Fugee Fridays / Post 5 - More than just giving a man a fish

Grassroots organizing has moments of success and moments of failure - something to remember when it seems that effecting change is impossible.

As a student-run initiative, most of Fugee Fridays' volunteers are university students. So when the academic year ended a couple of months ago, our organization experienced some tough times ? especially when all those who volunteered their cars went abroad and we had to cancel a few of our weekly runs to deliver food to the refugees.

As the difficulties arose, I began to wonder what kind of impact our project was actually having. I did not see myself raising awareness or changing the public consciousness, and I questioned the whole premise of the project - why were we giving a man a fish, when we should be giving him a fishing pole?

The next night, a few of us sat down to talk about our recent lack of success and the direction that we thought our initiative should take. When we assessed our situation, things didn?t look good. No company had stepped up to offer financial support, new volunteers weren't materializing, and we had even had a few consecutive weeks of cancelling the project due to lack of transportation.

Later that night, I happened to bump into Russom, a refugee from Eritrea, on the boardwalk in Tel Aviv. We had met Russom the first time we delivered food to him and the scores of other refugees from his homeland.

With his solid English and constant smile, Russom quickly became our friend, and our principle contact at the Har Tzion shelter. We would let him know every Friday that we were coming by, and he would help us unload the cars and made sure the food was being distributed fairly. Eventually, when Russom left the shelter, we lost touch.

And then there he was, thanking me and telling me that he was now on his feet, living in a rented apartment, independent. However, he went on, he had really needed help in the beginning and was very appreciative for what we were able to provide.

And just like that, one chance encounter turned my attitude around. I had missed the point. While I was wondering where all of our volunteers had gone, I forgot that our role extends beyond providing sustenance. Our presence shows the refugees - especially the kids - that people care.

But our influence extends even beyond the refugees themselves. As soon as we started this project, I noticed that friends of mine were also interested in getting involved. Some became active in our project, others began teaching English or organizing micro-credit programs to help the refugees set up their own small businesses.

Turns out our project isn?t just about giving people food - it's about showing them that, although officialdom may not care about them, we do. It's also about showing people that with nothing more than a creative idea and a few hours a week they can change the lives of hundreds of people, and it can even be fun.

Steven Fox is a recent graduate of the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya and a co-founder of Fugee Fridays.

If you are interested in participating or donating to Fugee Fridays, please email jessefox82@gmail.com.

	African refugees in Tel Aviv (Daniel Cherrin)