I'm not depressed honest
Trip Start
Jun 30, 2004
1
12
18
Trip End
Sep 15, 2004
Still Lomé,
Togo
Tuesday, August 24, 2004
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I was angry on sunday about a lot of things and I have never been particularly good at expressing myself in writing and I didnt reread the entry before I published it so I never really thought that I was slightly condeming the expats at the party, And upon reflection now (after being cornered by one of them...ahem sarah) There are alot of peole who do good work, infact at the same party a lady whos husband is working out here asked to come and see my Village, tosee how she could help. To move on positively there is alot of good being done in the country too, the simple presence of NGO's and expats give a lot of people employment and thus a living which cant be ignored.
To eveyone who has written to me (jwac26@yahoo.co.uk) thank you for your comments, It is nice to see what I said has got people thinking.
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But the real point of the last entry was this, I realised that I am a very very lucky man, I'm a student in the UK, the entire funding of this project shows how lucky I am, I got sponsered, I had to pay for some of it, but the point is I could pay for it, by working in a part time job!
I get asked almost everyday if Ill help someone come to the UK, when I looked at it it would take an average local one YEAR to pay for the flight (about 600 GBP)!!
The reality is I realised I have so many chances, so many oppurtunities, I'll go home, continue studying and hopefully maybe get a job that can make a difference;
And I want to do that; but.....the problem is so massive its not like theres a simple choice, of course if everyone at the party was told "you can either come in have a good time, or go home and we'll use the money to save 3 lives" they would choose to save the lives; but there isnt a choice thats why I have come to belive its the little things that make the difference;
-The expat who pays a good wage to his maid/driver/gardener but also helps them with health care, and education
-The NGO who pays 85 percent of healthcare costs to its workers and 50 percent of their immediate family,
-The local who insists the housemaid they employ (whos 12) works a few hours a day on her education (to fire her for her age would mean she wouldnt be able to support her family)
-The massive TNC who gives free anti-retroviral drugs to its employees and their familys, (these drugs are against HIV/AIDS)
-Big Trans-National Companies(TNC's) are actually doing really good things, for example outside almost every SHELL garage there are AIDS Awareness posters,
-There are health clinics in the "interior" of the country where nuns/sisters charge only 100 CFA (10 British Pence) for any sort of treatment they can give.
These are the people I respect, they are never going the change the system but they are doing what they can,
By the way the "Massive TNC" is rather surprisingly CocaCola!!
Ive got 7 days left working at the village I the next entrys will be more about the children I promise!!
Johnny
