Feeling bad is not enough

Reaching out and helping another person in crisis is one of the most instinctive and natural gestures of humanity. Yet often we choose to forget about the misery of others, especially when it does not affect us at all.

Sure, we wince at the devastating news of human tragedy bombarding us from around the world – tsunamis, cyclones, typhoons, earthquakes, floods, droughts, fires, violence, sectarian infighting, and so on. But beyond feeling a little depressed about it, very few actually think to make an individual contribution that could help ease the crisis. Instead we remain complacent in the knowledge that 'they' will take care of it.

The 'they' we have in mind are corporations with corporate social responsibility budgets (CSR) and the many charities that work round-the-clock to reach help to the affected.
One of the more common inhibitions in us is we often feel that our effort would be insignificant. After all, what help can an individual render? Wouldn't corporations and government agencies be better equipped to make a real difference? However, as the proverb goes, it takes every little drop to make the ocean.

If every individual comes forward to chip in his bit, the world could become a better place. Talking of making a contribution, one of the biggest myths we believe in is that we all have to donate only money in order to ease the crises erupting all over the world by the minute. Fact is, you don't always have to part with money. Yes, money is required, it is important.

But so are other kinds of contributons. Like time. For instance, if you have time, you can write fundraising letters, collect clothes and books, or use a special skill you possess towards easing the pain of others – there are so many ways to make a difference.

While organisations think of giving, helping and doing things for society as part of their CSR, each one of us can also have a sense of ISR (Individual Social Responsibility) towards the world we live in. An individual's effort does go a long way.

A case in point

Take Lauren Prince, a typical teenager from Maryland, USA who loved hanging around malls, catching up on fashion news and gossiping with her friends… until December 2004.

That was the year a tsunami washed away the lives and dreams of thousands of people in the coastal regions of Asia and proved a turning point for Lauren. As she watched the devastation on TV, she was moved beyond words and something changed in her.

She was determined to do her bit and help in any way she could. Lauren contacted Becky Douglas, a family friend who ran a children's home and charity, Rising Star Outreach in Chennai, India.

Becky told her it would take at least $11,000 to rehabilitate a single village. Thousands of little fishing hamlets had been destroyed. Lauren set about raising the funds. She had no idea how, but she knew she had to do it.

She asked her school principal to hold a special assembly to garner support from students and their families. Her speech moved the audience so much that her sentiments caught the attention of everyone in her hometown. The local newspapers ran stories, local businessmen chipped in and Lauren's friend Sam Havaff held a fundraiser in North Carolina.

At the end of it all, Lauren's call for help made everyone rise to the occasion and she collected $110,000.

One girl's effort eased the pain of thousands, but more than that, it made Lauren realise the power every individual possess within himself or her and all you have to do is to realise it and harness it.

In fact from the funds raised, Lauren was able to help Becky start a small micro-credit scheme to rehabilitate villagers who had lost their source of livelihood. These loans went a long way in helping a cluster of villages get back up on their feet. Later, she and her friends visited the villages they had helped rehabilitate in India, and the poverty and love of the people changed her life forever.

Make a wish

There are many people, both young and old, like Lauren, who volunteer to help the sick, the needy and the poor.

Friday spoke to a couple of charity organisations in the UAE to understand the significance of volunteers and how important they are to this cause.

***
Khadija Warsama, a young UAE national and executive director of Make a Wish Foundation, UAE, began doing charity work while she was a student in the US. "I started working as a volunteer in the States with an environmental group called Grassroots and Hope Farm for autistic children.

That work gave me tremendous satisfaction and I resolved to continue doing it when I got home.

"When I got here, I read an article about Make a Wish and decided to enlist. I began working over weekends with community outreach to begin with." Her hard work paid off and Khadija was soon appointed executive director, a post she volunteered for.

Khadija believes strongly that all of us need to take up some work that is not inspired by any economic gain and is meant to make our community a better place to live in. "Giving is very important. Our foundation has a very large network of volunteers (unpaid staff) who offer their time and money to do service to society.

"In fact all six on our board of directors are volunteers. Our non-paid staff does administrative work, community outreach, presentations, goes out to meet representatives from corporations to communicate ideas and get them to finance the fulfilment of a wish. Essentially, the staff volunteers do the all-important work of being the bridge between society and the organisation. Then there are volunteers who are wish-makers, who connect with the family, or the child and build relationships.

"But one needs considerable emotional maturity to be a wish maker. Only volunteers who have worked with us for a long time and are ready to work with sick children are put to work in the field. There is a lot of emotional baggage to be handled in such cases.

"Our clients are little children who suffer from illnesses that affect their quality of life. Our aim is to give them hope, enjoyment and happiness.

Mostly individuals, rather than companies, carry out the wish fulfilments. "Recently, we had a little child who wished for a car large enough to carry his family. Young students from a school in Dubai and Abu Dhabi carried out the wish-fulfilment.

Students aged 10 to 15 worked hard organising events to raise funds and were very focused and determined. We often fulfil wishes made for a car, a laptop, a trip to Paris Disney and all of these wishes are often met
by individuals."

Khadija acknowledges that corporations do come forward to pay expenses incurred in wish fulfilment but says that no charity can work without the contribution of individual volunteers. "We have wealthy corporate sponsors who often make wishes come true, but it is these selfless volunteers who make the difference.

While money is significant, what is more important is that these volunteers donate their time, show their involvement and commitment to such ventures.

"I think time is more precious than money. It is easy to share money if you have surplus. But it is far more challenging to share your knowledge, your special skill or your time,
because that requires a commitment from you to have a far greater involvement with a project."

Becoming a volunteer

"We treat our volunteers like people who are applying for a job. We look at their skills, their interests, hobbies and so on and try and utilise their special features.

For instance, if someone is an accountant and he or she has time to volunteer, we would request that he or she come and handle our accounts."

Khadija thinks all of us need to do our bit. "I would recommend that everyone devote a part of his or her spare time to work like this. People need to give back to the community. Currently we do not have this culture here in the UAE. I think individuals can do a great job volunteering for a variety of things in society by extending a helping hand.

"Visiting people who do not have families here, dedicating time to sick or special needs children, taking care of the elderly... I think there is so much to be done and once a culture is established, every individual will realise that this brings such deep fulfilment and it makes you realise how easy it is to spread a little happiness.

The greatest reward for me is to see the priceless smile on a child's face.

"People ought to stop thinking only about their personal gratification and think about the larger picture."

There's Life out there

Hani Al Zubaidi is the financial development and marketing director of Life for Relief and Development, an NGO established in 1992 by Arab Americans. Hani, who joined the organisation after being moved by a fundraising event he attended, says, "I am the sole employee and look after marketing, finance, accounts and administration.

I also organise at least three to four local fundraising activities for special needs children and Palestinian orphans, arrange for medicines to be sent to Palestine and so on.

"I depend only on a network of kind-hearted volunteers who pitch in to make all this possible. The best thing is that most of our volunteers have been with us since we began four years ago. Recently we had a meet – The Dubai International Humanitarian Aid and Development conference – and what was surprising was the large number of young volunteers who had come in from schools, colleges and universities in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah.

"Most NGOs have no budget to spend on their marketing and self-promotion. I think the media can play an important role in participating in public service campaigns, to make people aware of the role of the volunteer. The world today has a culture of abundance, but it must also inculcate a culture of giving."

How to get involved

Volunteering is not only therapeutic for society, but it also helps you form a bond with the community you live in. If you have the time and want to do something, but don't know where to go, begin with the neighbourhood you live in.

You may not have money to spare, but if you have the right inclination, time, logistics or even just a caring ear, you can use a skill, your hands and your time to make your own contribution. The biggest resource is human resource and if every community were to use that judiciously, we would live in a better world.

Dubai's International Humanitarian City (IHC) acts as an interface between non-profit organisations and UAE residents who wish to lend a helping hand. It has an enrolment programme and your details will be filed in a volunteer database, so that organisations can contact you.

If you'd like to volunteer for a particular type of
charity, it's best to contact the organisation directly. Humanitarian voluntary work in the UAE can be sourced through the IHC.

It is also worth contacting charity runs in the region, such as the Terry Fox Run, which is held both in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Events such as these often ask for voluntary help with registration and other such activities on the actual day.

If you are thinking of running your own charity event, it is essential you contact the charity first.