I was at MTV Networks today for a set of meetings. The place is literally buzzing with energy – people who look as cool as the stuff that they do. At one point in the conversation, a (new favorite) colleague talked about visual symbols that need to be used when we talk to American audiences about what assistance – or charity, if you will – leaves with the recipient. I realized at that point that I had one of the best examples in my own home.
A year ago this week I was in Haiti as part of the post-earthquake push to get attention and resources to the people. The kids (my kids) heard a lot about the earthquake and were sensitized to the situation more than anything that had happened in their short lifetimes. Julia (then 4) gave me one of her teddy bears to take with me and leave with a Haitian child. I did. It was a sweet moment for a father, but I didn’t realize at the time that there was a development communications lesson in store.
Last week the discussion of Haiti returned to the news, and thereby filtered into the classroom, including Julia’s kindergarten rug where they introduce current events.
Julia came home one night to ask me if I would return to Haiti and if I thought the little girl to whom I gave her teddy bear still needed it or if I could bring it home. My first reaction was to scold her for being so ungrateful since she has a small army of stuffed animals in her bedroom. I’m glad I didn’t. Today at MTV the woman I spoke to about visual symbols helped me realize that this teddy bear was proof that some people track their assistance and their giving on a daily basis. Their giving is literal and very real. Like the teddy bear for my daughter, they think about it and know where it is living. They want to know it is having an impact.
It’s easy to forget this lesson when you’re talking about millions of dollars of humanitarian assistance or complex development programs. I would do well to remember my daughter’s teddy bear when trying to explain to people why their support matters.
