Blog Action Day 2008 is tomorrow with this year's agenda on the subject of poverty. For this blog entry, I am going to write without doing any prior research like I always do because this time around, I will try to write bending towards what I feel deep down inside. The subject of poverty, I believe is a subject not touched often and probably does not even come across our mind and therefore requires an opinion from the heart and not the brain.
For starters, poverty as I far as I know is when a person earns less than USD2 in a month. Personally, I believe poverty is not something that can be measure solely based on monetary values. Having no proper shelter, water, food - that is poverty as well.
For most of us, poverty would not be on our minds. We have the Internet, good food, roofs over heads, a comfortable bed, air conditioning. Hence, there is probably no reason for us to think about poverty right? Showered with all the blessings of a comfortable life, we more often than not forget to be grateful for what we have and probably go on rambling about how you wished you had this, had that, many other "I wants".
Most of us may be unaware of this but poverty has been on the agenda for many years for many organisations like UNDP and many other NGOs. Most importantly, the change to alleviate poverty should and must start from individuals like you and I.
When I mean we can contribute to alleviating poverty, I do not mean you and I going around giving donations to people begging for money by the road sides or supermarkets or even restaurants. Allevating poverty is going to need something more substantial in substance. It needs job creation, institute to educate the needy, putting a halt to feeding fat cat executives who short change shareholders, putting an end to corruption and we have to start by not wasting resources. Resources here could be food, money, water; things we take for granted are like gold to many who truly need such novelties.
We can defeinitely help. Albeit the fact that our efforts may be small but it may pave the way for bigger improvements even if you and I may never see the change in our life time. Here's how we can help:
1. Start by not wasting food; all too often I see my peers, children and even grown ups leaving food unfinished;
2. Donate to the needy, but have your donation given to authorised organisations. If you are worried of any misuse that may happen to your money, donate in-kind;
3. Contribute to job creation - hiring one more janitor is not about having higher payroll costs, it also means you may get a cleaner toilet or even possibly less social problems;
4. Before you start rumbling about how pitiful of state you are in, think about some kid who wished he'd get a book to read - be grateful!
5. Create more awareness, by spreading the word to your friends, workmates, family members.
I believe you and I can truly make a difference. After all, by adding up all the small efforts we put in, we will definitely achieve something BIG!
For starters, poverty as I far as I know is when a person earns less than USD2 in a month. Personally, I believe poverty is not something that can be measure solely based on monetary values. Having no proper shelter, water, food - that is poverty as well.
For most of us, poverty would not be on our minds. We have the Internet, good food, roofs over heads, a comfortable bed, air conditioning. Hence, there is probably no reason for us to think about poverty right? Showered with all the blessings of a comfortable life, we more often than not forget to be grateful for what we have and probably go on rambling about how you wished you had this, had that, many other "I wants".
Most of us may be unaware of this but poverty has been on the agenda for many years for many organisations like UNDP and many other NGOs. Most importantly, the change to alleviate poverty should and must start from individuals like you and I.
When I mean we can contribute to alleviating poverty, I do not mean you and I going around giving donations to people begging for money by the road sides or supermarkets or even restaurants. Allevating poverty is going to need something more substantial in substance. It needs job creation, institute to educate the needy, putting a halt to feeding fat cat executives who short change shareholders, putting an end to corruption and we have to start by not wasting resources. Resources here could be food, money, water; things we take for granted are like gold to many who truly need such novelties.
We can defeinitely help. Albeit the fact that our efforts may be small but it may pave the way for bigger improvements even if you and I may never see the change in our life time. Here's how we can help:
1. Start by not wasting food; all too often I see my peers, children and even grown ups leaving food unfinished;
2. Donate to the needy, but have your donation given to authorised organisations. If you are worried of any misuse that may happen to your money, donate in-kind;
3. Contribute to job creation - hiring one more janitor is not about having higher payroll costs, it also means you may get a cleaner toilet or even possibly less social problems;
4. Before you start rumbling about how pitiful of state you are in, think about some kid who wished he'd get a book to read - be grateful!
5. Create more awareness, by spreading the word to your friends, workmates, family members.
I believe you and I can truly make a difference. After all, by adding up all the small efforts we put in, we will definitely achieve something BIG!
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