When economic times are tough, it is very easy to get drawn in by the argument that Britain has enough of its own problems, without spending money to support development in other parts of the world. The real eye-opening moment for me came seven years ago when I joined a team from a small Italian NGO as a volunteer on a project working with children and families in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
We visited the homes of some of the families being supported by the project; tiny, one-room shacks not much bigger that a garden shed, cobbled together from whatever materials could be found and completely inadequate when it came to keeping out the rain. The entire family would live together in this one room, with no access to any type of washing, cooking or toilet facilities.
I kept a little diary of my thoughts and observations while I was there, and I can still vividly remember sitting on my bed in the little guesthouse where we were staying, struggling to put into words the emotions that were swirling round in my head. I realised that the only difference between me and the families that I had visited was where we happened to have been born. I had benefited from all the opportunities that come from growing up in a prosperous and politically stable country, and yet I realised that there was nothing about me that made me any more deserving of those opportunities than these children and their families.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that we are all born free and equal in dignity and rights. Fine words in theory, but in reality the geographical accident of our birth means that for many people trying to access the most basic of those rights is a lifelong struggle. I was nevertheless struck by the dignity of these people, and by the care, dedication and compassion of the staff of the local community based organisation that worked with the families to provide whatever support they could.
When I returned to Italy, I can remember being moved to indignant anger by the advertising campaign of a company selling electrical goods that had chosen the strapline "It's Your Right". I wanted to take a paintbrush to the hoardings on the metro and scrawl in huge letters "NO! Clean drinking water - that's a right. Access to basic education and healthcare - that's a right. The latest cinema-sized flat screen TV is not a right; it's a luxury!!"
I am not suggesting that we should not aspire to improving our own standard of living, or enjoy the benefits that come from living in a prosperous, developed country. However, I do think that perhaps we need to re-assess our perspective before asserting that, as a country, we have too many of our own problems to be able to lend a hand to those truly struggling against the odds.
The VSO project that I am working on here aims to improve the prospects for young migrant children growing up in Thailand by supporting them to make a really strong start to their education. Being successful in their education will be the key that will help them to break out from the marginalisation and poverty of the past and take up a strong and positive role in society in the future.
As a result of recent changes in Burma, many of the NGOs and other agencies that have been working on the border to support refugees and migrants are now moving to work within Burma instead. NGOs of course depend on funding from donors, and the pot is not bottomless. As donors shift their emphasis to Burma, the support for refugees and migrants in Thailand is gradually drying up. However, the reality for many refugees and migrants is that they have no safe home to return to and they will need to remain here in Thailand for years to come. A recent article published by Karen News highlights the concerns expressed by many organisations working on the border that deep cuts in international development aid mean that refugees are coming under pressure to return to Burma before it is really safe for them to do so.
Given the growing antipathy towards migrants that seems to be taking hold in the UK, I suppose I am being particularly optimistic to think that people will be moved by the plight of migrants to another country halfway round the world, but then that is the whole point of my argument. It doesn't matter where in the world people may find themselves - every human being is equally deserving of the same rights and opportunities and we should do whatever we can to make that a reality.
Well argued. I would love to have seen you with your paintbrush!
ReplyDelete