To think if teenage girls from a private school can afford plane tickets ...

[Morgansports]

.... To visit the orphanage in Africa that they have been fundraising for, then the orphanage would be better served by just receiving the money they spent on their tickets. Seriously, what actual use to the orphanage is a group of hair-flicking, ugg boot wearing blondes???

And the bit that made me laugh is that other parents at the school were asked to help fundraise for the girls' trip.

AIBU?

No, you didn't say 'always', pea -

you are all adamant that no one can possibly be as charitable and wonderful as you are'.

What you said was worse.....

My father used to administer a Third World fund and he said most of these school kids going out to 'help' really didn't have any particular useful skills to contribute. Basically they are going out to develop themselves and should really raise the funds themselves not collect for the trip as if it is for charity.

It's important to look q little deeper into these "charity" trips. How much does the company organising them make?

booy my mind is open

I have worked and lived in Africa. My DH is African and therefore my in laws. They are rural and remote. They live in a conflict zone. they have had a number of periods in their lives when they have been internally displaced refugees

in are talking about an orphanage. there is no way on this earth it would ever be considered that a group of teenage girls would be considered in anyway useful in a UK 'orphange'. there is no way that these girls should be helping the children in Africa with intimacies such as showering. You have no idea what traumas these children have endured. Not to even start to talk about FGM

like i said, I expect it will benefit the visitors. But maybe like moononastick i have a different perspective and think that the benefit to the orphangae/Africa is massively over stated.

The girls can actually develop a social conscience in the UK, meet different cultures in the UK etc etc They will have a great time Im sure. The choice isnt hang out in the park smoking, or go to Africa...there is plenty of stuff in the middle ground; which will be of bigger benefit to the benefactors

gotthemoononastick

I am at your attitude towards malaria.

Joan No need to send in the lecturers. They have lived it in their real lives over centuries. How patronising of you to assume residents of countries subjected to long histories of foreign 'intervention' would need educating on it, no matter how ironic you thought you were being. Such a typical attitude.....

mignonette

Are you quoting me in your last post because if you are, I didn't actually say that.

But it will look good on their uni application........

Do private schools not admit brunettes ?

Procrastinator

Thank you for that post. And is anybody arrogant enough to dispute the experiences of your relatives? Hope that all these gap year/school charity helpers have been CRB checked before helping out with ADL's, often alone and unsupervised.

and they will have some lovely stories about how 'they are so poor, but just so happy!

YANBU.

Worse are these US-style "benefit dinners". :(

"there is no way that these girls should be helping the children in Africa with intimacies such as showering."

oh i totally agree with you. these children should be getting professional care and support to deal with everything they have been through.... it's not happening though is it? so in the absence of someone who knows what they're doing teaching that girl to shower is it better that she is left dirty or helped to learn how to be clean on a daily basis? if those girls hadn't taught her, no-one else would have. the issue was being ignored in the orphanage.

mignonette, yours is the ignorant attitude. In many countries history is suppressed, retold, whatever. You can't assume people are aware of it or have the same perspective as you.

And your supposition that these people are going to blame their troubles on foreign aid is just absurd.

'and they will have some lovely stories about how 'they are so poor but just so happy.'

A somebody else astutely said, you are feriously protecting anybody from sterotyping Afircans but are happy to stereotype Western female teenagers

tove

Plenty of areas also are not.

Lived all over the World as a child/teen as father worked for an overseas company- Brazil, Mexico, Namibia, Taiwan, Belize.

I think Namibia is in Africa last time I checked......

peas I have not stereotype the teenage girls at all

mignonette

Again I'll ask you for clarifcation of your post at 13.19. Are you 'quoting' me?

Procrasstinator.

Er yes, you have.

Joan their persepctive is a lived perspective, not a taught one. It is seen their the prism of their own experiences.

Why is that so hard for you to grasp? And I never said they blamed their troubles on foreign aid. It is part of a complex set of challenges and problems. Some charities remain rooted in old colonial attitudes. The church led ones can be the worst offenders. NO religion should be 'promoted' via 'aid'.

why do you think the children in the orphange will be left unwashed?

I spent three years living and working in Kenya. I can assure you flies are rife, life is cheap and corruption is very big news.

i dont believe i have peas

could you show me, my post where i have stereotyped teenage girls?

No, Peas. What you said was worse in your earlier posts. That was a misstyped C+P meant to be qualified under another posters name. Sodding technology.

mignonette.

What was worse then?