Saturday, October 07, 2006
Finally, I Give
Most of my life I have been desperately poor. When I see beggars in Australia, folk who if they chose to be non-combative, could claim benefits from an excellent welfare system, get angry at me for not throwing them a coin, I feel like letting them know about my first 6 months in Australia - no benefits, couldn't get a job, lived on boiled potato & onions (for flavour). Technically homeless, malnourished & really wanting to work.
While I was poor, and as my bank balance recently grew, every charity that I did not give to, my rationale was:
* I don't trust them
* I get no feedback, no tactile response to my action
"don't trust them" sounds harsh, but in those 6 months I worked for some so-called charities, door-to-door, for 50% of what I could get from folk. And my bosses took 30%. And overheads took 15%. And 5% got through to the designated charity, which in my experience tended to be a sham anyhow.
I've long wished for a charity with few overheads that could give me feedback on where my donation went, and how it helped. And now I've found one! A woman in Ecuador. Hopefully she pays me back, and I am inspired to make many, many more loans!
Investigate Kiva.org fully, and you might find it as hard to resist as I did!
While I was poor, and as my bank balance recently grew, every charity that I did not give to, my rationale was:
* I don't trust them
* I get no feedback, no tactile response to my action
"don't trust them" sounds harsh, but in those 6 months I worked for some so-called charities, door-to-door, for 50% of what I could get from folk. And my bosses took 30%. And overheads took 15%. And 5% got through to the designated charity, which in my experience tended to be a sham anyhow.
I've long wished for a charity with few overheads that could give me feedback on where my donation went, and how it helped. And now I've found one! A woman in Ecuador. Hopefully she pays me back, and I am inspired to make many, many more loans!
Investigate Kiva.org fully, and you might find it as hard to resist as I did!
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