Slt !!!
sujet 2 = Why volunteeering is important ?
In my opinion, this question is quite weird. We all know about poverty, homeless people sleeping rough. We've all seen on TV during the News disasters in foreign countries as earthquakes, tsunami. I think as well we all aware of mistreatments, starvation when it's not raining, exploitation of childhood, men and women working for textile industry for example.
You may wear blinkers (avoir des oeillères), but it's time to to get them off.
There's one way to visualize the impact of volunteers. Imagine if, just one day,
no volunteer would show up ?
Many NGO (Non Governmental Organization exist. They aren't part of the goverment; they are run by volunteers most of the time.
Some get involved in Environment as Greenpeace, WWF, Sea Sheperd Conservation Society..
Some as Amnesty International, are fighting for Human Rights..
Some , as Care, Unicef, ACT (action contre la faim),DSF (douleur sans frontières) MSF etc...(it's not possible to name them all) are mainly struggling to send emergency help. Human help with doctors and their knowledge to try to cure in foreign countries, to help when a new virus as Ebola appear, to teach and explain people how they should behave whith diseases ( as AIDS) . They sometimes stay abroad for several months, working for free.
Some volunteers are bringing their knowledge to help building schools, houses, dig wells to get water and improve life conditions
If you don't have the skills for those jobs, some of them might need your help for administrative tasks, to raise funds, to promote their action by going on the streets and explain what their charity is fighting for. Some people will stop to listen and will feel concerned about it, some will pass their way.
Some of those NGO organize a partnership with schools, mainly primary schools. They ask schools to organize a race competition, or ask younger to do drawings. Meanwhile, a volunteer will come and explain why they're asking to do this , for who they're doing it. They'll explain it with simple worlds so the children will feel helpfull, big-hearted and rewarding.
If you want to become an anonymous donor, think first why , and what for you want to get engaged. Why this NGO and why not another one. It's very personnal, but once you get involved, you must be faithfull. Donating a few euros monthly is a great thing. It's not necesary to give a lot (if you can, that's fine) but it's better, I think, to give regularly than a lot only once. Then they send you letters to inform you. You can also be in contact with a child and send him or her drawings, letters. They'll do the same for you and it's a mutual aid once more
If you don't want to get involved in NGO, because you might not trust them, you can act all alone. There's probably, someone in your neighbourhood who feels
lonely or needs help. Someone old living alone, someone handicaped or just badly injured . Just stop by, once or twice a week. You bring them drugs if they need to, do the shopping (for food), buy the newspaper, anything and spend fifteen minutes to keep company.
If you're living in a big city, you've seen homeless people sitting down on the pavement sometime asking for money. If they aren't too warm up with alcoohol, buy a cup of coffee, a sandwich and a bottle of water and sit next to them . My (mum ?X) always do that. The first time, I was really young, I didn't understand. Those people that no one look at ,as if they were invisible. You cross the street to avoid them. But if you talk to them , they're like you and me. Except that something happened once. We met a man who was on the street since eight years . He was a wealthy architect, had a family. His society went into liquidation, couldn't find another job, his family didn't follow him, he had to pay children supports and that was it ! And he told us how important it was to feel still a human being when people were looking at him with a smile
You can spend some of your time in alimentary banks to help delivering food. You can bring clothes , shoes you don't wear anymore, all kind of things to local charities.
To conclude, I'd like to telle you a story .A few years after Mother Teresa had her Peace Nobel Price in 1979, my (x) was visiting India for a few months. She was only 23 years old . She happened to stay in Calcutta. She was wandering if this catholic organization was a drop in the ocean or really efficient. Therefore, she went there to have a look. On her way, she realized that it was wrong. If she really wanted how it functionned, she had to volunteer. That's what she did for two months. Things,she told me were not modern are they are now, and she found it very difficult the first few days. She felt repulsion for those women.
