Youth in Yangon

March 11th, 2013

Shanghai, China

Song of the Day: I'll make a man out of you (from Mulan)

Mood: A bit pooped (I've been recovering from a cold)

The kids of Yangon

Note: The pictures on this post will not directly tie to the words surrounding them to protect their privacy. As well, most of our work is with teenagers while there are some pictures of younger children here.

 

Liars, cheats, and thieves

People do whatever they need to in order to survive and care for themselves and their children. Desperation can create anti-social behaviors such as lying, cheating, and stealing. We've seen all of these behaviors repeatedly in our work with the Yangon street kids. At this point, it is virtually impossible to trust anything that comes out of the kids' and their parents' mouths.

These kids make terrible decisions. Some use glue. Others chew betel nut that stains their teeth. They almost never go to school or tutoring, even if it paid for. They gamble on the street. Most don't work. If they don't have enough money to take the bus home, they sleep in alleys, or on the floor of the train station. They lack long-term thinking.

Their home situations are heartbreaking. One boy's parents are dead. Another's father is dead and mother will be in jail for human trafficking for 2-10 years. 15 months after she was caught, there has been no sentencing. A third boy's father abandoned his family and ran off with another woman. Now the mother doesn't let him go to school so that he can earn money to support the family.

 

Even with all their problems, they are still kids. They like to be play sports. They like attention. They're curious. They like to learn. As easy as it is to dismiss them, these kids are still human beings who are loved by God. Sure, statistics predict that these kids will probably die early, never shape culture or make important discoveries, and will use up more of society's resources than they contribute. Yet, these kids still matter and deserve to be respected.

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For those of you who are interested, I added more thoughts on how to give most effectively.

People in poverty

Poverty research has shown that even when people have enough money to buy enough food to be over the poverty line, they continue to spend money on entertainment such as televisions and religious festivals. The poorest people are often willing to put up with hunger in order to dance, have fun or eat better tasting food.

If you are interested in helping people, it is essential to understand what drives them and help modify incentives so that people will want to help themselves. For example, malaria nets can save millions of lives, but even when many people in Africa receive malaria nets as gifts, the nets can sit unopened or unused. In part, it is a problem of education: they don't understand what the net is for. In part, it is a problem of understanding: they don't comprehend how using the net could save the lives of their children. In part, it is cultural: it is not in their culture to accept something as a gift. If they were charged a very small amount, the cost would make value the net more and they would actually use it. For anyone interested in development, you have to have empathy and really understand how other people operate and work in that reality. It is foolish to just put on a rich American view that if you give somebody something they will use it just as you expect.

The reason I find it difficult to have a less optimistic view of the situation is that it is emotionally difficult. Oftentimes, people with resources only travel for short periods of time. They see a need and want to address it by providing money. They simply don't have the time to be involved in the lives of the people they want to serve. Giving money makes people feel good without costing much time or though.

It is also hard because we have to assume that people don't want to help themselves in the way we think they should. We can't understand how anyone would pay for a religious festival when they don't have enough to eat, but it happens frequently. Even though many of the Yangon youth are Muslim, they spent a month's rent on a Hindu festival.

In addition, we have to come to grips with our own limitations. Just because we want something better for people we care about, it doesn't mean that they do in the sense that they are willing to put in the time, energy, and discipline to take advantage of opportunity. I hate to have to recognize my own powerlessness because it is humbling and discouraging. It's heartbreaking to watch the deterioration of someone you care about and know there is nothing you can do.

The closer that we can see situations as they true are, the more we can make decisions that are aligned with our values and make the largest impact. That should be the overall goal, but achieving it will take a lot of intentionality and effort to overcome our emotional resistance.

 

Rules and learnings

Here are a few basic rules I've used over the years working at MicroGrants, SNF, and talking to philanthropists:

1. Don't give money directly to the kids. Find a place and give the money for the kids so it never has to go through their hands.
2.  You are probably not qualified to determine who is worthy. Work with a partner agency that has a better understanding of the situation.
3. Set realistic expectations. When dealing with poor populations, you will have a lot of "failure." That's okay, is natural, and doesn't mean that trying to help isn't worth it.
4. Cons are good at what they do. Many people want to make an emotional connection with the people they help. Many of the artful dodgers we know here recognize that and use it as just one of their many tools to get more money. Don't expect that just because you give someone money they actually want to have a relationship with you. Just because someone is cute, doesn't mean they won't play you.
5. Time can be more valuable than money. Kids need emotional nourishment in addition to the provision of basic resources. Many of my Christian Yale friends' parents took jobs that made less money so that they could spend more time with their children. I don't know any child or parent that regrets it.
6. Match effort levels. You'll only burn yourself out if you continue to want to help people more than they want to help themselves.
7. Maintain humility. For reasons beyond our understanding, people respond different to the same incentives. Some of the kids will make it off the streets, while others will die here. For each kid, we are trying to do what is best, while also accepting our limitations.