Motivation

People have different reasons for engaging in activities. Those reasons can be selfish, they can be selfless, they can be resume building, altruistic…you name it it’s a reason.

The first time I brought up a project idea here the response was, “what’s the motivation?” Having just arrived at site I responded, “If they want to (do the activity).” My counterpart looked at me as if I didn’t understand the question and then said, “If people are going to come to this project (I think it was when I first had the CPR project idea) then they’re going to want money to come.” I explained that the course is actually quite costly in the US (maybe a slight exaggeration) but we would be doing it for free and that should be the motivation in itself. He gave me this dubious look that said, “I see where you’re coming from but I’m not sure other people will.” So we decided that if we got the support of the higher up agencies (those responsible for the nurses, teachers, etc) then maybe the motivation issue wouldn’t pose that much of an issue.  Since then the project has been shelved indefinitely until I can find another way to approach the entire idea.

But the underlying problem remains the same. Being a volunteer without financial resources making an effort to work without financial resources in a capitalistic society built mainly around subsistence agriculture is a tough job. The way I see it is this, if I’m giving two years of my time to be here, and not make any money, then you can give up an hour of your time to learn a skill that will help you for years down the road.

To get people to do what you want them to do usually involves some ego stroking, telling them they’re special, and that they can really help. For example, for my exponential hygiene project (30 people teach 10 families each about personal hygiene) I worked with the centers of alphabetization (teaching people to read and write in moore) because well, these people can read and write to some degree, and the lessons covered in the moore books (yea, I read them too) deal with hygiene (like don’t pee in the well you get your water from). So I went to the groups, told them that everyone in the village respected them because they could read and write and because they were motivated, etc. It was most definitely true, but it also helped to get my point across. I also mentioned that because I’m a foreigner if I go around saying things people will listen but not necessarily adopt because I’m different and I don’t know how life really is here (and it’s true I’ve been here for 9 months- not 20 years). So by telling people that I can’t do this but they can- really helps people get going.

On the other hand, you have the incredibly altruistic people who will help you out no matter what you ask them to do, whether it be gathering people for a meeting, helping dig a 130 meter long trench, or coming along as a translator.

I guess it breaks down a little like this:

In different societies you have the same types of people. You have mean spirited people, you have nice people, you have motivated people, you have lazy people, you have happy people, you have depressed people, you have altruistic people, you have selfish people, and the list goes on. They might manifest themselves slightly differently but anyone that says people in the US are way different than people in Burkina Faso or vice-versa has to look harder because deep down, they’re not. Sure, they might have the whole not rushed, everything will work out mentality that the US doesn’t quite have but I don’t think that defines the people that defines a way of life.

So if this rule is true, can you count on the volunteerism and altruism of the people you’re trying to work with to aid with your projects (without overusing the same people and creating a burn out effect)?