Fair Wages for Fair Work Done

It has come to my attention lately when speaking with people working in developing countries that they are missing an essential element in the work they are carrying out in providing aid. Many of us working at a distance rely on people, both young and old, in the developing country to assist us by meeting us at airports, helping with travel plans, negotiating with local business people and arranging clinics and training sessions, so that our time in those countries will be profitably and well spent. In our own case, we at The Ronnie Fund rely on Ronnie to arrange our site visits, set up meetings while we are in Kenya and then to continue arranging training sessions, purchase equipment, etc. whhen we are back in Canada.

However, many of these people although highly skilled and well qualified with college diplomas are not paid for their work. It is somehow assumed that because we are assisting fellow countrymen that we need not pay these project managers a wage for the work they are doing on our behalf. What we tend to forget is that these people are just like ourselves. They have rent to pay, families to feed and other expenses that require finances to pay. We cannot assume that they can volunteer their time to help us. If they are working for us with no pay, how can they afford their own expenses.

I urge to you remember this next time you are working with people in developing countries. Remember that if you are expecting someone to act as your project manager or to assist you in setting up clinics, training sessions, purchasing products or simply acting as an advisor on cultural and political situations, you should be paying these people a fair wage for the time they are taking away from other jobs, money making opportunities or their families. We need these advisors as much as they or their countrymen need our help, so remember, a fair wage for fair work done - we here in the west wouldn't accept anything less.