January 12 assignment: What pisses you off in your office? What do you suggest?
Christmas in the Philippines is known to be one of the longest and merriest celebration in the country. Notwithstanding, being the season of charity, December is also the month of volunteerism. Organizations rally to show their corporate social responsibility by giving to less fortunate people. But what's so crazy about it is, everyone is doing the same activities to exactly the same groups of institutions all at the same period. It's like watching urban poor neighbourhoods or charity institutions having Christmas parties everyday during the season. So what happens to them during the rest of the year?
So the same scenario happens to our office in a smaller scale. Our technical team chose an urban poor baranggay in the heart of Manila. On the assigned date, each registered family were given baskets of goodies: canned goods, rice, noodles, coffee and sugar after giving them a Christmas party.... their ummpth since December began. The same routine of gift giving practice which adds more fire to the "dole out" culture of the poor. Guilty as always, we have been doing this practice every year to the same group of people such that our adopted community have developed expectations and have sometimes felt dissatisfaction or lack of appreciation over what we have whole-heartedly given to them from our own personal finances.
What I suggest is that instead of giving them baskets of goodies during Christmas, our department should coordinate with TESDA for courses to help them find work. I was thinking of handing each able bodied male a gift certificate for a short course enrolment in carpentry, welding, etc. Schedule of classes may be spread out through the year not just during December. I would also recommend that willing mothers shall be given gift certificates for free Bilateral Tube Ligation at the Health Centers any time.
I would rather give them opportunities or experiences which will change their lives in a more worthwhile impact. 4
submitted by: POKER QUEEN
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