A good deed
by Carmen Stella
You often see them touting for business in shopping malls, or pleading for your cash on television.
And how do we respond? Most of us give them a wide birth or switch the channel.
World Vision, Oxfam, Save The Children, UNICEF - the list of humanitarian organisations is endless, but so is the suffering, and I don’t think it should be ignored.
Every day there are entire communities that cannot escape pain and suffering. They cannot switch channels or avoid people they don’t want to be in contact with.
Instead they survive day to day with the bare minimum, and are probably still grateful for that.
They work because that is what they need to do in order to keep their families and communities alive and…not because they’re saving up for a new mobile phone.
None of us could even begin to comprehend what it might be like for these communities, and I doubt any of us would even survive a day in their shoes.
Last week I made the decision to join World Vision, and after asking my friend if she was interested, she replied: “I would, but it’s a waste because the money never gets to the child.”
This reply prompted feelings of anger, and I even felt a tad embarrassed that I had such a friend.
A friend that would not hesitate to buy an overpriced bag from an already rich fashion label, yet feels she cannot possibly spare $10 a month (yes this is all it takes) to help a community in need.
I believe that she, as with many other people, choose to believe the money never gets to the child and use this an excuse not to donate money to such worthwhile organisations.
Does this misconception absolve these Scrooges of their blissful ignorance?
Have any of these nay-sayers actually taken the time to look at any one of these organisations’ websites? If they did, they’d soon realise that every scent they earn and spend is accounted for.
World Vision provides monthly documentation of where the money goes, undertake constant programme supervision and publish a yearly audit.
Have they read the warming stories of people whose lives have been transformed thanks to money donated to charitable organisations?
For the price of a pie or a can of Coke you could help feed a community for one whole week.
World Vision is making a difference, and so can every one of us.