We moved to Luxembourg twelve years ago and since then, I have been involved in charity work. Yeah, yeah, I know the stereotypical description of expat wives. They drink champagne all day, have their hair done every week, go out for luncheons, get hot and steamy with their personal trainer, and, oh, they do some charity work on the side, just to give the appearance of doing something useful.
Although I do not fit most of the ‘expat wife profile’, charity work is in fact very high up on my list. Not because I think I must live up to some image, and not because I want to get in with the right crowd. I do charity work because it is in my DNA.
My parents have done their bit for charity all their lives. My mother has always been active in church, was part of the committee of her sports club and, for many years, went door to door with a collecting box to collect money for big charity funds.
My dad tried the collecting box too. He would stand outside of supermarkets and walk along with people leaving the store, commenting on all the good stuff they had in their shopping carts. He would use that to pressure them into giving a donation. ‘Oh my, that looks delicious, and I must add, quite a luxury for a Tuesday night. If that’s how you eat, I am sure you have enough to spare for a good cause’. His style was not always appreciated so he looked around for a bit, but he found his charity calling. Today, at the age of 82 he is dedicated to giving language courses to refugees.
In short, my parents gave a good example. It was normal for them to donate some of their free time to charity, and so for me, it’s the same. It is part of who I am. In the organization to which I dedicate quite a bit of my time here in Luxembourg, it is the same for most of the volunteers. This is how many of them were raised.
So, it is very sad to realize that nowadays, people are less and less inclined to donate a bit of their free time to charity work. Ask any charitable organisation and they’ll tell you the same: finding people who are willing to volunteer is becoming increasingly more difficult. And it is a shame because charity work is so important.
After all, it is volunteers who make all the difference in the world. It’s charity organisations that fight human trafficking, feed the poor, build water wells for the thirsty, give love to orphans, treat lepers with respect, give disabled people the care they need, help organise the daily lives of families of children with cancer, build schools for neglected youths, give an education to girls who will otherwise be married off to someone twice their age, and the list goes on and on.
It’s volunteers that add humanity and dignity to the world.
I know that it is easier for me than many others. My children are in school most of the day and I do freelance work. So yeah, I have more time available than most.
But please don’t use your full-time job as an excuse not to do voluntary work. Because in the charity organization that I dedicate a lot of my time to, by far most of the volunteers have full time jobs. And children. And husbands and wives. And friends. And hobbies. Yet, they get it done.
So, if time is not the reason for a declining number of people that are engaged in voluntary work, what is?
I think it is a combination of many factors but mainly that people are ever less inclined to make any sort of commitment.
Somehow our society has increasingly become focused on self-expression, freedom and individuality. And there are many good sides to that. Having the freedom to choose our own destination, being allowed to express who we are and what we stand for - it’s wonderful and should be protected.
But unfortunately, as with everything, there are less pleasant side effects to our ever-increasing want of freedom and personal choice. And I think one of them is commitment-phobia. We seem to be living in an era of unhindered selfishness. We decide last minute. If something better comes along, we simply cancel an earlier made plan. If we don’t like a situation for two seconds, we get out of it.
Many of us seem to be living under the false impression that everything we wish can be achieved and is within reach. We have to be happy all the time. If we’re not, something must be wrong, right? No. Life isn’t ‘constructible’. But unfortunately, that is the mindset of many. So, the second we are bored or unhappy with a situation, we quit. And it is exactly that attitude of not persevering that leads to non-committal and flaky attitudes. And charity work is one of the victims of this trend.
So, if doing charity work does not come from a parental example, perhaps it should be a fixed part of every school curriculum. My brothers did the International Baccalaureate and charity work was a part of the program. They worked with disabled children and even after school didn’t require it anymore, one of my brothers continued the work because he found it so rewarding.
I think every child should have this experience. Let all students do some form of charity work. Let them find out what sort of charity work suits them and what doesn’t. Let them experience how it enriches them to help others. Let them learn that giving is better than receiving. It will show our youths that charity work is humbling. It will make them appreciate their own lives a lot more and it will teach them humanity and humility. But most importantly, it will hopefully lead to a revival of charity work in general.
Because the world needs more volunteers.
