AustralianInKenya
04-06-10, 22:33
Hi,
Just wondering if anyone has any advice (especially if you have also been through a similar experience).
I head an NGO here in Kenya and have been here for 14 months. We support and work with HIV+ men and youth (male and female) and sex workers and other vulnerable groups, with a particular focus on keeping a grass-root approach. This means I spend a lot of time in the slums (for those of you who know Kenya, I mean Korogocho, Kibera, Soweto and in Mlolongo) and meeting with the communities. I pay a particular focus on gathering first hand evidence from talking to individual community members (ordinary men, women, children, drunkards and those high from glue sniffing, as well as the [often corrupt] community leaders and local administrators).
This brings about many benefits, especially in terms of knowledge, understanding, trust and respect, as well as being personally rewarding. But the stresses of hearing these life and death / poverty line stories of heartache, pain, despair, frustration and anger and then added to that the "what can you do to help?" or "we need you to do ??? for me/us!" or worse the "you're not doing enough!" statements is very draining and depressing.
As much as I know I and my team and doing all we can, extra pressure is added in huge loads to constantly be raising (or begging) for funds/donations, raising awareness and trying to educate the public (both domestically and internationally) of the reality of the situation and what can be done (in a sustainable and accountable means), contrary to all the "aid is bad" publications that are all the rage at the moment (I urge all of these authors to spend months working in the slums so as to understand that foreign aid is only bad when given to the stakeholders that should ultimately be responsible for the problems, i.e. governments, when the poorest of the poor and vulnerable need the urgent and basic needs of health, food, safe water, shelter and education/training).
Anyway, I'll end that there as I could go on forever! What results from these stresses is a constant, nagging depression that can sometimes become overwhelming. In addition a feeling of hopelessness, awe and horror at the size of the problem and guilt that I can not be doing more to help.
Any advice on how to cope (that are cost effective) would be greatly appreciated! If you want to know more about what I'm doing, you can always go to our website, www.umayafrica.org.
Thanks and cheers!
Adam
Just wondering if anyone has any advice (especially if you have also been through a similar experience).
I head an NGO here in Kenya and have been here for 14 months. We support and work with HIV+ men and youth (male and female) and sex workers and other vulnerable groups, with a particular focus on keeping a grass-root approach. This means I spend a lot of time in the slums (for those of you who know Kenya, I mean Korogocho, Kibera, Soweto and in Mlolongo) and meeting with the communities. I pay a particular focus on gathering first hand evidence from talking to individual community members (ordinary men, women, children, drunkards and those high from glue sniffing, as well as the [often corrupt] community leaders and local administrators).
This brings about many benefits, especially in terms of knowledge, understanding, trust and respect, as well as being personally rewarding. But the stresses of hearing these life and death / poverty line stories of heartache, pain, despair, frustration and anger and then added to that the "what can you do to help?" or "we need you to do ??? for me/us!" or worse the "you're not doing enough!" statements is very draining and depressing.
As much as I know I and my team and doing all we can, extra pressure is added in huge loads to constantly be raising (or begging) for funds/donations, raising awareness and trying to educate the public (both domestically and internationally) of the reality of the situation and what can be done (in a sustainable and accountable means), contrary to all the "aid is bad" publications that are all the rage at the moment (I urge all of these authors to spend months working in the slums so as to understand that foreign aid is only bad when given to the stakeholders that should ultimately be responsible for the problems, i.e. governments, when the poorest of the poor and vulnerable need the urgent and basic needs of health, food, safe water, shelter and education/training).
Anyway, I'll end that there as I could go on forever! What results from these stresses is a constant, nagging depression that can sometimes become overwhelming. In addition a feeling of hopelessness, awe and horror at the size of the problem and guilt that I can not be doing more to help.
Any advice on how to cope (that are cost effective) would be greatly appreciated! If you want to know more about what I'm doing, you can always go to our website, www.umayafrica.org.
Thanks and cheers!
Adam