If you had the means/resources to make an impact on a life, no limits, what would you do? How would you help?
If you had the means/resources to make an impact on a life, no limits, what would you do? How would you help? Lately that's what I've been thinking about, maybe because of Oprah's reality tv show The Big Give, maybe not. I'm getting a diploma in construction/carpentry and would love to travel with habitat for humanity as a volunteer and just build homes and schools for communities in need ... I'd also love to sponsor a child but don't know if my well earned cash is actually going toward that child. These days you never know where it goes once it leaves your hands and it would be a shame to go anywhere else. I'd like to see my money at work, making an impact which is why I'm hesitant to just give it away. I give food and even my clothes to random homeless people but it doesn't seem enough. I need to do more. There's so much to do but I'm taking baby steps. What about you?
Reply to this Hello Ashley 😊
If everybody took baby steps it would make a big difference in the world in my opinion. 😊 Many people dont do anything at all.
I have a thought in my head sometimes that if I live in the third world when I am old then I will choose a street kid to live in my house and I will provide a better standard of living for her(it would probably be a her, because I think women in the third world generally need more of a helping hand than men do) and an education.
I dont know yet if that is what I will do because my boyfriend is not too keen on the idea.
Mel
Reply to this My thoughts exactly Mel! There's so much we can do, anyone can do, little things that make a big difference in an individual's life and we just don't do it. Taking a street kid in is a valiant idea but it can be dangerous too. You can probably expect to get your wallet/purse stolen a couple of times or some other random things in your place and never see the kid again but regardless I would probably do the same thing ... just keep your precious items in a safe of some sort :-) Kids above all others are the most important anyway, they're the future and some childs amazing talent may be lost just because of where they live. It's a sad realization.
I was told that if I want to do something, I should go to ... Africa for instance and see first hand what these people need because I've heard that people donate things like toilets without realizing that they can't use them because there's no water so they use them for bowls instead. Go figure. Who would donate a toilet anyway? Maybe my source is just pulling my leg. LOL.
Reply to this My mum always organizes a party for the local orphans (usually about 40) whenever she visits her family in Indonesia. She and my aunts would cook up a storm and invite the kids to have a good meal at the family home. The rest of the food and the sweets would be taken back to the orphanage. Everyone in the family would chip in to fund the party and buy each child a small gift. The gift is always stationery though. Once I insisted we buy toys for the smaller kids, but that suggestion was never considered 😊
My mum is trying to keep this family tradition alive, which makes me really proud of her. I know it's not much and it's not a change on global scale, but as pointed out by Mell, it's better than doing nothing at all.
Reply to this I'd interview candidates for a helping hand in New Orleans. Then, using guidelines already established, figure out who deserves the helping hand I could give to get their lives back in order. "Charity starts at home" is something our government and fine people in the states have forgotten. So much has been done, but even more remains to be done. There's still a lot of people who would love to return home, jobs for them to return to, but no home to live in. It's disgraceful!
Now, we have the victims of floods along the southern rivers and these people have not been heard. Whole towns were under water and some lost everything. I don't know where I would start, but every time it rains here at home, I thank God I have a roof over my head.
Reply to this My mum and I might be going to Benin if Africa this year to help set up a new school... her friend is a teacher there.
If you're interested in helping out in other countries without donating money that might go astray, you could look into joining NABUUR www.nabuur.com, which is a site for volunteering online to help people in other countries.. you don't need to go anywhere, but do research online and communicate with companies etc, design logos, fundraise, write articles... there's heaps to be done. =)
Reply to this I would open up an animal shelter in as many countries as I could, and we'd spay and neuter every animal we could. I know there are so many homeless children and adults, and thats awful to see, but I also have a really hard time with all the stray animals! 😞
Reply to this That would certainly be a useful service for travellers as well as animals Trevor(Kristena). My daugher loves animals and we both got Typhus(at least that is what I think is was) from the flea bitten scrawny cats she was petting in Thailand.
And rabies shots for dogs and cats would sure be good too.
Mel
Reply to this Maybe if we got all the homeless women and children off of the streets and get them homes....maybe the animals would have a place to stay as well. I've seen several homeless people taking stray pets to take care of them. The person can barely take care of themselves yet their hearts are still big enough to want to help a homeless animal.
Reply to this Yes, helping those less fortunate comes to mind. We can't get rid of all problems...but we can make them better to deal with. 😊
Reply to this Actually, homeless people own animals to keep them warm in cold weather and maybe get sympathy from people for money. You see homeless people with dogs especially in Canada and other cold winter countries and it makes sense but if they can't even take care of themselves, how well can they really take care of their animals. I feel bad for these pets that are forced into homelessness for their body heat. I mean, they are probably loved by a homeless person as much as they would be by anyone else for companionship etc but I find it unfair for the animal.
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