This charity trip
Yesterday’s first commenter set me the task of talking about how, when it comes down to it, most people in the world are actually decent people, not awful bastards, as it can sometimes seem. This is a noble sentiment and one worth bearing in mind for someone like me, who once did a show called ‘I’m Worried I’m Starting To Hate Almost Everyone In The World’. ALMOST everyone, to be fair. I left space for people like my mum and Derren Brown. But hey, that was 2006. I’m gradually mellowing as part of my plan for this decade, and the theme of human goodness fits nicely with what I was going to talk about today anyway. Which is, in short, charity.
A couple of years ago my twin sisters (who are now 19, identical, and very nice) went to Moldova and worked with kids in an orphanage. They were upset by the level of poverty in a country only a few hours from ours, and organized a massive collection of clothes and stuff to be sent out there. The clothes and other gifts were confiscated at the border by customs officials, who demanded a massive bribe to allow it through. There was no way of paying this – even if it had been the right thing to do – and the aid packages disappeared, never to be seen again.
My sisters (doing their A Levels at the time) were gutted at this but, rather than give up and curse everyone in Eastern Europe as I would have done, they set up their own small-scale charity: http://www.themoldovaproject.com/. Basically you pay thirty pounds a month, they give the money direct to a social worker who goes out to Moldova every month, and the social worker takes it straight to families out there and makes sure they use it for what’s most needed. I am very proud of my sisters for bothering to do this and I’ve been sponsoring a family through their scheme for a little while now.
In the meantime I’ve been looking for ways to get involved in a more hands-on way with relief work. As you might have read already, tomorrow I’m going to Senegal for four days to meet some of the kids who go to schools set up by ActionAid. They typically live too far away from school to get an education, and these specially-founded places allow them to get an education. You can read a bit more about it on ActionAid’s website here – http://www.actionaid.org.uk/102404/makeyourmark.html and if you look at the ‘celebrity portraits’ on the site, you can see a pretty excellent one drawn by me ay my old junior school. (Somewhat more impressively there are efforts by my fellow Bristolians Stephen Merchant and Darth Vader actor Dave Prowse.) You can add a self-portrait to these if you fancy it, and they’re all going to be put together to produce one of those giant pictures-made-up-of-pictures (this is explained better on the site). And when I come back from Senegal I’ll be badgering you to help me get more people sponsoring Senegalese kids.
This is all a bit prim and dull as blogs go, but hey, I can’t just take off to Africa without banging on at you at least a little bit. I’ll be blogging more fully on this when I return.
In the meantime, I leave you in the hands of our four emergency bloggers (except one still hasn’t got back to me. John, are you there? JOHN!?)
They will be each be writing a blog on a subject they choose, from the following titles. The titles may be interpreted in any way the blogger chooses. This is not supposed to be a competition or any kind of intimidating challenge. Just a nice way of working as a team to sustain this blog while I’m, as the phrase goes, ‘not doing it’.
Here are the possible titles:
-A SUPPOSEDLY FUN THING I’LL NEVER DO AGAIN (a title borrowed from the late David Foster Wallace)
-SOMETHING NOBODY EVER AGREES WITH ME ABOUT
-WHO I COULD BE, IF I COULD BE A FAMOUS PERSON FOR 24 HOURS, AND WHAT I WOULD GET UP TO
-BIRDS, ETC
-AN UNDERRATED PLEASURE
-HOW I STOP MYSELF THINKING ABOUT DEATH
Or
-TEMPTATION!
Emergency bloggers, you can choose any of these. You’ve been given instructions for posting the blog – as well as the order you’re going in – by email. Please begin your blog with the words: ‘Mark Watson is away. Today’s guest blogger:’ and then your name.
Everyone else, please encourage them with kind Comments like you do me. Unless they say something racist.
Posted by Knox on May 21, 2011
A friend told me about David Foster Wallace sometime last year – he sent me this link: http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2008/sep/20/fiction – to a speech he’d done. It is brilliant. Recently, someone recommended ‘Infinite Jest’ to me. I’m thinking with your mention of him too, I should get my self down to the library and check him out.
Your sisters are brilliant – I never realised before that they were the ones who set up the Moldova Project – I thought it was just something they’d become involved with. Bloody excellent human beings.
Posted by Good Ness Communications — Not so much a blog post as note to self… several notes to self on May 14, 2010
[...] Watson tweeted today that he’s off to Senegal with ActionAid, giving a little bit of background on his blog. This is the guy whose interest in the environment led to him writing a book called [...]
Posted by Patsy on May 14, 2010
Have a mind blowing time and don’t forget to tell us all about it.
It is really a cool thing you are doing.
Px
Posted by Simon on May 14, 2010
By the way, if an emergency blogger fails to perform their duty and breaks the unbroken chain, what happens to them?
Posted by Simon on May 14, 2010
Good luck in Africa, Mark! Don’t be racist!
Posted by Paul on May 13, 2010
It is difficult to keep reminding yourself that most people are decent, this could be due to the greater amount of people willing to go out their way to make your life worse than there is to make it better. Although in a kind of ironic way these indecent people force decent honest people to keep to themselves. It is amazing what your sisters are doing and on a smaller scale I do try help where I can but sometimes I am not in the position to and I do not wish to renounce, what I feel to be, my responsibilities to help out but I do sometimes feel that my efforts are insignificant compared to the differences that could be made, to things such as poverty, by those in a better position to, arguably people in power.
Posted by Idris on May 13, 2010
Someone has to do the BIRDS.
And your family makes me want to do good things. Like eat a sandwitch. Or cut my fingernails. But seriously, I promise to help whenever possible.
Posted by Catherine on May 13, 2010
Bye, Mark! Have a safe and fruitful trip.
Posted by Spencer on May 13, 2010
Good luck Mark and good luck emergency bloggers!
Posted by Rachael on May 13, 2010
I can’t wait to see what way the emergency blogs go, look like some exciting titles
Posted by Clembear on May 13, 2010
Echoing Ben – hooray for DFW! And very good luck in Senegal.
Posted by Misha on May 13, 2010
Ahhhhhhhh.
I can’t think of anything more intelligent to add.
Posted by Corey on May 13, 2010
Firstly, I got the book today!!, was midway through Bullet Points so might put that on hold and start with Eleven post haste. Thanks so much to you and Francesca for it, much appreciated!.
Secondly, have a great trip and will be only too pleased to get involved in some way or other.
Thirdly, best of luck to the emergency bloggers you lucky lucky people. I’m sure you will all do a cracking job and look forward to reading you all.
Safe trip
Posted by lisa brunders on May 13, 2010
You certainly have a remarkable family. You’re sisters did a wonderful thing, admirable.
Bon voyage.
Posted by LisaD on May 13, 2010
I’m trying to think what I was getting up to when I was the same age as your sisters…It’s a bit foggy but most of it involved listening to the Ramones, some petty theft, and kicking inanimate objects in frustration (on occasion by brother stood in for the inanimate object). Eventually I calmed down but not by 19; I’m impressed.
Posted by Emmy on May 13, 2010
Wow… everything your sisters have done… wow… that’s amazing.
Good luck with your trip to Senegal. I know it will go well. As for the emergency bloggers, you have big shoes to fill, but I’m sure you’ll do so fantastically.
Posted by Someone on May 13, 2010
Ah, I think I would have very much liked that show of yours (I’m Worried…). I often feel like that. But that’s why I like this lil’ blog you’ve got going on here; neither you nor the commenting folk seem to be bastards. I like that.
I’ve been to Moldova for a few weeks when my dad worked out there… It’s certainly a bit of a shock in some places.
I hope your trip goes well. I’m sure the emergency bloggers will do splendidly. Spiffing, what ho and so forth..
Posted by Joanna on May 13, 2010
Ha! The possible titles for the emergency blogs are amusing as they are; looking forward to seeing which ones get picked
Posted by Laura on May 13, 2010
Good luck with your good deeding, Mark. Good luck to the emergency bloggers, too – I look forward to your words of wisdom! No doubt I shall dribble something inane in reply to, well, all of them, just like I have with most of Mark’s blogs.
Posted by Ben on May 13, 2010
yay for DFW! he sits between Kurt Vonnegut and Mark Watson on my bookshelves.
i’m looking forward to these Emergency Bloggers very much.
Posted by Steph on May 13, 2010
Moldova..that’s cool. I’ve been a real revision-evader lately by learning where every country in the world is. So I know exactly where Moldova is! Their Eurovision Song Contest entry always involves cultural apparel, cultural dancing and maybe an accordion thrown in for fun. Ahh Europe
I’ve already said Bon Voyage but there it is again.
And, GOOD LUCK EMERGENCY BLOGGERS! Definitely hope someone takes up the “BIRDS, ETC” theme!
Posted by Kate B on May 13, 2010
Yay! I’d like you to write a school experience
assuming I’m still the first commenter.