I have always believed that it is not really considered charity if you do not do good out of your own volition. If you are forced into doing something OR if you do good works because you feel that you have to do it, then that is defeating the purpose of charity. However, I am also a pragmatist and realize that if people do good even if they were only urged to do it, then that is better than nothing.
And I think this is what is happening (in some cases) with a UK organization called Do Good For Debt. The idea behind this group is brilliant, really. What they do is provide the opportunity for those with students loans (which are usually immense) to pay back their debt and at the same time, do good work. Inventor Spot has this feature on them:
The non-profit UK based organization was started by Ian Wallace, who found himself so constricted under the weight of his 14,000 GBP student loans that he took a job in a factory while looking for a job in his chosen field; law. With his life decisions completely surrounding making his debt payments and keeping a roof over his head, this innovative entrepreneur decided there had to be a way to look after his best interests, and give back to his community at the same time.
Do Good for Debt was created, with a main goal of working with charities to encourage recent college graduates to give back, while taking a little something for themselves in the process; complete student debt repayment. Perhaps monetary compensation for charity work, defeats the purpose and takes away from the philanthropist mentality, but hey, recent grads have a better chance at making a contribution to society if they don’t have the burden of student loans hanging over their heads.
As I said, this is better than nothing. More so, I am sure that many of the people who participate in the program would willingly help out in other circumstances anyway. Call it providing an opportunity. By the way, Do Good For Debt has a MySpace account – add them!
Categories: Charities, Programs, Volunteering | Tags: Charities, debt
Fistula is a non-profit organization that aims to help women who have been abandoned by their husbands after suffering the dreadful birth complication. Fistula is an injury that results from prolonged labor which cuts off blood supply to the tissues of vagina and bladder. This results in the tissues death leaving a hole through which urine and feces pass through uncontrollably. This problem exists in countries where proper health care and practices are out of reach resulting in many women without husbands left to fend for themselves. With 100,000 new cases each year in the developing world, only a fraction of these women get the help they need. A total of 2 million women are affected by fistula worldwide and from that figure, only 6,500 get the medical treatment and attention they need to continue living a normal life. The birth complication has long been eliminated with the advent of cesarean sections which is not only costly but out of reach of most developing countries. Along with incontinence, nerve damage can also result in paralysis leaving the lower extremities useless taking away their ability to contribute as productive members of society.
The organization was put up by people who saw the debilitating effects of the childbirth condition when they were on volunteer work in developing countries as members of the Peace Corps. The organization was officially put up in the year 2000 and it has brought the plight of these helpless women to the media and many charitable organizations the world over. Relying on the efforts of private citizens’ doctors and other large organizations who regularly donate supplies and equipment, the organization has managed to help many women in the affected regions of Ethiopia. The foundation currently does most of its work there but that doesn’t mean that the complications do not affect other parts of the world. Countries where health care is still a luxury, there are higher cases and they work purely to educate the public about the dangers and debilitating effects of the birth complication that is Fistula.
Categories: Charities, Families, Inspiration, Women | Tags: Birth, Caesarean, Fistula, Women
Established in 1994 to address the alarming statistics that shows a yearly rate of abandoned pets to be at 6 to 8 million. Among those, around 3 to 4 million are euthanized due to the inability of shelters to take care of them due to restricted resources and funding. Rated a four-star charity by the Charity navigator, they have managed to save the lives of around 3.3 million pets spanning the species spectrum of animals that they send into adoption programs to get them the loving homes they deserve. These abandoned pets are a result of irresponsible pet ownership, some are abandoned due to financial problems, and some are left to fend for themselves, sometimes in appalling conditions. These animals got through health checks and are brought back to proper health according to pre-set standards. Animals are then checked for signs that may show if they are indeed probable candidates for adoption, animals with degenerative diseases and psychological issues are put down for apparent reasons. Their vision of a home for every pet might be too ambitious but they are getting things done and indeed saving lives of animals who would otherwise have to be put down. With the help of state and local authorities and funding from private individuals and businesses they continue on their loving work to get each and every animal a home that would give them the best possible care.
Categories: Animals, Campaigns, Charities, Volunteering, Wildlife | Tags: Animal Rights, Animal Shelters, Euthanasia, Mercy Killing, pets
This kind of news makes me mad; steaming mad. There are so many people who are less fortunate than the average person. And there are few enough people who are willing to help them out. Then these unscrupulous people or groups of people try to take advantage of those who have giving hearts. I think that there’s a special place in hell for people like them
Anyhow, the reason for the mini rant is this piece of news I read at The Miami Herald. Apparently, there are those who engage in fraudulent activities, trying to collect money in behalf of military veterans, police, and firefighters. According to the report:
The Florida attorney general on Wednesday joined a national effort to fight fraud committed by groups claiming to collect money on behalf of protection agencies and veterans, but they give misleading information about how much of the money would actually be given to those groups.
”Operation False Charity” includes 76 actions against 32 fundraising companies, 31 individuals and 22 nonprofits — or groups claiming to be nonprofits. The effort is led by the Federal Trade Commission, and attorneys general, secretaries of state and other law enforcers in 48 states and the District of Columbia.
You know what’s worse? Some of these groups are actually REAL charities. The problem is that the money that they collect do not ALL go to the causes that they are supposed to champion. While that is not wrong or uncommon in itself, people are misled and majority of the money goes to administration costs, which includes wages of those who work in the organizations.
For more information, get in touch with the FTC.
Categories: Charities, News, Organizations, Veterans | Tags: Charities, Fraud
When we hear of solicitations, chances are our mindset would be to give away old clothes or canned goods just to say that we made a charitable act. But while this is something generous of us, it may be wise for us to use logic at times. Old clothes still have categories and this includes “still usable”. These days, people forget about this important necessity. We stock up old clothes and put them in sacks since we cannot use them. But before we placed them there, we already have an idea on whether they can still be used or not.
Old clothes are a big help to the needy. But apparently, we cannot discount the possibility of giving away clothes that are good as trash. Since we donate them, people receiving them do not have a choice of selecting and make do with what we can give. But personally, we should take out the clothing that are no longer usable.
Canned goods can be in any form. The normal ones we give out are the cheap ones such as sardines. For a couple of extra bucks, perhaps we can add something different like perhaps milk or something healthy. If all the poor people had to live on sardines, imagine at the level of help they can get.
All I am saying is that when you give to charity, mean it. It is not about taking something out of the closet or the kitchen cabinet to say you did a good deed. We are giving to people as well. Just imagine how you would feel if you were in their shoes.
Categories: Activities, Analysis, Charities, Fundraising, Ideas, Products, Tips | Tags: canned goods, charity, donations, old clothes
