How One Small Idea Led to $1 Million of Paid Water Bills | Tiffani Ashley Bell | TED

譯者: Lo Julia 審譯者: Shelley Tsang 曾雯海

One Thursday morning, several summers ago,

在前幾季夏天的星期二 一個早晨中

I woke up and started scrolling through social media

我起床並開始滑 社交媒體

like so many of us do every morning.

如同我們之中有許多人 每天早上會做的事

What caught my eye that morning, though,

不過,那天早晨出現 令我眼光駐足的

was an article about how 100,000 people in Detroit

一篇文章是關於 有十萬名底特律

were about to have to live without running water

民眾得將在缺乏自來水 的情況下生活

because they couldn't afford their water bills.

因為他們負擔不起水費

And people have been living with this issue for a while.

而民眾忍受這問題已經 有一陣子了

And they get by.

而且他們勉強度日

They were doing everything from collecting rainwater in barrels

他們藉由桶裝收集雨水 來進行任何事物

to walking to relative's houses to take showers every few days.

每隔幾天就要走到親戚 家裡洗澡

And much worse, sometime later,

更糟的是，不久之後

I learned that a lot of people were actually losing custody of their kids

我聽說很多人實際上正 失去了孩子監護權

because they couldn't afford to pay their water bills.

因為他們付不起水費

Instead of someone helping them, they just lost their kids.

而他們就這樣失去孩子 卻沒有人幫忙

For many of them, their greatest transgression, you could argue,

其中多數人，他們最大 的過錯，你可以來爭辯

was that they were either elderly, disabled,

就是他們要嘛上了年紀 不然就是行動不便，

had just been laid off

遭受了解雇

or worked jobs that simply didn't pay enough.

或者從事的工作 基本上付不起生活費

And yes, I said jobs.

沒錯我說的是工作

And to me, how they were being treated

對我而言，他們正遭遇 怎樣的對待以及

and the level of contempt shown to them

在他們身上所顯現的 鄙視程度

and how easy it was to simply deny them something that we all need to live

如此輕易地完全將生活 所需的資源從中剝奪

was disgusting.

諸令人無法接受

(Applause)

(鼓掌)

It's disgusting.

令人無法接受

But to me this also felt personal,

但對我而言 這也屬個人觀點

even though I have no direct family ties to Detroit.

即使我跟底特律沒有 直屬親戚關係

And here's why.

這就是原因

Many of the people who were facing shut offs were Black.

其中有許多人正面臨 被切斷供應的是黑人

Many were also like myself, Black women.

許多人也像我，是黑人女性

And Lord knows it's not the first time in the United States

而上帝知道在美國 這不是首例

that Black people have been denied basic human rights like water.

就是黑人已被剝奪 基本人權如用水

So to me, that created an overwhelming urge

因此對我而言，這產生 一種莫大的激勵

to do something to help.

去做有幫助的事

I mean, I couldn't just read that and then go on about my day.

我是說，我不會只看了 然後繼續過我的日子

Then it became a question of what can I,

那會是一個問題 就是我能做什麼

sitting in my pajamas as one person at home, actually do?

一個人穿著睡衣褲坐在 家中實際上要做?

Well, what?

恩,做什麼?

Oh, oh, but wait.

喔喔~但是等等

I'm a programmer.

我是一位程式設計師

And a heavy, heavy social media user.

是一位重重度的 社交媒體使用者

So I decided to tweet.

所以我決定在推特發佈

To tweet what I was reading about, what I was seeing, how I felt,

推特我所讀到的內容 我所看到所感知到的

to my online community of activists, politicians,

在我的社會運動人士和 政治家

start-up founders and investors.

創業家以及發明家之 網路社群上

Some like yourselves.

有如同你們這些人

And other programmers, of course.

當然還有其他程式設計師

And over the course of a few hours of back and forth about what to do,

超過幾個小時中 來來回回地要怎麼進行

we resolved to do the simplest, most obvious thing

我們決定執行最簡單 最顯而易見

that would help somebody in this situation.

將協助於此情況下的人

We decided to pay some water bills.

我們決定支付鉅額水費

To do that, I skipped work that day.

為了要進行，我那天翹班

I did not go to work that day.

那天我沒上班

And instead,

而是

I spent a few hours digging around on the water company's website.

花了幾小時搜尋自來水 公司的網站

And I found something interesting

然後發現有趣的事情

that sort of jump-started what to do for people.

像是種立即啟動針對 民眾需求的事項

For some reason, there was a 400-page PDF of customers on the website

基於一些原因，網站上有 一份四百頁的消費者文件

that the water company couldn't deliver their bills to through the mail,

自來水公司卻沒將帳單 郵寄給他們

and some of these were delinquent accounts.

有些帳戶是未按時繳款

But one of the things that was interesting about this list

不過這份清單中有一個 地方蠻有趣的

is that it also included account numbers for people.

就是也包含了 每人的帳戶號碼

So you just take one of those account numbers

所以只要取得其中一個 帳戶號碼

and, at that time, plug it into the website

到時再把它輸入網址中

and see everything about that account.

就會看到帳戶裡的明細

So I did that.

所以我做了

And one of the things that was interesting, though, there,

然而那裡其中有一個 有趣的地方

was that I saw a "make a payment" button.

我看見一個“支付款項” 的按鍵

So the idea then became, what if we got the account numbers of people

因此有個想法是假如能 取得需要幫助的人所有

that needed help and then made payments for them?

帳戶號碼然後幫他們 支付款項呢?

So a few hours later,

所以幾小時後,

I built a website to find those people

我架設網站尋找這些人

and start connecting them to people that needed help.

開始用此聯繫到需要 幫助的人

And then I tweeted that.

然後我再推特。

And to keep things simple,

為了不讓事情複雜

people who wanted to help

想要幫忙的民眾

simply would get instructions on how to log onto the utility's website

只要了解如何登入公共 網站的操作說明

as if they were the account holder

假如他們是帳戶持有人

and just make payments.

然後就可進行付款。

And then once they had done that,

然後之前他們已付款的

they would send us the receipts

就會寄收據給我們

and we would send those to the families that had gotten the help.

而我們會將這些寄給已 受過幫助的家庭。

And empowered with those donations, with those payments,

並准許給予贊助和款項

they were able to go to the water company and advocate for themselves

他們就能前往自來水公司 並替自己主張

and demand that their water be turned back on.

要求還予他們的水資源

And in doing that,

在實行的期間

that's how, in the first 40 or so days of doing this,

就這樣,在進行的 頭四十天左右

we paid over 100,000 dollars in water bills by just simply --

我們光水費就支付了 超過十萬元

(Applause)

(鼓掌)

Thank you.

謝謝

(Applause)

(鼓掌)

By just simply sending people directly to the utility company's website

光是將想幫忙的名單 直接送入公共事業網站

to pay five dollars, 10 dollars.

就要支付五元十元費用

Whatever they could afford.

不論其負擔能力

And I don't say that to brag,

而且我不是在炫耀

but instead to encourage you all

而是要鼓勵你們所有人

to notice problems

去關注這些問題

and to think about what is the simplest,

去思考以最簡易的

most obvious thing you can do to impact that problem.

最顯著的可行辦法來 改善問題

So first, what I’ll also say that was true for us,

因此也首先我想說的 我們對此感到很真實

is that it should be abundantly clear that whatever you do

無論你做任何事都應該 非常明瞭清晰的

doesn't actually have to be perfect.

實際上不必做到很完善

You don't have to do some big overarching thing like a nonprofit.

不必如同非營利組織需 做些包羅萬象浩大任務

Because you won’t have all the answers when you start.

因為當你開始時候就 不會出現所有的答案

But what's beautiful about that

但很棒的一點是

is that you don't actually need to have all the answers to get started.

你的確是不需要得到 所有的答案才開始進行

And I will confess

我想坦白的是

that if we had had all the answers, if we had known too much,

如果我們知道所有答案 如果我們太過了解

we might not have actually gotten started.

事實上也許還在準備開始

So the next thing that's true is that ...

所以接下來有個事實是

When you put together and you start doing something that's imperfect

當你彙整並開始著手 那些未完善以及

and it's not finished,

未完成的事情時

people will see what you're doing and they'll want to join you.

大家看到你正在進行 的事情並且會想加入

They'll want to get together with you to make what you're doing bigger,

他們會攜手與你將所 進行的計畫更擴大

more impactful, more meaningful,

更有影響力,更具意義

but all in ways unique to themselves.

但始終都自有其獨特性

For us, that was the city employees who answered our emails on weekends.

對我們來說則是周末回覆 我們郵件的市府公務員們

And then during the week,

然後一周期間內，

drove people to appointments to get their water turned back on.

明令市民依照約定將 他們的水資源拿回

It was the people in mutual-aid groups and nonprofits

那些屬於互助與 非營利組織的大家

that partnered with us

與我們參與其中

to completely pay off the water bills for some families.

全然地為這些家庭 支付水費。

It was the people who actually really made this work possible

實際上真正將此任務 付諸實行的人們

by giving five dollars, 10 dollars, 20 dollars,

則透過五元十元二十元 的付出

some of whom had been in this situation themselves a few years prior,

那些早多年前自身已 陷入此處境的民眾

where they couldn't afford their own bills, but they now could,

他們無法支付起自己的 費用然而現在可以了。

so they were generous about it.

因此他們對此感到大方

It was the people who held bake sales

舉辦糕餅義賣的人民

to help people that they didn't know

可以幫助他們並未認識

and would never meet.

以及素未謀面的民眾

People see you walking the walk,

人們看到你正付諸行動

and you'll understand that that compassion is contagious.

而你將會了解憐憫是 會有傳染性的

So I'd ask you in this moment then,

稍後片刻我將會問你們

what is it

是什麼會

that sends you down a rabbit hole of blog posts and news articles?

將你送進部落格文章和 新聞報導的兔子洞裡

What leaves you so disgusted and annoyed that you would rather skip work or class

什麼讓你如此厭惡和不耐 以至於寧願翹班或翹課

and work on that instead?

反之致力於此?

What is that for you?

這對你來說是什麼?

It's got to be something.

它肯定會是一種成果

So suppose, for example,

所以應該是,舉個例子

you find out that the third graders at your old elementary school

你發現在老舊小學的 三年級生們

owe lunch money debt?

欠午餐錢債

What if the most obvious thing to do for them

如果對他們來說最 顯著的辦法

is to pay off that lunch money debt,

支付午餐錢債

sponsor some lunches, and then later on

贊助相當多午餐,之後

go run for the local school board

去競選當地學校委員

to push for systemic change around access to nutrition at school?

以推動關於學校營養 取得之制度改革

That's just an idea.

這就是一種點子

Now you might hear this and say, "That's nice, it's cute,

那你也許聽了以後會說 “很棒啊真酷

but I don't really have time for that."

但是我真的沒空”

Or "Most problems are too big to work on, so why bother?"

或“大部分的問題都太 龐大到無法處理,何必?”

I'll say you're not unique in thinking that at all.

我要說你壓根就 毫無思維獨特

But if we just stick with the idea of doing the smallest at first,

假如我們就堅持這想法 先從最小最顯著的地方

the most obvious thing,

著手

and just think about for a second,

然後再思考一下

what do you have the time,

你有那個時間嗎?

what do you have the resources,

你有那些資源嗎?

what do you have the skills and the influence, even, to do?

你有那些技術和影響力 甚至會去執行?

To make happen.

讓它實現

For me, I was a programmer with a whole day job,

對我而言身為程式設計師 是要工作一整天的

so I didn't actually initially have time to work on this all day either.

因此事實上起初也沒有 那個時間去處理這件事

But using the skills and the resources and the network that I did have,

但是利用我所擁有的技術 和資源以及網路，

we built out the original website and then grew it from there.

我們建立原始網站 然後將此發展開來

So the next somewhat obvious

所以接著稍微明顯易見

but I think hasty criticism that we sometimes hear

但我認為偶爾所聽到的 草率批評

is that what we did was just a band-aid.

是一種我們所做的規劃 就只是一條創可貼。

That whatever you end up doing is not going to be significant enough

那不管你最後做出什麼 成果,都不足以重要

is not going to make a difference,

不會造成影響

it's too fleeting of a thing to try to do to make a difference.

事物的稍縱即逝以至於 無法努力做出改善。

But is it not that the purpose of a band-aid is to give an injury,

然而創可貼的用意 並不是用來賦予傷痛

a place where something has gone wrong,

會讓情況出錯的地方

the opportunity to heal?

一個治癒的機會?

I'll say no,

我想說不是的

initially, we weren't going to solve

起初,我們沒有要解決

the root of why people couldn't afford their water bills.

民眾為何無法負擔水費 的原因

And I'm not here to tell you either

我也不會在這裡告訴你

that benevolent strangers sitting at home in their pajamas

穿著睡衣褲在家裡 坐著的慈善陌生人們

are a proper substitute for systemic structural changes to issues.

是適合代為這些議題 進行制度變革

But what I will tell you, though,

但我還是想說的是，

is that also, our solution didn't attack the poverty,

我們的解決方案也沒有 抨擊貧窮

it didn't attack the unemployment,

沒有責難失業

it didn't attack the bad public policy.

沒有抨擊不好的公共政策

Yes, bad public policy

沒錯,不好的公共政策

that enthusiastically punishes people who are poor,

積極地懲處窮人

especially when they are Black or brown.

特別是黑人或棕色人種

But what we did give people,

然而給予民眾我們 所做的

yes, what we did give people in that moment is relief.

沒錯,此刻給予民眾 我們所做的是救濟。

So again, whatever you do,

因此再一次,無論你所做的

if it's small and if it's an obvious thing,

如果是微小而且是一件 清楚易見的事情，

it doesn't mean that your impact can't actually be durable.

那不代表你的影響力 實際上會無法長久。

And that you shouldn't try to do something.

不代表不該努力去進行

And I say that because today,

我覺得因為今日

we have helped over 5,000 people with water bill payments just from --

我們已幫助超過五千人 支付水費就來自...

(Applause)

(鼓掌)

Thank you.

謝謝

(Applause)

(鼓掌)

Just from people again, giving five dollars, 10 dollars, 50 dollars

就一再來自付出五元, 十元,五十元的民眾

whatever they can afford to contribute.

無論他們能提供捐獻多少

And our ripples of compassion have actually gone even further.

我們漣漪起的憐憫之心 實際已傳至遠處

We got a major American city to start offering more compassionate assistance.

我們到一美國主要城市 開始提供更多體恤援助

We had a US member of Congress and their office reach out to get help

我們請一位國會議員和 其辦公室聯繫他們需要

for their constituents.

幫助的選民們

We've had policymakers in three different states

我們在三個不同州 已設有政策制定人員

that we were able to help using our data, our knowledge,

能夠利用我們的數據,

our experience

知識和經驗協助

to understand what's happening around water affordability

了解關於水費負擔能力 是何種情況

in their districts.

在他們所在區域

We've also been able to partner with other nonprofits

我們也已與其他非營利 組織

and mutual aid groups

以及互助團體合作

to keep families from facing eviction, homelessness over their water bills.

防止數個家庭由於水費 而面臨驅逐和無家可歸

We've also been able to help families avoid facing the threat

我們也已協助數個家庭 避免面臨到失去孩子

of losing their kids.

的威脅。

I also now do this work full time

目前我也知道耗費耗時 進行這個工作

with the goal of helping utilities understand

目的是協助公共事業

how to make water more affordable,

了解如何讓水更易負擔

make water more of a human right,

讓水的運用更有人權

so that people also don't fall behind on their bills in the first place.

以便於民眾不必一開始 就積欠費用

Legendary comedian Lily Tomlin once said,

傳奇喜劇演員 莉莉·湯姆琳曾說過

"I always wondered why people wouldn't do something about that.

“我始終困惑為何沒人 對此做些什麼。

Why somebody wouldn't do something about that.

為何不是那個人。

Then I realized I was somebody."

後來才了解我就是那個人”

So you don't even actually have to be a programmer to make a difference

所以事實是甚至不用當 程式設計師去做改善

or even do what I did.

或甚至我所做的

You just have to be, like Lily said, to be somebody.

你就得像莉莉說的, 成為那個人。

Somebody who sees a thing that can be fixed,

尋找一件能改善的事件 的那一位

can be impacted,

能受之影響

and do that.

並去實行

Do something.

採取行動吧。

Thank you.

謝謝。

(Applause and cheers)

(鼓掌&歡呼)