Quote:
Originally Posted by The Reaper
Just a thought here.
I was on my umpteenth deployment to Latin America and we were doing our usual assistance missions with fixing up local schools, med facilities, etc.
It was a Saturday morning and we had a bunch of American soldiers down at the local school painting it.
I looked around outside during a break, and the school grounds were full of the kids' parents, watching the gringos paint their kids' school.
Now don't get me wrong, I think assistance to the indig is a big part of what we do, and the kids certainly deserved it. But if the parents of the kids didn't think the school needed paint badly enough to grab a U.S.G. purchased brush and pitch in on a day off, I am not sure that we should.
In the future, we agreed to do the technical and major mechanical work, and to purchase materials for a "community day", if the locals wanted to help clean up and paint, then we would work alongside them. If not, it was no big deal.
Probably back to the old "teach a man to fish...." line.
Just my .02.
TR
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TR you are so right. We would also go in down here and the local military or the locals in the Pueblo would stand and watch. I would then go get them and say if you want to make you home nice you have to work and help us. Usually they would pitch in. One time in Honduras the Locals said we were there to do the work as promised by the MAAG a month before. Well we stopped what we were doing and packed up. They were outraged. We went back to the hooch and I got the MAAG on the phone and had a discussion with the Idiot that said the we were doing all the Painting/digging/etc and told him that he had F$#@d it all up and he had no right to make such stupid statements. He was some dumb FAO. He actually came out 2 days later and talked to the Mayor and School Master and got the village involved. They will not value the help if they do not have a hand/stake in it. Just look at the Projects in the US. They could care less about most of them and they are in a disastrous state.
TS/Peregrino
I am thinking about working with passably AID to get a well for the village. I have dropped off a message for the POC on the other building.
You guys are making those cobwebs shake and bringing up memories that were a little foggy.
If anyone else has ideas I am open for more to make the best decision for the girls. Thanks
