Giving To Make A Difference

For various reasons, I’ve been away from this blog for almost two weeks. Each time I mean to get a post out, something happens. Life is good, there’s no doubt about that. But it sometimes keeps you busy and occupied with things that you don’t really want to spend your energy on. All I can say is that the last few weeks have been a good learning experience for me. I’m still processing things and will be ready to share soon, I hope.

We’re having a #GivingTuesday Blog Hop – although it’s way past December 2, the idea is to keep the focus on giving. I’ve been thinking about the value of giving and would like to share my thoughts with you and look forward to reading your thoughts too.

We cannot fool ourselves. Giving makes us feel good. But is that a good enough reason to give?  While there is no doubting that one of the outcomes of generosity is that it makes the giver a better person, it’s not the most important reason to give. Giving should be all about the recepient and not about us, shouldn’t it?

I believe that we should give to others mindfully and respectfully and most of all to make a real difference to their lives.

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Giving To Make A Difference

There are a few ‘rules’ about giving that I’ve made for myself :

1. Never give because you feel pressured to do so either because you’re being asked by someone or it seems like the ‘right thing to do’. Examine your motives for giving and sharing.

2. It’s always better to give to indiviuals with a need than to a large organisation where your money might go towards their administration costs.

3.  If you want to help a charitable organisation find other ways of giving – spending time, lending your skills, etc.

4. The best gift you can give is the gift of education and/or training. Paying for the education of children, preferably those you have some contact with, is a great investment in an individual child and a family struggling with poverty.

5. Paying towards unplanned hospitalization fees,  regular health check ups and/or health insurance is another great way to make a difference.

6. When approached by a child in the street for money, I prefer to buy them something to eat. This ensures that the money is not going to fund an addicted parent or worse a begging mafia.

7. It upsets me when people give stale food to their maids or other workers. If you want to help – buy a little extra when you’re shopping for yourself. Fresh fruit and vegetables are always a welcome addition to a poor person’s table.

 

What are your views on giving? I would love to hear about them in the comments here and better still via a blog post (the link of which you could add to our blog hop over at Write Tribe).

 

I’m taking part in Sarah Arrow’s 30 Day Blogging Challenge – 30 Days and you’ll be a better blogger.