John LoPresti, Jr.     AFK

John LoPresti Jr.
Ethics
March 28, 2007
Service Learning Paper

             For my service learning project I decided to spend some time volunteering for the non-profit organization called American Friends of Kenya. So far I have spent about ten hours volunteering my time. I have been attending meetings for a newly formed group on campus which is titled Student Friends of Kenya. I have also been doing some work with fellow classmates in starting a benefit concert. The concert will be used to spread the word of our cause as members of American Friends of Kenya and work to gain donations of money, books, and many other goods needed by the people of Kenya. At the meetings we are also in the preliminary stages of starting a donation drive on campus. The focus of the donation drive will again be to create awareness of the mission of American Friends of Kenya but will also attempt to receive through donations important supplies and funds that are extremely important to the people of Kenya. We will be holding a multi-grain bar drive where people can donate food, money, or anything else that they choose to offer for a donation.

            Working with American Friends of Kenya has truly been a great learning experience. Also, this experience has been much more meaningful to me then writing a traditional research paper. This reason I believe this to be true is that this has been a totally hands on learning experience. The fault I find in writing a traditional research paper is that you do not really gain anything from that experience except a grade. In working with American Friends of Kenya I have gained a lot of information but more then that I’ve seen how my efforts and the efforts of the organization can and have really impacted the lives of others. It’s a truly gratifying experience to know that the work you have done was for a just cause and not just to pass a college course.

            In doing work for American Friends of Kenya I have really learned a lot. I have learned about the organization itself and the work that they have done and that they are striving to continue with. AFK has helped build libraries in schools and communities in Kenya and provided medical supplies and teams to help with health issues. They also take yearly groups to Kenya to do hands on work in the poorest and most rural areas of Kenya. Another important aspect of the work they do is the astonishing number of donations they in turn send to Kenya. They have donated a large quantity of books, food, computers, and many other goods that the people of Kenya desperately need. The aspect of the organization that makes American Friends of Kenya truly unique though is that they invite volunteers to go with us to Kenya during the summers to put in place the items that have been shipped to the schools and communities as well as the hospitals and rural clinics. AFK really benefits from the constant donation of books, computers, school supplies and medical equipment and supplies donated by local schools, community libraries and health care facilities and it has been a great experience to be a part of this process. Another interesting area related to Kenya that I learned about is their medical situation. Currently the people of Kenya are receiving AIDS vaccinations. These vaccinations are potentially dangerous due to their possible side effects. These side effects can be extremely severe, so severe they may not be worth taking to some people. These possible side effects can be reduced through proper nutrition so AFK has been working on sending food to work towards proper nutrition and in turn is helping fight the battle against AIDS.    

            Working with American Friends of Kenya has also made me look at myself and my virtues. Virtue ethics looks at how we ought to be instead of looking at what we ought to do. Virtue ethics is more concerned with the traits of character that make a person good or bad. Virtue ethics looks at what a person wants to be and what matters to them, how they live everyday, how they treat others, and how honest they are. Working with AFK has shown me some of the virtues I hold. It has helped me to understand that I carry along some really good values and morals. More importantly though than just carrying those ideas and beliefs along with me through doing this work I have done something about them and acted on them. It has also helped me in many ways be the person I want to be. I realize now just how important it is to me to help others even if they are people living in another country on another continent. It has also shown me how much learning and investing in what I have learned is important to me and hopefully to the people around me. Also, I learned that just living a moral life and determining what my ideals are is something I hold to be valuable and how important it is to embody those ideals.

            This service learning project has also helped me understand different ethical theories and their belief systems. It has also helped me to understand how people holding different belief systems such as Kantians, Egoists, Utilitarians, and Feminist Ethicists would view the work that American Friends of Kenya does. The ethical view of Kantians is that there are exceptionless universal laws. Kantians make their judgments by asking the questions; does this respect everyone’s rights and are the poor or disenfranchised not overlooked? They also want to make sure that everyone is treated with the utmost fairness, dignity, and respect. If a Kantian was to look at the work I’ve done and the work of the organization American Friends of Kenya as a whole they would probably be overjoyed. They would be grateful that the target audience of the organization AFK are people in need and even though they are from a foreign nation they are still an interest to people because they are in desperate need of help. Also, a Kantian would be happy with the fact that even though these people are from a third world nation we as members of the AFK organization still treat them with the utmost fairness, dignity, and respect. We do not look down on them or their situation, instead we look at them as equals who have fallen on hard times and wish to do our best to treat them and help them in any possible way that we can. A Kantian would also be pleased with the fact that in doing this type of work we are not breaking any rules or laws.

            There are many different forms of egoism but in general the major concern of an egoist is himself or herself. Psychological egoism states that all people are motivated only by what they believe to be good for themselves in some respect. Ethical egoism carries this notion a bit further by adding to it the point that we should be selfish and selfishness is extolled as a virtue. Ethical egoism also states that we ought to act in our self-interest. Knowing this it is easy to disagree with an egoist in relation to saying that the work I have done and the work of American Friends of Kenya was not done in self-interest it was done to help others and for their benefit. However, it is important to realize as an egoist would agree with, at the same time myself and the people of the organization in a sense are looking after our own self-interest. I found this whole experience to be extremely gratifying and fulfilling. Working with American Friends of Kenya helped me feel good about myself and the work I was doing. An egoist would argue this point saying that even though I was supposedly doing this work to benefit others since I got something out of it this whole experience was really for me and my own self-interest.

                        The utilitarian perspective looks for the greatest good for the greatest number. They look to see if their actions produce the most overall good and happiness while creating the least amount of harm and pain. They also look to see if the decision seems to be in the best interest for the most concerned and whether or not their decision and actions lead to the best overall consequences. I would say that a utilitarian would agree with the work I have done and the organization. I would like to believe that my actions have produced a lot of good and the organization’s work is really making a difference for the people of Kenya who are in desperate need of help. Also, I would like to believe that no one has been harmed in this process and no one is hurting because of the work we have done. Another important aspect of this to pay attention to is that the people of Kenya really do need help and it is important for us to understand this concern and do our best to act in their best interest.

            Another ethical view is the ethics of care or feminist ethics. Feminist ethics looks at whether or not an act is the most caring and loving act regardless of established rules.

It also looks at whether or not an action maintains, nourishes, and promotes relationships.

A feminist of ethics would most certainly agree with the work of American Friends of Kenya. AFK has worked very hard to do its best for the people of Kenya because we care about them and who they are as people and only wish to see them flourish and prosper. American Friends of Kenya’s mission statement which is “We are partners with the people of Kenya in building a better tomorrow,” also describes how the organization has worked with the people of Kenya in building relationships which feminist ethics would strongly agree with.

            In conclusion I would just like to say that I have had a great time so far in working with American Friends of Kenya and I am looking forward in spending a lot more of my time with them in helping build a better tomorrow for the people of Kenya.