Theos-Talk Archives (May 1996 Message tl01353)

Dear Mr. Tembo,

With your last letter you sent me a very interesting newspaper article which
states that giving money to a poor country hasn't helped yet. I'd like to
tell you that I think this article is correct, as far as it goes. But that
kind of helping isn't theosophical. From HPB on down, Theosophists have
found what I think is a better way ... to help people to help themselves;
and other helping organizations, as for instance the American Peace Corps.,
have adopted the same ways with some success. The more feasible idea is not
to give people in poor countries money, because then they will just take it
to buy TV sets and Burbon, but rather to show them the wherewithall they
need to improve their own lot. For instance, in your countryside, you say
they grow maize and ground nuts. And you say that the people who do the
farming most often harvest just enough to feed themselves. But the rest of
you, who live in cities could use some more maize. There are probably ways
to farm your fertile African land to give a better yield per acre.
Theosophist farmers might see to it that your farmers get improved maize
seeds, or show them how to use a different kind of fertilizer to give a
better yield. The seed and the fertilizer might be rejected by your farmers,
& an Anmerican Peace Corps farmer might just come in & work a piece of land,
so that the others can see how much  greater yield he gets from his land,
and when they see what the American can do, they might like to try it
themselves.

You live in the city, & you say that your pupils have high hopes of getting
all kinds of jobs when they graduate, but they invariably end up working in
the copper mines. I've been trying to give you some ideas as to how you
could teach your pupils to do something else. We've begun to explore whether
there was a way of teaching them how to conduct their own little businesses,
and I found out that Junior Achievement does help in foreign countries, but
it's expensive. So now you got to that your ladies are trying to start a
business with making childrens clothes. It's very difficult to get the basic
capital together, because your salaries are just enough for food for your
families. So you're raising produce in your back yard, & selling it, &
trying to save the money so the ladies can buy some cloth. I sent you lots
of patterns for children's clothes. We're trying. Just now, you're also
trying out with your children something like our 4H. They're growing onions,
and you say they'll get a small reward when the onions are done. Maybe in
the future they will learn to grow other vegetables to enrich your family's
diet.
I've been trying to give you lots of ideas to pick & choose from, because I
live far away, & I really don't know what you need & what you can use. From
all the ideas you've chosen these 2 to try. If you can make them work, then
you are learning yourself how to alleviate poverty, and I think that'll work
lots better than if I send you some money every month (which I don't have in
the first place). At least I hope it will. It's what HPB and Annie Besant
suggested to do. We're trying to find a way for you to have an easier life,
and I hope we shall eventually succeed.

Liesel