Helping The Poor

THE SUNDAY TIMES, 3rd Sept 2006 - 'Airfare, lodging and meals:$2,000; Leave from work: 2 weeks; Helping poor villagers abroad: PRICELESS' "Singaporeans are taking time off from work to do volunteer work overseas". Volunteer Tourism, that is what it is apparently called and these 'goodwill tourists' travel to remote areas of China, Nepal, Cambodia, Sri Lanka and India to build schools, orphanages and houses. While it is good that Singaporeans are taking their generosity and compassion abroad to help the less fortunate, I cannot help but wonder about the poor back here in Singapore and how they can benefit from such benevolence and charity. Although we do not see squatter villages, homeless children and beggars around us here in Sunny Singapore, there is a segment of our population that exists in financial and social poverty. There are individuals and families that are struggling to get by in our growingly expensive-to-live-in country. They may not be poor by global standards but relative to a S$2,000 a month pay-cheque (which I consider very average pay here), some families in Singapore have to survive on half or less than that every month. Families mind you. Include the unemployed, the elderly, the disabled, the sick and the orphaned, we do have people in our own backyard who not only need monetary help but also a helping hand, literally. Take away the 'Tour' from Volunteer Tourism and you get Volunteerism. Perhaps we should focus on that first before exporting our goodwill in such a wholesale fashion. As the saying goes - 'Charity begins at home'.