Teach Him How to Fish by Iam Group Ltd

“Give a man a fish and he will eat it for a day; teach him how to fish and he will eat for a lifetime.”

This passage has been argued over by so many scholars and religious analysts. Many say it is from the Bible, other claims it to be from along-time Chinese saying. Nevertheless, no matter where it came from, it still teaches us an in depth meaning of charity.

Many of the volunteers from IAM Group Limited, those who had backslidden during the years since its creation, believed that charity is limited to feeding the victims or just spending time with them for a day. Some even tears up when we have finished an eating program during the day and say their farewell. True, we have brought smiles in occasions when we have done an outreach program with some partner charities for a single day. I know that the memory that we have left them would never be forgotten and would remain to be a good one.

But somehow, I started to ask myself, why should it only be for one day? Is it not that real charity is guiding them through the process until they have started walking on their own feet again and would not be pitied by others anymore?

I tell myself these things but in the end, I would have no choice but to only feed them. I would never have the chance to put a bigger sacrifice for them. I tried not to be too proud or too humble but I have nothing to do for them.

Many volunteers express the same grief that I do. We often gather around and throw our complaints on how we should have exerted more effort, thrown in more or our resources and it brought us into the depth of disappointment to ourselves.

Once, in a seminar held by one of the partners of IAM Group Ltd. from Yokohama, Japan, the speaker asked us the same plaguing questions, “do you ever felt that you should have done something more?” We all nodded feeling the dilemma. What he said next was what relieved me and I’m sure did the same to others.

“We always say that feeding the hungry alone is not teaching them how to fish. Our conscience says we should have done more or else, they would only rely on the next feeding program. But think of this: is not leaving them at the end of the program teaching them to look forward to the future, letting them know that somehow, someone cares for them? We could have done more, yes, if we have the means but what can we do if we don’t? We can only pray that somehow, what we have done had given them renewed courage and let them felt love, something which can motivate them far more than any lessons in the world”.