WHY DO YOU GIVE? | Picture This Festival 2018 | USA Finalist
Summary
TLDRThis video recounts a life-changing experience in Haiti, where extreme poverty and lack of clean water inspired a long-term commitment to bring sustainable solutions. The speakers describe witnessing the hardships of children too sick to attend school and how they decided to take action. Through providing clean water, building latrines, and offering hygiene education, they empower local communities to maintain their health and break the cycle of poverty. Their approach emphasizes community involvement, long-term partnership, and a commitment to making a lasting impact in regions that need it the most.
Takeaways
- 🌍 Experiencing extreme poverty in Haiti is a transformative experience.
- ❓ The question 'What are you going to do about it?' challenges individuals to take responsibility.
- 🇺🇸 Reflecting on the privilege of being born in a more affluent country.
- 💧 Recognizing that water-related issues are at the core of many health problems in impoverished areas.
- 🏫 Providing clean water enables children to attend school and mothers to contribute to their families' economic efforts.
- 🔄 The importance of long-term partnerships and commitments in addressing these issues.
- 👷♂️ Boots-on-the-ground organizations with local staff are essential for sustainable change.
- 📊 Community involvement, including small contributions, helps ensure the success of projects.
- 🔧 Expanding from water filters to broader initiatives like building latrines and rainwater harvesting systems.
- 🌟 Empowering local communities with tools and education leads to life-saving impacts and sustained progress.
Q & A
What impact did the visit to the poorest neighborhood in the hemisphere have on the speaker?
-The visit deeply affected the speaker, making them realize the stark differences in opportunities and the privilege of being born in a wealthier country like the United States.
What was the significant question posed by the director in Haiti that affected the speaker?
-The director asked, 'What are you guys gonna do about it?' This question made the speaker realize they had a responsibility to help and take action.
How did witnessing the conditions in Haiti influence the speaker's actions afterward?
-The speaker became motivated to help, particularly focusing on addressing the root cause of many issues they observed, such as water scarcity, by supporting families in the villages they visited.
Why does the speaker believe that their involvement is important in breaking the cycle of poverty?
-The speaker believes that by providing access to clean water and improving health, they are enabling children to attend school and mothers to participate in the economic effort, which can help break the cycle of poverty.
What does the speaker find most valuable about their ongoing commitment to the cause?
-The speaker values the long-term partnerships and the fact that their organization is committed to making a real, sustained impact in the regions they serve, rather than just offering one-off projects.
How does the organization ensure the sustainability of their projects in the communities they serve?
-The organization trains local people to maintain the projects, like water filters, and ensures community buy-in by having them contribute a small portion of the costs. They also provide ongoing education and training.
What additional projects has the organization expanded into beyond installing filters?
-The organization has expanded into building latrines, creating rainwater harvesting systems, and educating communities on health and hygiene.
How does the speaker describe the difference between simply donating money and their approach to making a difference?
-The speaker emphasizes that their work is an investment in the community's future rather than just a gift. They focus on empowering local people with the tools and knowledge to sustain improvements.
What motivates the speaker to continue their work despite the challenges?
-The speaker is recharged and motivated by reflecting on their trips and seeing the positive impact their work has on the communities. They are driven by a sense of greater purpose.
How does volunteering with the organization impact volunteers according to the speaker?
-Volunteering helps people understand the critical importance of water in the communities and the significance of the work being done, which can be deeply fulfilling and motivating.
Outlines
🚚 Encounter with Poverty and a Call to Action
The narrator recounts a transformative experience traveling through a poor neighborhood in Haiti, where they were confronted with the stark reality of poverty and the health issues it causes, particularly among children. The director's question about what they plan to do about the situation prompts a deep reflection on privilege and responsibility. The narrator expresses a commitment to make a difference, focusing on providing clean water as a means to break the cycle of poverty and improve health, allowing children to attend school and families to participate in the economy.
💧 The Power of Long-Term Partnership and Community Involvement
The script highlights the importance of establishing long-term partnerships over one-off projects in underprivileged regions. The narrator emphasizes the organization's boots-on-the-ground approach, with local staff implementing and following up on projects. The organization, 'Peer Wire for the World', trains community members to ensure the sustainability of water filters and promotes community buy-in by having locals contribute to the cost of the filters. This approach fosters a sense of ownership and pride among the community members.
🏡 Expanding Impact through Infrastructure and Education
The organization has evolved from merely installing water filters to designing and building latrines and teaching communities about rainwater harvesting systems. They also focus on educating 'water boys' and training teachers to integrate health and hygiene education into the curriculum. This comprehensive approach not only addresses immediate needs but also empowers community members to sustain these improvements and implement life-saving programs.
🌟 The Inspirational Impact of Community Empowerment
The narrator is deeply moved by witnessing the effectiveness of community members once they are equipped with the tools and knowledge to implement life-saving programs. The script conveys that the work is not just about donations but about making an investment in the community's future. The narrator encourages volunteers to share their experiences and the importance of their work, emphasizing that the impact of their efforts is profound and enduring.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Poverty
💡Haiti
💡Water
💡Long-term partnership
💡Community involvement
💡Education
💡Sustainability
💡Health and hygiene
💡Boots on the ground
💡Investment
Highlights
Witnessing the poorest neighborhood in the Hemisphere had a profound impact on the individuals, prompting them to consider their role and responsibility.
The director's question about what they would do about the poverty in Haiti challenged their preconceived notions and inspired action.
The stark reality of children too sick to attend school due to lack of clean water was a call to action for these individuals.
Upon returning from Haiti, the group committed to helping entire villages by providing clean water solutions.
The initiative aims to break the cycle of poverty by enabling children to attend school and mothers to contribute economically.
The organization emphasizes long-term partnerships rather than one-off projects, reflecting a deep commitment to the regions they serve.
Being a boots-on-the-ground organization, they ensure that the work is done by local staff, fostering a sense of ownership and community involvement.
The organization trains people within the communities to ensure the ongoing use and maintenance of water filters.
Community buy-in is achieved by having locals contribute a small portion of the filter costs, promoting a sense of investment in their own well-being.
The organization has evolved from installing filters to designing latrines and teaching communities about rainwater harvesting systems.
Education is a key component, with programs training teachers to integrate health and hygiene into their curriculum.
The effectiveness of community members in implementing life-saving programs is a source of inspiration and impact.
The work is not seen as a gift but an investment, with the aim of creating sustainable change in the communities served.
Volunteers are encouraged to continue their involvement and share their experiences after returning home.
The narrative emphasizes the importance of understanding the significance of water for the communities and the impact of the volunteers' work.
The organization's approach is about more than just providing services; it's about training and education for long-term sustainability.
The transcript conveys a sense of purpose and the transformative power of engaging with and supporting these communities.
Transcripts
you're bouncing around in the back of
the truck and seeing the poorest
neighborhood in our Hemisphere and it's
elbow-to-elbow
poverty it changes you and Haiti the
director at the time said to us what are
you guys gonna do about it
and that kind of took our breaths away
like I didn't know that I was supposed
to do anything about it what was it that
the gene pool favored me to be born in
the United States versus there
[Music]
we saw kids that were so sick too sick
to even go to school
seeing that water was the base of a lot
of this we got back we said how many
families were in the villages that we
saw can we help all of them to know that
I'm involved in something that's
breaking that cycle and allowing a child
to go to school as why I do it when
mothers don't have to stay home with
sick children they can join the economic
effort of the family I'm gonna be doing
this all my life I mean I will continue
to give because it's put into building
blocks of seeing true change now we can
come back and look at things in it with
a different light to me the biggest
thing is the long-term partnership it's
not a one-off project it's a real
commitment in a region that really needs
it I think what makes us stand out is
we're boots on the ground organization
where it's the staff in these countries
that does the work there's follow-up
peer wire for the world trains people in
the communities to go back and make sure
that the filters are still being used
correctly they get buy-in from the
community that they're serving by having
people pay some small portion of the
filter costs they love what their things
are because they're part of their
communities they're local I'm
low-balling we want to help our country
to the south we don't want to be called
a third country we might go up it's not
only about the filter and the service
that we provide them but it's also a lot
about the training and education we've
gone from installing filters to
designing and building latrines and
teaching communities how to build the
trains rainwater harvesting systems
we're educating water boys on how to
sustain the implementation of the
program training teachers how to
incorporate health and hygiene education
into their regular curriculum what
impacts me the most is to see the
effectiveness of the community members
once they're given the tools to
implement programs that they know are
going to save lives in their communities
it's less just people writing checks and
delivering it and saying okay I feel
good this isn't a gift this is an
investment all I have to do
is think about my last trip and I get
recharged yeah there's a greater purpose
in life and they found one here and I
tell them their work begins when they
get home that's carrying than his story
and
what drives me are different food
stories your helping us pushing cars in
the muds
hiking miles and miles to make our
projects successful volunteering with us
makes you understand our important water
is to them and how important is your
work and these are the stories I want to
tell
you
[Music]
[Music]
you
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