Shoes. Let's get some.

Ooooh, home. I know this blog is all about my time in Vietnam... BUT I decided that I would make one more post. It's 3:30 A.M, the whole house is sleeping, and I can't (due to my raging case of jet lag). This may also have a little sumthin' sumthin' to do with it.
As I made my way east, across the Pacific, I began to think about all I have taken from this journey.
Being in Vietnam was nothing short of brilliant. Through the experiences there, I've managed to become curious about topics that I had never given thought to before. I find that people (especially Westerners) have a desire to equate quality of life in developing countries with that of their own. And although lifestyles in countries like Vietnam and Cambodia can seem less than desirable, the people living them know of nothing else. They have virtues, conversation, morals, stories, experiences, relationships, and intelligence, just like any developed country. When people first made their way to America hardships held firm ground for them too.
As a former member of a mock United Nations class, I believed wholeheartedly that financial assistance should be given to the countries struggling. Now, after seeing how the governments of these struggling countries function directly... I'm not too sure. People want to help places like Africa with material things including shoes/clothes, and I think that's great. However, giving shoes to a kid who has walked three miles to and from a water source since he could manage walking altogether doesn't move the society forward at all. His body creates calluses on his feet for the needed protection. Sure, having shoes for a few months is pretty swell but, what happens when he grows out of them? He returns to that walk with feet that have been sheltered from what they were made for. I'm not saying that material aid is worthless or that people should stop buying Tom's shoes... I'm just stating that the funds (given to causes with good intentions) need to benefit the society, not the individual.
I met a German girl, Ursala. She was in Vietnam to not only experience the great smells (ha!) but to talk about AIDS awareness in schools. According to Ursala, Vietnamese children who test positive for HIV/AIDS are not allowed to attend school. Period. The main concern being contamination through exposure to blood-borne pathogens. She told me that if a kid with the disease fell and had an open wound the pathogens are highly likely to not infect any one. Especially if the proper precautions are taken. She's trying to educate the general public about how to deal with, manage, and live with a world containing diseases. These children are the future of Vietnam. They need an education too. These children could be leaders advancing this developing nation to conditions acceptable to Westerner opinions. But not every person like Ursala has the money to fly to these countries and accomplish this. Send money to programs that promote and finance education. That's what is going to propel developing countries into healthy competition. Right?