When asking for donations, the phrase “every donation helps” seems to be a staple in every campaign, letter or advertisement. Many times, this statement is hard to believe, especially when thinking in terms of individual donations toward larger goals. Fortunately, in the fight for equal educational opportunities, small donations do make a large impact in impoverished areas. The following list describes causes that correspond with specific U.S. dollar amounts. This list proves that every donation really does make a difference.

Five dollars:

Five dollars is more than it costs to supply an individual in India with a year of clean water from public water systems put in place by the Water for the World Act. Clean water prevents diseases that keep children out of school or from performing at high levels during class.

Ten dollars:

Ten dollars can buy one kilogram of beeswax, an ingredient necessary for many simple medications and remedies for illnesses that keep children out of school. One kilogram of beeswax is enough for one hundred tubs of medication. By providing communities with medical supplies such as this, donors help children make the most of their education by keeping them healthy enough to attend classes.

Twenty dollars:

Twenty dollars covers the daily cost of transportation for three teachers in Ecuador who have to travel to mountainous regions to teach their students.

Fifty dollars:

Fifty dollars is enough to train a teacher in the rural areas of the Solomon Islands in Disaster Risk Management. Not only do students and other members of the classroom environment feel more secure when a teacher has this kind of training, the school becomes a safer and more credible institution. This encourages children to attend school, and increases attendance levels overall.

One Hundred dollars:

A donation of 100 dollars could provide a family in Sri Lanka with the money to buy two solar powered lamps so children who do not have electricity in their homes can do their homework at night.

Two Hundred dollars:

Donating 200 dollars to Volunteer for the Visayans’ “Adopt-A-School” project will ensure that a school in the Philippines has a year’s supply of paper, pens, pencils and chalk.

Three Hundred and Ninety-Five dollars:

Through the SOS Africa program, 395 dollars will send a child in Africa through a year of high quality education. This donation covers all of the student’s education-related fees.

Small donations have a significant impact on education. Even donations that do not directly relate to schooling, such as medical supplies, help in impoverished countries because they promote the overall well-being of children who have the potential to become successful through education.

Direct results are not always visible to donors because recipients are often far away. However, making a donation toward education is an effective way to contribute to something worthwhile.

– Emily Walthouse

Sources: Caritas, Unesco, Volunteer for the Visayans, SOS Africa, Global Giving
Photo: Generation Finance