You think the US has poor people?

[Ecofarm]

This ends up as a circular argument though. It doesn't matter what program you look at, it needs money to function. Whether it be missionaries, NGO's, USAid, or the Peace Corps. The people who are in them need money to live where they are, they need money to get there, and they need money to perform their necessary functions. People are more important than money, but money is still necessary. Particularly when it comes to recruiting.

My real hope is that people will do it alone.

I arrived in Kenya with only 1 contact provided to me by a friend. I was able to find lodging at the school (KIOF) for ~$100/month (it served as home-base). Then I travelled and stayed with villagers, exchanging days of labor and a small amount of cash for food and lodging.

If someone has the inspiration, they can do it on their own and find a job.

I know, it's unrealistic, but imagine a million people going on their own - no administrative or recruiting costs, no organization at all. Just people, making a difference and discovering a better life.

 

[Joker85]

My real hope is that people will do it alone.

I arrived in Kenya with only 1 contact provided to me by a friend. I was able to find lodging at the school (KIOF) for ~$100/month (it served as home-base). Then I travelled and stayed with villagers, exchanging days of labor and a small amount of cash for food and lodging.

If someone has the inspiration, they can do it on their own and find a job.

I know, it's unrealistic, but imagine a million people going on their own - no administrative or recruiting costs, no organization at all. Just people, making a difference and discovering a better life.

Except that its not a better life. Not to most people. You may very well think we are all just conditioned to enjoy modern comforts and if only we went back to how we were truly meant to live wed find inner peace and all that. But most people do not.

If it was truly a better life, you wouldn't be trying to talk random strangers on an internet gaming forum into going there.

The reason there is a need for people to "help" them is because their lives and countries are so terrible.

There is nothing better to discover except that there is a lot of . .. .. .. . in the . .. .. .. .. .. .. . of the world. Which comes as no surprise. But in the end this dances with wolves "youll find true happiness living 500-1500 years behind civilized society" myth is just that. Im sure there are a few people who do, you yourself claiming to be one.

Besides, its foolish to assume that helping "really" poor people in Africa rather than "locally poor" people in your own country is somehow for the greater good. For all you know that one inner city kid you help stay out of trouble and stay in school goes on to college and discovers the cure for some form of cancer and saves millions and millions of lives. I'll help those in need in my own family before those in my country. And I'll help those in need in my country before those in the rest of the world. I'm sure that makes me a terrible global citizen. But guess what, I'm not a global citizen. I am a citizen of the United States of America.

 

[FriendlyFire]

I know, it's unrealistic, but imagine a million people going on their own - no administrative or recruiting costs, no organization at all. Just people, making a difference and discovering a better life.

Laudable but having seen what can happen overnight most recently in Kenya with the disputed elections literally almost causing a civil war. You would need a large scale organisation for this preferably with surfficent government influence.