AP US History and Love Course: LC Honors Project #2: Volunteerism/Community Service and Journal

Community Service Project: Helping a small village near Santa Clara, Ecuador in the Amazon rainforest replace pipes, and also interacting with the children of that community

Program: World Challenge

Contact: Rachel Walker or Leah Crosby (teacher chaperones on the trip)

Duration of the Project: Live in the village for almost 6 days; Specifically work on replacing the pipes for 7 hours

DAY 1

Hour 1 & 2: We woke up super early so that we’d be ready to meet some of the villagers who were going to help us at 8:00 AM. Everyone was incredibly excited, as this, for most of us, was what we had been looking forward to most on the trip. Five males arrived with a bunch of tools (although not enough for everyone to have their own) such as pick axes, shovels, hoes, and machetes. We walked for about 20 minutes up a dirt road just to get to where the project area was. It was all crops, so we had to first clear the area, and then we finally began to dig. Our initial goal was to reach the old pipe, so at first we were just sort of digging everywhere, just guessing where is would be. We all took turns subbing in for each other and switching tools when we got tired or bored. Finally, we found the old pipe in one area, and from there we were able to get a little more organized. The first two hours went by really quickly, probably because we were still so motivated and excited to be a part of something like that. It was tiring work, but it was fun, and no one really complained because it was actually really enjoyable.

Hour 3 & 4: After the 2 hour mark, the thrill of it all started to ware off. Now, it was sort of just work… But we were moving quickly, with so many of us (22 including the adults) we actually made a lot of progress, even if I personally didn’t feel I was being all that helpful (I’d never done anything like that before, and it’s hard!). The Ecuadorians working side by side with us made it look so easy, they were faster and more efficient than any of the Americans- so we definitely had to work hard, not just to keep up with them, but also to show them that not all Americans are lazy and incompetent! Slowly loosing steam though, we finally headed back for a much needed, and much deserved, lunch.

DAY 2

Hour 5: We had to finish digging up the original pipe still, so in the poring rain we marched up to the project location and continued to work where we had left off before. It was incredibly difficult because of all the rain- everything was mud. As soon as we would dig out some dirt, the hole would fill up with water and more dirt would slide into its place. Because we had some trouble with some of the kids playing with our stuff and also some stray dogs breaking into our food the other day, we decided two of us at a time would stay back in shifts, and it was my turn to go. After not accomplishing much, I trudged back to our campsite, only to find that I wasn’t needed. Heading back, I ran into the group who had decided to call it quits because the rain was making it too difficult. We were all disappointed, but there was nothing we could do.

DAY 3

Hour 6 & 7: It was raining again, so it was a delayed start, but we did actually get to do it once the rain got lighter. We were determined to get it done, since this was the last day we could work on it. We quickly finished digging up the old pipe, pulled it all out, and then carried all the new pipes to the project area. The old pipes were made with a thick rubber-like material and not very reliable, these new ones were much sturdier and stronger (which we paid for). Then we started the installation! Using glue- yes, glue- some of the villagers helped us piece them together one by one. Absolutely covered head to toe in mud, we re-buried the pipes, and finally we were done! This project had been started by another World Challenge group, who had only installed 18 tubes- we installed 19! Even though we missed a lot of time, we actually did more than expected and did some of the next World Challenge group’s work! It was a really satisfying feeling, and they all appreciated it so much.

When we had the assembly for the World Challenge trip, I knew right then and there that I was going. Obviously the adventure, travel, and hiking appealed to me as well, but the community service aspect was something I had always wanted to do. World Challenge is all about letting the kids choose- so we all decided that we really wanted to do something that had to do with the environment, but also interacting with the locals. World Challenge then, as our departure draws nearer, finds a particular need and creates a project for the different groups traveling there. Unfortunately, the best they could do was have us continue replacing the pipes, which one group had started the previous summer. I was really disappointed because I was really set on helping save the rainforest! But this did give us an amazing opportunity to live in a village and meet all these people.

It was an absolutely incredible experience- but I do have to say, I thought it would be a lot more meaningful and inspiring. Not that these people didn’t deserve our help, but I thought they’d be a lot worse off- I wasn’t expecting to be replacing pipes, I thought we’d be helping them get their first running water! Instead of doing something “life changing” I felt more like we were just doing them a favor. It was special, but not nearly as much as I thought it’d be unfortunately. I guess I was sort of imaging starving children in Africa who are in desperate need of mosquito nets, or something.

We did make a huge impact though; the villagers were exceedingly grateful and were so unbelievably kind to us. They gave us a place to stay, provided tools for us and helped us the whole way, happily worked side by side with us (or better, laughed at us the entire time), cooked us an extremely delicious meal for our last night there, and even held a “dance” and soccer game for us. They did more for us than we did for them!

My favorite part was not the actual labor; it was just playing with the kids during the afternoons! Not only were they the most adorable kids ever, but we honestly had so much fun with them. That’s the part where I actually felt like I was making a difference. This one girl, Nicole, was incredibly smart for her age and was so obsessed with learning new things and was completely fascinated by us. The first thing she said to me was “Excuse me, teacher, may I go to the bathroom?” because that was the longest English phrase she knew. When other kids wanted to play volleyball with the beach ball we brought them, she wouldn’t let them because the ball had a globe on it and she wanted to practice her geography. At the end of our time there I gave her children’s books with both English and Spanish in them, and she was so excited because as she said a million times, all she wants to do is go to America- I cried a little.

As for the manual labor portion of it, I was extremely excited at first, but that gradually wore off. Not only was it so much more difficult than I expected (it’s pathetic how I never do yard work or anything close to what we did there), but as I said, it felt more just like helping out than the meaningful experience I wanted it to be. It was still so worth it though because they really did appreciate our service.

Time is definitely a huge barrier preventing me from volunteering more, but really it is more of an excuse. If I really made the effort I know I could make it a bigger part of my schedule. Recently I have been trying harder to volunteer more: assistant coaching recreational soccer for first grade girls and helping sell cards for Hope in Bloom (an organization that creates gardens for women with breast cancer) with photography club, but they haven’t been for causes I’m passionate about and I know I should be doing more. Another excuse I give myself is that a lot of the causes I would want to support would mostly just involve donating money rather than time because they are over-seas, but I know that there actually are ways for me to get involved other than traveling there.

I definitely feel better doing something for someone else rather than myself. Especially with this project, just seeing the people we were helping directly and having a personal connection with them made it so much more rewarding. The looks on their faces, just the way they said thank you, their incredible hospitality- our effort definitely didn’t go unrecognized. You won’t get something in return all the time, but most of the time when you help others, others will help you- and you’ll just feel so much better about yourself, like you’re doing something right- so it’s not like helping others is truly an unselfish act.

Altruism isn’t really a valid concept, or it least it’s extremely rare. You almost always get something out of helping others; most of the time the reason people help others is to feel better about themselves and give their lives more meaning. The sad truth is that “Psychological hedonism” is almost always present- egoism is the driving force behind people helping others.^[1] That’s not necessarily a bad thing though; if people are truly selfish creatures, then there will always be a motivation for them to help: it’s helps them. When I think about it, doing this community service project was essentially for myself. Why was I looking forward so much to it on the trip? Because I wanted to help? No, why did I want to help? Simple, because it would give me that feeling of making a difference and make me feel like a better person. Thus, this was not selfless in the least.

Being a part of this community service project was truly incredible, something I will never forget. This project was miniscule- not very difficult change, only affecting a few- but it was a start, and I know I’m capable of more. Doing this just solidified my dream of working for an international aid organization in the future- whether on the field or in the office, I know I want to continue to make an impact in the world. I may not be altruistic, as that is near impossible, but having that urge to help is still something.