Save Darfur. We hear about this organization everywhere, and see it on dozens of t-shirts around campus, my own included. This is a wonderful organization, don’t get me wrong, but it also brings up an interesting topic. What do we mean by “save?” The word’s connotation can be argued to suggest that we superpower countries, like the United States, countries of peace and democracy, are going to go into Sudan and save these poor African people from killing each other. It suggests that we are above these people, that they need us and are in fact begging us to come and “save” them from themselves. Of course, this is not what Save Darfur is about. But it is something that one cannot subconsciously address, that the Sudanese need us because they are incapable themselves.

No matter what background we come from, all of us are privileged, if only for being able to attend such a school as Choate. And there is nothing wrong with privilege, as long as we use what we have to give back to others. Choate is not lacking in this regard; just look around at all of the active clubs on campus, such as Save Darfur, Students for a Free Tibet, and UNICEF. We are a generation that is ready to make a difference in the world and in this age of globalization, more and more people are reaching out to others around the world. But what are we doing when we donate to an organization or volunteer in a foreign country? What is our actual impact as Americans?

Yes, we as Americans are privileged, and we should use our gifts to give other people the same kinds of opportunities that we are given. It is great that there are so many people that want to stop the genocide in Sudan or end global poverty but the truth is we cannot fall into the 19th century imperialist “white man’s burden” trap, where our duty is to save these poor people from their ignorant leaders.

One major problem with humanitarian aid is the fact that troubled nations often feel overrun and controlled by the helping country. We go into these countries with all the answers, and expect them to completely disregard their own customs and beliefs to accept our help. We then hear the horror stories of a humanitarian group that gets kidnapped or killed, or refused inside national boundaries by local governments. Although providing aid to the people is the top priority, we must be aware of the message we are sending to the country’s government. By interfering, we suggest that we don’t agree with the government and deem them incapable of helping their own people. Of course we don’t mean that we are a superior nation, but we have to understand their perspective and the anger and shame they must feel. If you’ve seen the movie The Last King of Scotland, you will recall how the main character, a volunteer just trying to help out while having fun, causes the suffering and deaths of many individuals that he had been trying to help. We must be aware of how our actions can affect our relationship with another country. The protests we make, even on our own soil, can jeopardize our government and aid workers’ relationship by sending the wrong message to those we are trying to help.

The next question is, how exactly are we helping? We have many organizations that provide food and shelter to people in crisis or after a natural disaster, but what does our money do besides temporarily fill their bellies? What about the next meal and the meal after that? We cannot chip the top off the iceberg and pretend the rest is not there. In fact, if we continue to hand out aid, people will become too reliant on us. Then what will they do when we’re gone? Are we really fixing the problem? We may provide food and houses for displaced people, but there will still be a war that only creates more refugees. It is a never-ending cycle, and a waste of our money, to continue dishing out the basic necessities. Of course, this kind of aid is sadly necessary, as it does save millions of lives, but we also need to do something more, as there is more to life than just survival.

I do not suggest that we ignore what is happening in Darfur and leave the people there to figure it out themselves. What it does mean is that when giving aid we must be aware of our image and motives. We are not dealing with American problems, but with sovereign nations, with their own beliefs and customs that are far different from our own. No matter how much we do for other people, we must always respect their views and remember that their country is their country, not ours. We must recognize that American solutions may not work there, and we cannot just superimpose our own values and ideas upon them. We share the problem, but they are the ones who are going to have to live with the results once we leave.