Have you dealt with an urge to help others in need for most of your life? These days, there are more opportunities to do so than ever, and you’re able to choose the group of people that calls out to you the most.
The world can seem like a very unfair place, and not all of us were born with the same opportunities and same palette of choices to make. Still, there are ways to make it right for people whose voices aren’t heard nearly as often – by helping improve their quality of life however we can.
As much as we love it, few can argue that Mexico isn’t a polarized country. On one hand, you have affluent neighborhoods, lively festivals full of people rejoicing, a strong industry, amazing beaches… On the other, you have extreme poverty and people struggling to make ends meet on a daily basis, often living in conditions that no human should be living in.
If you’d like to help these people have a better life, there are many ways to do so, but none of them are as direct and powerful as participating in a humanitarian mission trip to Mexico.
Taking part in such a mission – what to know
If you’re going to Mexico with the intention of helping, don’t expect to be spared from any of the hardships that its people experience. If you grew up in a well-off area, you’ll probably be shocked by the conditions found in many humanitarian trip destinations.
This initial shock proves overwhelming for quite a few people and they end up going back to their homes without having done much at all, preferring not to think about what they saw instead. This is fine, but in your case, make sure you won’t get overwhelmed by what you see, hear, smell and feel during your trip – if you do, you’ll just end up disappointing yourself as well as those you were trying to help.
The ways to help during a humanitarian trip
Many of these trips revolve around meeting people’s basic needs, and there are very few needs more basic than having a good roof over your head. Hence, there’s a good chance you’ll be tasked with helping build someone’s home, be it through restoration or from the ground up. You’ll have to get down and dirty for this, and you’ll probably be working long hours exposed to the Sun’s peak level, but it’ll all be worth it – every brick you lay will work towards securing a better future for someone.
Another common way of helping is by providing medical treatments to some of Mexico’s less fortunate residents. Some of these treatments will center around providing much-needed medicine to those with no real way of getting it as well as treating chronic and severe conditions. Others might include help over issues that aren’t as urgent but are every bit as important – ear-nose-throat and ophthalmologic check-ups, blood tests, chiropractic and skin treatments and much more.
Regardless of what your role in the mission ultimately proves to be, your contribution will likely be felt for generations to come and you’ll enjoy that rare feeling of being absolutely certain you did the right thing.