3. Meeting Africa

When you are on a social media and you're suddenly contacted by someone in an African country, it is perhaps too easy to dismiss it as a fraud. This may very well be simply because the rich scammers were on the Internet long before the rest of the population. The real population is, however, slowly getting online.

I decided that I can spot the scammer if one should contact me. And so my initial response should always be with an open mind, not dismissing anyone. From this, I am now learning a lot from the lower class in several African countries.

People half my age get in touch simply to learn about other parts of the world, learn from the experience of someone older, and practice their English. I also learned that youth show respect to older people by calling me daddy

I have also learned that there is Internet access in a refugee camp in Ghana, and more refugees are arriving, even though the camp is officially closed down and the UNHCR has pulled out. Noone is certain who is in charge of the camp and, according to the camp's Wikipedia page, noone really is. What the people in the refugee camp claim, though, is that all the aid that the NGOs are supposed to give them - it doesn't always reach them.

This does not mean that people there are looking for a quick handout. No, they are seriously interested in figuring out how to make a sustainable living and are happy to be referred to Kiva's field partners.

So what we should be left with from this, is...

1. You can expect that ordinary people also have Internet in Africa, and they want to be friends. Embrace it!
2. People in need are not always looking for a free handout - they want to be able to live with dignity like the rest of us.
3. The official story coming out of authorities and large humanitarian organizations are not always quite true.

And so it all boils down to: Be open to new people, do your own research, learn more about the world.