COMMENTARY: Bringing the Third World home

c. 1998 Religion News Service (Dale Hanson Bourke is publisher of RNS and serves on the board of World Vision International.) UNDATED _ Traveling to a developing country is often a life-changing experience. The sights, sounds and peoples of a country so foreign can up-end the way you look at your own situation and dramatically […]

c. 1998 Religion News Service

(Dale Hanson Bourke is publisher of RNS and serves on the board of World Vision International.)

UNDATED _ Traveling to a developing country is often a life-changing experience.


The sights, sounds and peoples of a country so foreign can up-end the way you look at your own situation and dramatically undo any preconceived notions of other worlds.

But few people seek out vacations to Third World locales. Accommodations rarely resemble an Econo Lodge, much less a Hyatt. Every meal presents health risks and danger can lurk in the most mundane settings.

While development organizations know the best way to educate donors is to show them the work abroad, taking Americans overseas is costly and often burdensome to local staff.

And it’s hard to protect visitors from disease, mishaps or the occasional outbreak of civil war. Americans grow weary of the poor communications systems and uncertain travel arrangements. They learn how hard it is to live in these countries, but they rarely empathize enough to stay very long.

So how can we truly come to understand those who live in the developing world? And how can we educate the younger generation who will be the global citizens of tomorrow?

A unique and ambitious solution was developed by the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA). Called ADRA’s Global Village, it has brought the developing world to the First World in a way that allows Americans to learn with a minimum of inconvenience and cost.

Currently on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., the visiting exhibit features 10 life-size habitats from Africa, Asia, Central America and even urban America. It allows visitors to sit on the floors of huts, grind grain, and view livestock to get some idea of what life is like outside _ way outside _ the Beltway.

The free exhibit, sponsored in part by The World Bank, exposes children and adults to the stilt houses of Asia and the chozo of Central America. It offers a glimpse of a refugee boat and a homeless environment like one that might exist in reality just blocks away.


Children scamper through the exhibit as if they were in a giant theme park. With”passports”in hand, they get their stamp as they exit each area. “Children have active imaginations and they love to picture themselves living in a house on stilts or attending an outdoor school,”said Norma Sahlin, communications coordinator for the Global Village.

The children even seem willing to contemplate life without Nintendo and computers as they get caught up in the romance of a different way of life. Sahlin says the children quickly understand the ingenuity of the different people and how they adapt to their particular environment.”People learn to live at peace with their environment,”she said,”and the children appreciate that.” But reality often hits when they see the refugee camp with small tents all in a row, and especially when they come upon the North American tenement setting, which can seem uncomfortably familiar.”The tenement is a reality check for most kids,”said Sahlin.”They recognize how difficult that environment can be.” Kids and adults also learn about the importance of water and see that most people do not just turn on a tap. Visitors can pump water themselves or try their hand at digging a well. They can grind corn, sift rice or hop on a bike that doesn’t go anywhere but does serve as a makeshift mill.

They also view a variety of bridges and learn about their importance to survival. They participate in a mock marketplace that serves as both an economic and cultural center for a community.

At the end of their journey, the children can help pack a box of donated goods to be sent to needy people in Haiti.”They have experienced the emotions and we try to give them the opportunity to do something about their feelings,”said Sahlin. Many of the boxes are decorated with pictures and greetings to the recipients by those who have passed through the exhibit.

Judging from some of the heartfelt messages, the short journey through the Global Village has been a life-changing one for many children and adults.”We don’t want visitors to feel overwhelmed by poverty,”Sahlin said.”We simply want them to understand that there are many different types of people in the world and that we all need to learn to live together.” It’s an important message that up until now has been learned best through a trip overseas. But the Global Village challenges the entire development community to think differently about education.

DEA END BOURKE

Donate to Support Independent Journalism!

Donate Now!