How They See It

Friday, January 22, 2010

This morning I found myself in the company of a cab driver from Ethiopia. 

We were on our way from the Paris hotel in Las Vegas to the airport…my second attempt to get to San Diego.  Yesterday, I arrived at the airport and was standing in front of the Departures board when my flight was cancelled right before my eyes.  No kidding.  One second it was leaving out of gate C7 and the next, poof!  It was cancelled!  I headed through security and made my way to the gate of the next flight to San Diego.  While standing in line, that flight was cancelled….then the next flight…and the next….and so on, until I reached the gate agent who told me that all flights to San Diego had been cancelled.  She told me that the San Diego airport was closed, which I found rather odd.  I don’t believe that happens very often.  I later discovered that all flights initiating out of Las Vegas, San Francisco and Phoenix into San Diego had been cancelled and the airport was indeed closed. 

I actually didn’t have any complaints about having to head back to Paris.  My previous day had been so wonderful that I didn’t want it to end.  Once I was back at the Paris, I headed to the little café that serves wonderful Roasted Tomato soup and thoroughly enjoyed a cup of it.  I sipped my cappuccino as I watched people walk by and then headed to my room.  It was pouring rain outside and as I looked out my window at the Eiffel tower and the Bellagio fountains which were alive and dancing to the song Singing In The Rain by Frank Sinatra, I found myself once again relaxing….content to have a day ahead of me with nothing to do but read and write.  That doesn’t seem to happen often these days, which is what makes traveling to Vegas so very wonderful for me.  I love the escape from life.  The escape from schedules, from ongoing demands and expectations placed upon me.  Oh, I understand that in order for things to flow, there needs to be order, scheduling and expectations, but it is such a glorious feeling to be without…

But I digress.  As I was saying, this morning I found myself in the company of a cab driver from Ethiopia.  As we pulled away from the Paris, he asked me if I was ready to go.  I quickly said, “No”, but that at some point, one must return to reality.  He asked where home was for me to which I replied “San Francisco.”  I told him that I was headed to San Diego for the weekend and he asked if it was for work or pleasure.  There stood my gateway to telling yet another person about World Vision and the wonderful work it does.  “I’m attending a conference held by a non-profit, humanitarian organization called World Vision,” I said.  “Oh, I’m very familiar with World Vision,” said the driver.  He then began telling me about its’ presence in Ethiopia and throughout Africa.  I just listened as he told me of the wonderful people he had met over the years and how hard working and well respected the organization is. 

Then he dropped the bombshell.  “The problem is” he said, “The people of Ethiopia don’t ever see any of the money that comes into the country.  The government is horribly corrupt and they keep every dollar that comes in.  They tell all the humanitarian organizations that their money goes to the proper people, but that never happens.”  Then he said, “All we ever see is corn.  Just a tiny bit of corn for each person.  We are given it once a week.  Corn.  What are we to do with corn?  We cannot live on corn.  It is useless to us but they tell us that we should be grateful.”  He went on about the corn for the next 3 minutes.  It was very sad. 

I just listened as he spoke about his home country, which he loves so much.  He told me how beautiful it is and how he would love to still be living there but he couldn’t stand the corruption.  He feels fortunate to be living and working in the United States and doesn’t take his life of freedom for granted. 

It was then that I attempted to explain to him what I knew of World Vision and what makes it different from some other non-profit organizations.  I told him that I was relatively new to World Vision but I knew that of the money that is donated to the Child Sponsorship program, 89 percent of it goes directly to the community.  I could tell that he wanted so badly to believe me. 

He asked if I had ever traveled to Ethiopia and I told him that I hadn’t.  “When you travel to Ethiopia and throughout Africa, they (the government) fool you.  On the day that you are there, the health clinics are full, the schools are filled with children and everyone appears to be happy and well-tended.  This is all a lie, though, just to make you feel good and to try to convince you that your money really is going through the proper channels.  The government knows that if you see suffering, empty schools and clinics, you will stop sending your money, and then our country will suffer.  So they perpetuate the lie.  For their own gain.  And nobody ever knows.  Except the people of Ethiopia who are so impoverished.” 

I was so saddened by all that he had to say.  I do believe that the government in Ethiopia and in so many other countries is corrupt.  I believe that there are many instances where monies donated never make it to their intended destination.  I found this information on the World Vision website:

“At World Vision, stewardship is an integral part of everything we do — because we recognize that every resource entrusted to us can transform real children's lives.

As part of our stewardship, we optimize resources and distribute them where they are needed most.

We carefully monitor and review programs and costs, use donations and grants for their intended purposes, and look for ways to leverage funds for maximum impact.

In addition, we continually strive to keep our overhead rate low. In 2009, 89 percent of our total operating expenses were used for programs that benefit children, families, and communities in need.

Our effectiveness has earned the trust and support of nearly a million donors, thousands of churches, and hundreds of corporations, institutions, and government agencies around the globe.”

I believe that the money that is donated to World Vision truly does make it to the people who need it most.  The more I learn about this organization, the more impressed I am with it and I am proud to be connected to it.  I am glad to have been able to tell my cab driver today what I knew of World Vision’s work and I hope that he will think about my words and perhaps at some point, believe what I had to say.