Today is Blog Action Day 2008, where bloggers around the world will focus on discussing one issue: poverty.
According to GlobalIssues.org,
Almost half the world — over three billion people — lives on less than $2.50 a day.
The poorest 40% of the world’s population accounts for 5 percent of global income. The richest 20% accounts for three-quarters of world income.
Less than one per cent of what the world spent every year on weapons was needed to put every child into school by the year 2000 and yet it didn’t happen.
Some 1.1 billion people in developing countries have inadequate access to water, and 2.6 billion lack basic sanitation. 1.4 million children die each year from lack of access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation.
Worldwide, 10.6 million children died in 2003 before they reached the age of 5 (a number equivalent to the child population in France, Germany, Greece and Italy).
Nearly a billion people entered the 21st century unable to read a book or sign their names.
It will take tremendous effort and resources to combat such far-reaching effects. While there are numerous organizations dedicated to the fight against poverty, it’s of critical importance that individuals recognize their role in contributing to the cause.
Instead of picking one aspect of poverty to write about, I’ll focus on the ways you can incorporate awareness into your lifestyle, and implement solutions in your day-to-day routine.
Raising awareness at home
The easiest way to do this is to start early. Halloween is just around the corner, and a great time to have a discussion about poverty with kids. Kick it off with the UNICEF boxes and see where the Q&A leads. Kids are a lot more aware than adults give them credit for; it’s our responsibility to nurture this awareness and educate good citizens of the world. BTW, if the school doesn’t give out UNICEF boxes to the kids, ask them to!
My boyfriend and I have already discussed how we’ll set examples with our future children by bringing them to volunteer at shelters, donating toys and clothes regularly, and encouraging them to go on volunteer trips when they’re older.
For younger kids, check out your local shelters, food banks, or religious organizations. It’s helpful for the kids to see the impact of poverty in their own community, and makes it easier to commit to a regular schedule of volunteering.
Feeding America (formerly America’s Second Harvest) is a nationwide network of food banks, and you can search for one in your area.
Leaders Today has a good selection of youth volunteer opportunities worldwide.
Habitat for Humanity is a truly moving, community-building experience, good for teens and adults.
If you don’t have kids, suggest to your parents/siblings/friends that you all spend a day together volunteering. Especially around the holidays when people have already traveled to be with family, it makes for a fun and fulfilling time together.
Raising awareness at work
I’m lucky enough to work in a high-rise where the management organizes regular food/clothing/book drives, then carefully coordinates item pickup with the respective recipients. It makes it easy for me to just bring donations in– but if you don’t have such a system, consider starting one at your office.
Goods may be hard to store and distribute, so coworkers may be more likely to give money toward a specific cause. Make it a competition, either within the office or with another company, to see how much you can during a specified period of time.
In addition to scheduled drives, you can contribute little things every day. If you have work lunches and the office staff disposes of leftovers, see if they’d be willing to give the food to people on the street, rather than throwing it away. There are a lot of homeless people around my office; at least in my experience, they are incredibly grateful for something as simple as a bagel or a sandwich.
Financial contributions
Every little bit helps, and here is where your contributions can easily go global.
How to save money:
Why not save all your spare change, and donate it every couple months? Or go without Peet’s for a month and donate the money you saved to a cause of your choice.
I’ve found it’s even more fun when you involve your friends, and/or tie donations to a specific goal. Want to lose 5 pounds by a specific date? Get a group of friends together, start a pool where everyone kicks in $20, and then whoever wins gets to pick the charity.
Where to direct that money:
These are some causes near and dear to my heart, but there are many worthy organizations out there.
UNICEF – Helps children in the developing world.
Medicins San Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) – Provides medical care and assistance in regions where people’s survival is threatened by violence, neglect, or catastrophe. Won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1999.
Heifer International – Funny name, cool concept. You can buy an animal such as a duck, lamb, or rabbit, or contribute towards a larger one like an ox or water buffalo. The livestock goes to a family in the developing world, where the milk/eggs/offspring of the animals are used to generate income and provide a way for families to lift themselves out of poverty. Everyone on my Christmas list gets some kind of animal– I love this concept!
J.D. at Get Rich Slowly has some great posts on incorporating giving into your financial planning.
Microfinance is a hot new topic that’s become more mainstream in the past few years. While it is not a donation but instead a loan, you provide small loans to entrepreneurs in developing countries to enable them to start their own self-sustaining business. Kiva is a popular site to look at if you’re interested.
Poverty and style
Basics such as food, water, and shelter are important, but looking good also helps people gain confidence and self-respect.
Many elementary schools have clothing drives; why not organize one at yours? Or put on a fashion show as a fundraiser, and donate proceeds to a local cause.
The Women’s Alliance and Dress for Success accept used business wear to help people make a good first impression in interviews.
If you’re crafty, have a party or sleepover to make sleeping bags for the homeless! Instructions here.
Hopefully these suggestions inspired you to give (or give more!) to organizations that work to address poverty throughout the world. It’s a big task, but if we all contribute whatever we can, we’ll be that much closer to reaching our goals. Start small, dream big!
What are your favorite causes and charities?
