Giving is selfless action.
Giving is... selfless action.
We are driven by a culture of giving to receive. You help your friend move because you know you’re moving in three weeks and you expect him to be there. You donate to charity because you receive a tax return, or a t-shirt. So many cultural norms have developed out of this cyclical mentality. We don’t waste our time on behaviors or take action unless they provide us something in return.
I believe true, generous, heartfelt giving has nothing to do with what you receive in return. In fact, when you give you should not expect or anticipate anything at all. You give because you want to and you know it is right.
Several years ago, I interviewed a little girl’s mother in the slums of Arusha, Tanzania with the intent of capturing her story and to visually explain why they need someone to sponsor the child’s education. I believed this video would change someone else’s perception on poverty and convince them to sponsor. I started asking questions and the mother held herself high as she explained how her husband died unexpectedly several years ago, she cannot work but sell a few vegetables a day, and she has four children to care for on less then a dollar a day. She has no family around her to help and her mud hut was in a horrible state. Then she began to show us the outhouse her family had overgrown. If she only had her husband around, he would fix it… but he wasn’t there. And then tears began to fall, first from her eyes, and then from mine.
I stopped filming and walked away feeling the weight of the world upon my shoulders. I had never heard a story quite like it and now that I was aware, I felt I had to do what I believed was right.
I have been working ever since then to help families like hers, knowing I will receive nothing in return from them. Every day I find a sponsor for a new student, or complete the construction of a new classroom, I remember how it felt that day talking with that one mother, and pray that I really am helping them live a better life.
There is nothing wrong with giving to get in return, but learning and understanding the true beauty and meaning of giving will open your heart and mind.
Jessica Shipman is the Founder and President of Cheti. Cheti empowers local heroes, engages local communities, and enables academic potential. Within less than two years, the nonprofit has raised over $65,000, found individual sponsors for 80 students, and reached 1,000 individuals across Tanzania through improved access and quality of education.
