Many of the classes I take in GRS give me something new to think about or challenge old ways. One of the most interesting, challenging classes for me was the class we worked on the water stress case study. I have thought about the ethics behind some development projects but I have never thought about it in such great detail. I never thought about all the implications and possible situations that could arise from a development project which seemed so straightforward! However, it made me critically think about my own actions and what I think is ethical or moral, which was an amazing experience. It was also great in the way that I was able to compare and discuss my own thoughts on each part of the case study with others whenever I was confused or unsure, which happened pretty frequently!
In part one, the case study was introduced where we were described as volunteers participating in a development project when suddenly, there is an electricity outage. Normally, electricity pumps water, which is an essential need for everyone. The development group has funds however to spend the money to rent a generator to pump the water for our team’s use – but is this ethical when the rest of the community does not have access? In my opinion, I don’t think it’s fair that the community does not have access to water, especially since we are trying to better and help this particular community. As well, it is especially hard considering we have built strong relations with the people within the community, according to the case study. If we have the generator, the community members may not believe we are truly there to help them and in this way, we may lose their trust and our privilege to be in the area. At the same time, in order for us to effectively help them, we also need water. However, I think it would be fair to be stringent, not wasteful, of the water we would use. As well we would try to help the community get access to water as soon as possible. How we would help them though would be run by the community themselves, though we would help them in whatever way they needed us. We would also need to consider the short and long term effects, as well our impacts on their community. Once we left the community, we would need to ensure that they would still be self-sufficient. If our team or I ended up disagreeing with the community’s choice on how to handle the situation, I would not simply pack up and leave. I would still try to help them achieve their needs, and not simply abandon them during a difficult situation. The direct course of action would depend on what aspect we disagreed upon though, but ultimately, we would need to consider their views since we are the ones intruding.
As for the second part, the case study questions what we would do if a child from the community asked us directly for water. I found this question really hard to answer, especially considering that we built strong relational ties with the community, making it difficult to turn down others. However ultimately, I would not give water to them because it would not be fair if I did not give water to all the others in need as well. Moreover, if we continued doing so, they might become dependent on our help. In this case, our intruding would be more detrimental than helpful. Instead, we would consider how the community normally handles the situation and try to apply traditional methods to help the situation. As well, would consider if our project goals are truly more important than the water crisis. How we would go about any changes would be up for discussion with the community.
In terms of part three where I disagreed with our team leader, I would probably feel discouraged, although I would not leave the project. I came to help the community and I will not leave the project because of a disagreement in ideas. Moreover, the other volunteers may be depending on me to do a certain job. If I left, it may prove more detrimental than beneficial. As well, I would not want to cause a large argument in which case I may jeopardize the whole group working in the community. Instead, I would try to compromise and discuss with the community. If the community views were also against our officer’s views, I would consider talking to the other volunteers and our volunteer leader again. I would also try to consider again our long term goals and if they were really effective at helping the community.
Overall, the class was a very thought provoking. It really challenged my views. I am still unsure of how I would go about the situations in person though, which is a little unnerving. I hope that I will not have to make these types of decisions in the future, although I am glad that I have at least been exposed to the situation and had the opportunity to discuss the issue with others in my class.