Being asked to give…
It seems these days that everywhere we look someone wants a piece of our hard-earned income. Where I live I can be asked for sponsorship, donations, a spare dollar or an ongoing financial commitment up to 10 times during a half hour walk to work. Sadly, my answer has to be, no. I can’t pay rent, power, phone, internet, food, transport, dentists, doctors, taxes and sponsor 3 kids, give to eco charities, animal charities, the latest disaster relief, the homeless, the homeless shelters, the latest relief drive and the list goes on… unless I’m happy ending up homeless & penniless myself. Needless to say, this does not constitute happiness and wellbeing.
So, how to help? How do my bit for the causes I believe in with all of my heart? I’m happy to say there are many ways to help without metaphorically killing oneself in the process.
Nelson Mandela said, “education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world,” and I believe him. So, here I want to share with you ways you can change the world through education.
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/ This site is truly awesome. People who have strong interest in many, varied problems all around the world share critical information freely with the added bonus of empowering us all to act upon these issues with letters and petitions to key figures who have the authority to effect change. Furthermore, it’s really easy!
http://www.thenonprofits.com/ On here is a huge list of charities that have arranged sponsors who will donate every time you click. It’s split into four categories: hunger & poverty, health & education, environment, and animals. Choosing just one to three sites from this list and clicking daily makes a difference.
Sharing facts via twitter, facebook or any other social network can significantly increase awareness. Such as; a tap dripping once every 10 seconds wastes roughly 315 litres of water per/year. If it is constantly dribbling it can waste up to 24,000 litres of water per/year! Think how much water could be saved if everyone knew this and ensured their taps were maintained.
Volunteering for a local organisation. Offering just 4 hours of your time once per/wk or month can be really rewarding. I’ve never met a person who doesn’t want to feel like they matter. We all want to feel needed. Giving time to something you believe in gives back to you three-fold!
This is by far not a comprehensive list but I believe it is a great start. So, sure. When asked to give what I don’t have my answer is NO but I can always offer what I have in abundance.
