work in an Non-Governmental Organization. Just like anyone searching for employment, we also need good skills and related work experiences in order to find a job. Take a look yourself at the job offers : you must have eight years of studies and speak five languages to find a job as a secretary. So, please, do not think that we imposters !!

5)     Most of all, not all of us have personal problems that we try to solve by helping others, this is a prejudice. We are as healthy as you are! It’s not that crazy to try to help, right (is it?) ?

The Business of Voluntary Work

By Yasmine Ayari

If it can be shocking to link the words “business” and “voluntary”, it’s still less shocking than the real facts it refers to. I decided to gather these contradictory words together under an oxymoron to reveal the paradox and show the absurdity it implies. In effect, what I mean by “business of voluntary work” is the fact that some so-called organizations (such as Projects Abroad, ProWorld and many others) make volunteers pay a lot more than they should to get the opportunity to intervene abroad.

Projects Abroad is an “international volunteer organization” (but it is a company, not an NGO) which allows people to volunteer for charities around the world, but more particularly in developing countries. The organization makes them pay a certain amount per month in order to cover the food and accommodation fees and for other services such as individual counseling and support during the whole mission, an insurance policy and the transportation from the airport to the project’s place. The price does not include however the transportation fees from the departing country to the arriving country. This can be appealing for people who don’t want to be left to their own devices when they go abroad and find it reassuring to benefit from an individual counseling and support, or who don’t want to organize by themselves their mission, because they don’t have to worry about accommodation and finding an NGO to volunteer.

I myself have already been interested in the volunteering opportunities that Projects Abroad offers, and I’ve even already benefited from this kind of services where you “pay to volunteer”, but through another structure (which is an NGO and where the prices are ten times lower). Indeed, the rates applied by Projects Abroad are really prohibitive, but also very questionable considering the living cost in the countries where they send volunteers. For example, in India, a volunteer must pay from 1500 to 1800 Euros just for one month. To have already been in this country as a volunteer and as an intern, I can testify that it’s way too much for the services provided.

What I find more shocking in these practices is not so much the fact of making profit from people’s gullibility by making them pay huge amounts of money but the fact of generating profits from voluntary work. It also raises the paradox of investing money in these “organizations”, or let’s say companies, rather than in the NGOs which would be more useful for the projects they develop.

The Virtue of Selfishness

By Johnny Zakhia

The vVrtue of Selfishness is a book of ethics written by Ayn Rand.  She is the creator of a philosophical system called "Objectivism" that supports rational and ethical egoism, and rejects altruism. I will try to relate her concepts to the humanitarian world.

For Rand, “ethics is a code of values that guide man’s choices and action”, that is important because “nature does not provide man with an automatic form of survival”, therefore man must support his life on his own.

Understanding ethics sets the foundation for understanding why selfishness, the concern with one’s own interests, is virtuous and an objective necessity. Altruism is to value others above one's own self, which means to sacrifice oneself to others and is ultimately a form of slavery.

Ayn Rand is for rational egoism therefore she does not place a judgment on what we value, thus why I can relate this philosophy to humanitarian activities.  If we are helping someone it should be a trade where we are gaining something; for instance, satisfaction. The aid should not be a duty but a selfish choice. I think people that do not adopt this ethics in the humanitarian world are exposing themselves to mental fragilities and psychological difficulties in the face of the harsh reality of existence.

I urge everyone, especially those who do not agree with the selfish concept, to read this book and discover the ideas in greater depth. I don’t think that humanitarian motivation can be reduced to the binary thinking of selfishness versus altruism. I think that unconsciousness and emotions can play a significant role. For instance the desire to help can be the desire for dominance and for power seeking.

Of Mice And Men

The 8th of April or the World Rroma Day
By Adrian Spirchez 

There are nowadays, in Europe, between 12-15 millions Rroma people. They represent the largest ethnic minority of the European Union and the most neglected, by member states and societies, institutions and public opinion, by us. During my internship at Médecins du Monde – Mission Banlieu, I had the chance to meet a lot of Rroma families, of Romanian nationality, that chose to come to France in search of a better life. My job was to accompany the doctors on the field as a translator and a social & sanitary mediator for the Rroma patients that live in the slums located in the department of Seine-Saint-Denis – slums they were built without the permission of the local authorities. The miserable conditions they accept to live in – squalid barracks with no running water and improvised central heating, invaded by parasites and rats made me think, in a rather strange way, of the title and the plot of Steinbeck’s famous short story about the two solitary friends roving together in search of a better life. The 8th of April has been celebrated since 1990 as the International Rroma Day.  

The first World Rroma Congress was held on April 8th, 1971 near London, Great Britain, and funded by the World Council of Churches and the Government of India. The International Romani Union was created during the 2nd Romnai Congress, held in Prague seven years later in 1978.

This year an official announcement encouraged all Rromas to “gather at noon to cast flowers into our nearest river, sea, ocean. Let the spirit of the International Roma Day unite us!” And unity is exactly what is needed during this time of trouble, especially for the members of the European Rroma communities which after the famous Grenoble discourse of French president Nicolas Sarkozy, have been more than once abused by the forces of order – forces as confused as the institutions they are representing, when it comes to tackle the Rroma issue that is the needs and complains of a people who cherishes freedom more than anything. What do Rroma people understand by the virtues of freedom, a topic so much romanticized by artists of all kinds, is another matter, far more tricky which will consequently require far more space than the one allocated here. Let’s just mention that their understanding of freedom translates the need to rather disobey the establish order, either in Romania or in France for example, because culturally and socially they feel, and in many cases they are indeed, discriminated against by the majority. But the irony is that nobody can really say, in Romania or in Europe, if they are excluded because of the way they choose to live their life or if they live the way they do exactly because they are differentiated and thus marginalized. A vicious circle!