12/21/2023 Bikepacking Senegal Day 135 : Stupid Toubab

After the last two posts, you may be thinking that I’m a stupid Toubab who gives to the scammers and most of the time denies treats to the sweet and innocent children. You may think I’m hypocrite for giving out junk food after moaning that others have ruined communities by doing this. If you noticed that, GOOD. You have been paying attention, and you may not be too far off base.

Here is the deal: The last two days were really fun for me - maybe the most delightful of the trip. Handing out gifts and treats is FUN. It’s a rush. I confess that will probably do it again. But I also feel guilty about it too.

You may wonder why I’m talking about this all the time. It’s because my life here is a string of “give me” session, punctuated by meaningful conversations with people who I really like. I decided to take a rest day tomorrow. My body is perfectly fine: It’s raring to go with a healed achilles and high level of fitness. The rest day is so I can hide out in a hotel and get a 36 hour break from people asking me for things. In some places, the demanding is intense and even aggressive. In other places, it’s entirely absent. On the last ~15 miles into Tamba, aggressive asking reappeared.

I saw something that disturbed me today.
(December 22):

It’s the day after this activity; my rest day, and I’m exploring Tamba. Have you heard of an organization called “World Vision?” As I wander the streets, SUVs with “World Vision” painted on the side are carelessly parked, blocking the sidewalk. The vehicles are crowded inside; each with 5 or 6 nicely dressed adults nom-nom-ing on Fast Food in wrappers (not McDonalds; but local fast food). The windows are all up, and the vehicles are surrounded on all sides by begging children looking in the windows, watching as the adults chow down.

I looked up “World Vision” when I got back to my room. Their mission statement is:

“The objective of World Vision Senegal is to help children and members of the community become stronger and recover economically. In addition, they strive to improve children's health and nutrition.”

The scene was contradictory and depressing, but I don’t think they were any more wrong than me when I say “no” most of the day. What do I expect these guys to do… open the doors of the SUVs and pour out food? They would get mobbed. And if they did, would it make things better in the long run?

I’ve been reading most of the day about that topic, and the research says no. In fact, several paper authors argue that foreign aid just makes things worse in the long term, backing it up with data.

For me, a big part of what I enjoy are the days when I filter well water, sleep in my tent, and eat simple foods that generated no trash. Obviously, this isn’t the definition of happiness for everyone, but I think back to “Alvin” from yesterday’s post:

Isn’t it ironic that he already has that kind of dreamy ascetic life? The desert really is browner on the other side.

Yesterday, Alvin walked away from the field beaming with happiness and cash. But how the heck is he going to split that up fairly and make everybody satisfied? Even if he succeeds, once it is gone, then what?

My point is that careless giving has consequences. The people who come to Africa in their RVs can roll up their windows and duck their heads in the metaphorical sand, but on a bicycle that goes 3mph in the real sand, there is nowhere to hide from the footprints of “make-ME-feel-good” giving. Even being hyper-sensitive to the issue, I’m a guilty party… yet I’ll do it again.

I hope this post doesn’t make you too sad. If it makes you uncomfortable and conflicted, that is great; you’re getting a real feel for what it is like to be here without the air fare! This stuff has been going on for a long time. Having it “in your face” daily just makes me think very hard about responsible giving - how do you help without hurting?

The last time I asked my 12 year old niece “what do you want to be when you grow up,” she replied, “I want to help people. Maybe a social worker.” You bet that response melted my heart. She’s one of the most empathetic people I know. When she was little and we would read book, her first questions were not about the plot; she’d point to the people and ask, “Why is he sad? Why is she happy?” It inspires me that she wants to help others at such a young age. I know my niece reads some of these entries, and it excites me to think of her wrapping her young mental acuity around these complex problems at an early age. How can we help other people, but do it right?

Meanwhile, I have no real solution. I’ll just continue to proceed as thoughtfully as possible. It may appear haphazard as I come up with some axiom as to why one person deserves charity, and another does not.

I still hand out sardines.

🐠