There are a variety of ways in which giving back to the community, both local and global, are beneficial:
1. Giving back can foster growth in a company or for an entrepreneur by providing an opportunity to listen and learn from the community (what it wants, and what it needs, and what it means to give). The act of giving back doesn’t have to proceed without thought of what the company needs or even what the company desires to give. Developing a standard policy about the causes you’re willing to donate to and support will allow the charities and organizations that approach you to be in support of your commitment.
The conversation can grow beyond guilt and into one of support. When it comes to listening to the community your business or organization might serve (be it a specific location or a certain demographic) you become more informed by the goals and needs of the community you’re attempting to serve and can tailor future projects towards these goals and needs.
2. An obvious benefit of giving back is that it helps the community, whether the help is on a global scale (foreign aid donations, clothing/food/etc. donations in the wake of natural disasters, or volunteer work) or a local one (donating food to a food bank, volunteering to help students after school, or aiding in cleaning up local waterways), the community improves.
Especially when aid involves helping others make progress beyond the limits of economic, educational, or social blockades. While the changes may be more difficult to grasp on a global level, at the local level the progress made is also visible. Which leads to…
3. Giving back, especially on an individual level (such as tutoring, mentoring a child or volunteering in a soup kitchen), is good for your health. Depending on the work one is doing: physical health can be improved by increased activity, regulated sleep schedules, and better sleep in general, stress relief, and can help reduce the risk of certain health problems, like heart attacks and strokes.
There are studies that show volunteer work can make people happier by boosting not only physical health but also by promoting social interactions and of course the good vibes that come from contributing to the community. This potentially happier and healthier mindset promotes a desire to give back more.
4. Maybe you’re looking for a career change or a career boost, a volunteer opportunity would be a great and beneficial way to begin. Whether you’re writing grants in your spare time or building houses, volunteering is work.
It takes and builds skills and understanding and provides the professional or someone just starting out with a network of people just as invested as they are in the progress of whatever project is in the works. In similar fashion, volunteer work provides a foothold into and gives one a stake in the community
5. Having a stake in the community means coming in contact with community members who may often be overlooked, ignored, or outright scorned depending on their situations. This works both on a local and global scale.
It’s easier to see why more needs to be done on a legislative level if one can see that even with aid programs there are still limits to what someone working full-time or someone on disability or someone without running water, electricity, the list goes on, is capable of doing when the law ignores, fails to protect, or actively works against them.
Meeting other members of your community may also be as simple as visiting a retirement community with your dog or helping out in the community garden. Whatever you end up doing you’re getting a better understanding of the community of which you are a part and its needs.
– The Borgen Project
Sources: Huffington Post, Southern Alpha
Photo: NCHS
Patrick and Anna M. Cudahy Fund: What You Should Know
The Patrick and Anna M. Cudahy Fund is a foundation that grants money to nonprofit organizations involved in social and youth services, education, art and culture.
The premise of the fund dates back to the early 1920s, when Articles of Association were drawn to break ground on the Alice Dickson Cudahy Clinic. This clinic was created to provide free services to dependent family members of employees at the Cudahy Brothers Company. Some of these free services included medical attention, and education on matters such as child welfare, domestic science and social hygiene. The clinic was able to open on August 1, 1923, thanks to a $19,270.77 donation made by Michael F. Cudahy.
On August 22, 1935, the name of the organization was changed to the Michael F. Cudahy Fund. Upon this change, the association broadened its spectrum of philanthropy efforts to include the severely poverty-stricken and ill. On September 29, 1943, the name of the organization was once again changed, this time to the Patrick and Anna M. Cudahy Fund, in honor of Michael’s parents.
Today, the Fund primarily assists youth organizations located in Wisconsin and Chicago, though some money is granted to charities involving public interest and environmental conflicts. The Fund also accepts international requests affiliated with U.S. nonprofits.
– Meagan Hurley
Sources: Business Journal, Cudahy Fund
Centipede Venom: The New Morphine
According to Medicaldaily.com, centipedes are now known to treat medical pain more effectively than morphine. Although the number of opioid painkillers has increased during recent decades, doctors have been trying to find a less complicated alternative to treat pain.
Recently, doctors have discovered that centipedes might provide that alternative. Researchers have found that some components of centipedes’ venom can act as a potent painkiller. Although it is not classified as an opiate, the centipede’s venom is just as potent as morphine but has no side effects.
The morphine used in this type of alternative medicine comes from the Chinese redheaded centipede. The Chinese redheaded centipede “paralyzes its prey by injecting venom that blocks a voltage-gated sodium channel protein.” These proteins are responsible for having an imperative role in pain transmission. The venom thus blocks pain from the body.
During the testing process, researchers injected mice with massive amounts of the centipede’s venom. After the mice were infected with the venom, they were subjected to a series of tests. The tests touched upon different areas such as thermal, chemical, and acid testing.
The results showed that the venom was most similar during the thermal and acid testing, it acted better than morphine during chemical tests. In addition, the mice showed no side effects.
As a result, the venom is undergoing a series of trials with humans. These subjects either suffer from chronic ailments or pain. According to Medicaldaily.com venom immunotherapy was better at treating a person allergic to stings than EpiPens.
Other research has shown that this type of venom can help block the proteins responsible for inflammation, thus reducing pain for sufferers of arthritis. Conclusively, centipede venom can soon be considered an alternative to morphine or other opiates.
– Stephanie Olaya
Sources: Medical Daily, Medical News Today
Photo: Open Cage
China and Senegal Grow an Economy
A growing number of Chinese migrants are working in Africa due to economic growth in recent times. While many world officials claim China’s relations with African nations are heavily linked to exploitation of resources, such as Africa’s gold, diamonds, timber and oil, China has since the 2000s began migrating to nations without these resources.
Notably, Chinese have migrated into Senegal. Senegal has good economic stability and attractive location in West Africa.
These factors are suitable for China’s workers to invest in Senegal. The motivations behind the Chinese workers as a whole are business-rooted. Senegal’s compliance to work with the Chinese is based on a desire to seek diverse investment opportunities and trade partners, as well as an improved position in international affairs.
With the large Chinese presence in African nations, Chinese traders have created competition among the migrants. This competition has forced many workers to expand into other business sectors, thus supporting the economic growth.
Historically, China and Senegal have had international relations with each other since 1971, (with a gap between 1996 and 2005, where Senegal acknowledged Taiwan) the growth of Chinese migrants traveling to the nation increased greatly in 2005. Today, most Chinese in Senegal are completing state work in infrastructure, communication, mining, and oil.
The business relationship still remains unbalanced, however. The Senegalese imports are very small compared to the Chinese exports to the West African nation. However, officials know this is common for Chinese relationships with African nations, and this is just another example of how China’s economy wields strength and influence.
To visualize, in 2010, China and Senegal reached $549 million, where China invested $45 million in Senegal, primarily within the infrastructure sector.
In late September of this year, the Chinese ambassador to Senegal, Xia Huang said China is looking for ways to share its developmental experience and knowledge with the Senegalese to boost further their emerging economy. The ambassador explained how the relations between Senegal and China are still growing in a positive way.
At the celebration of China’s National Day on October 1st, he said Sino-Senegal relations had, “remained fruitful, tangible and has continued to give concrete results to the Chinese and Senegalese people.”
In addition, Xia mentioned that even though China is the second largest economy in the world, 100 million Chinese people are living below the poverty line. Concluding, Xia said by the year 2021 Chinese officials will double the nation’s GDP.
– Laura Reinacher
Sources: All Africa, Migration Information
Photo: Forum on China-Africa Cooperation
Tujijenge Tanzania Helps ‘Build Africa’ through Microfinance
Tujijenge Tanzania is a microfinance company based in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Founded in 2006, the organization is both the largest and fastest growing microfinance institution (MFI) in Tanzania. Broadly speaking, MFIs are companies that provide financial services to low-income individuals, or that provide services in areas without access to “typical” banking. They operate off of the idea that poverty-stricken individuals can remedy their own situation if given access to financial services.
Today, Tujijenge Tanzania is part of the larger, not-for-profit company Tujijenge Afrika, a Swahili name that roughly translates to mean “let’s build ourselves, Africa.” The company was founded by six microfinance practitioners, who now serve on its board of directors. The founders sought to remedy a problem that they observed in African society by employing their own skills. That is, 90 percent of the country does not have access to financial services. They saw that few MFIs existed, forcing residents to rely on expensive banking alternatives that perpetuated a lifestyle of poverty.
Tujijenge Tanzania aims to provide financial help to individuals, both men and women, who are engaged in all manner of small businesses, ranging from stationery shops to restaurants. The company operates by sending Loan Officers into local communities to give presentations about their services. Interested individuals then form groups of up to 35 members and receive four weeks of training from the Loan Officers. This includes instruction on lending methodology and creating viable business plans. During this period, the group must satisfy several requirements, including electing leaders and opening an account with a commercial bank (the company partners with both Bank of America and Kenya Commercial Bank).
Furthermore, every member is required to save 20 percent of the expected amount of the loan during this training period. This serves the dual purpose of teaching the discipline of making weekly payments, as well as demonstrating that the individual is engaged in a serious, capital-generating business. Upon completion of the training period, if all requirements have been met, the group can make a formal application for a loan. After receiving the money, the group will continue to meet every week, both to make repayments and to discuss general business issues and practices.
Beyond making loans to small business owners, the company is also engaged in a wide variety of product development. Currently, Tujijenge Tanzania is in the process of developing a mobile banking solution for their clients to help serve those in less accessible areas.
In the past, they have developed both solar loan and agricultural loan models in collaboration with organizations such as Oxfam. They have also engaged in market research in the promotion of medical and life insurance all around Africa.
– Rebecca Beyer
Feature Writer
Sources: Tujijenge Afrika, KIVA
Jamii Bora Bank and its Fight Against Poverty
What is the Jamii Bora Bank? Originally known as the Jamii Bora Trust, the Jamii Bora Bank (JBB) was founded in 1999 by a group of Kenyan families in order to serve the needs of citizens looking to escape poverty.
Beginning as a charitable trust, the organization currently specializes in micro finance services for an estimated 300,000 Kenyans with 150,000 new customers acquired in 2013 alone. JBB is not simply a bank; the institution has become an established resource in fighting Kenya’s poverty level over the last decade. The poverty gap around the world has grown dramatically worldwide and Kenya is no exception.
In the past 2 years, JBB has raised its capital by over 1 billion Kenyan shillings and shifted the focus on poverty aid. Initiatives include affordable housing, vast infrastructure improvement, and increased employment. Available banking methods have evolved to provide individuals with the financial tools necessary to gain middle income living through personal, mortgage, small and medium enterprise and agricultural banking.
Bank members are allowed to borrow over twice the amount of funds within their saving accounts which can then be applied to a variety of debts including school bills, healthcare costs, housing payments, and business startups.
Technology has played an important role in the bank’s growth within the last year. Newly implemented programs suggest that lack of access to technology directly correlates to poverty levels, as well. In response, the first ATM debit cards were released to customers by JBB earlier this year. Mobile banking has also become available within the last few months and the addition of Western Union services have enabled Kenyans to connect to the outside world with ease.
The institution has designed an innovative reward program for its citizens. Similar to referral programs favored by U.S. banks, employees, and customers are financially rewarded for successfully referring a friend to enroll in banking services. However, JBB offers rewards for the duration of the new account. In theory, if Customer A convinces Customer B to enroll in services, and Customer B maintains an account for 10 years, Customer A will receive monetary rewards for 10 years.
Jamii Bora also contains a component solely devoted to public health with special focus on issues such as HIV/AIDS, maternal health, child and newborn wellness, and primary/secondary care. Health insurance is available to members and includes maternal care, HIV/AIDS patient inclusion, and inpatient care without any form of co-payment.
The plan is needed in a country where nearly 34,000 children die from malaria annually and an estimated 360,000 are prescribed antiretroviral medications for HIV/AIDS treatment, according to USAID.
The bank continues to strive to reach its goal of 6 million members by 2018. It hopes to expand its current network across the continent, essentially allowing many developing African nations to gain a foothold in the current technology-centric world. Its innovative programs may one day allow millions of Kenyans and their neighbors to escape their current state of poverty.
– Jasmine D. Smith
Sources: Jamii Bora Bank, Health Market Innovations, USAID
Photo: West fm
5 Benefits to Giving Back to the Community
There are a variety of ways in which giving back to the community, both local and global, are beneficial:
1. Giving back can foster growth in a company or for an entrepreneur by providing an opportunity to listen and learn from the community (what it wants, and what it needs, and what it means to give). The act of giving back doesn’t have to proceed without thought of what the company needs or even what the company desires to give. Developing a standard policy about the causes you’re willing to donate to and support will allow the charities and organizations that approach you to be in support of your commitment.
The conversation can grow beyond guilt and into one of support. When it comes to listening to the community your business or organization might serve (be it a specific location or a certain demographic) you become more informed by the goals and needs of the community you’re attempting to serve and can tailor future projects towards these goals and needs.
2. An obvious benefit of giving back is that it helps the community, whether the help is on a global scale (foreign aid donations, clothing/food/etc. donations in the wake of natural disasters, or volunteer work) or a local one (donating food to a food bank, volunteering to help students after school, or aiding in cleaning up local waterways), the community improves.
Especially when aid involves helping others make progress beyond the limits of economic, educational, or social blockades. While the changes may be more difficult to grasp on a global level, at the local level the progress made is also visible. Which leads to…
3. Giving back, especially on an individual level (such as tutoring, mentoring a child or volunteering in a soup kitchen), is good for your health. Depending on the work one is doing: physical health can be improved by increased activity, regulated sleep schedules, and better sleep in general, stress relief, and can help reduce the risk of certain health problems, like heart attacks and strokes.
There are studies that show volunteer work can make people happier by boosting not only physical health but also by promoting social interactions and of course the good vibes that come from contributing to the community. This potentially happier and healthier mindset promotes a desire to give back more.
4. Maybe you’re looking for a career change or a career boost, a volunteer opportunity would be a great and beneficial way to begin. Whether you’re writing grants in your spare time or building houses, volunteering is work.
It takes and builds skills and understanding and provides the professional or someone just starting out with a network of people just as invested as they are in the progress of whatever project is in the works. In similar fashion, volunteer work provides a foothold into and gives one a stake in the community
5. Having a stake in the community means coming in contact with community members who may often be overlooked, ignored, or outright scorned depending on their situations. This works both on a local and global scale.
It’s easier to see why more needs to be done on a legislative level if one can see that even with aid programs there are still limits to what someone working full-time or someone on disability or someone without running water, electricity, the list goes on, is capable of doing when the law ignores, fails to protect, or actively works against them.
Meeting other members of your community may also be as simple as visiting a retirement community with your dog or helping out in the community garden. Whatever you end up doing you’re getting a better understanding of the community of which you are a part and its needs.
– The Borgen Project
Sources: Huffington Post, Southern Alpha
Photo: NCHS
The Earthquake and Poverty Situation in the Philippines
The earthquake’s ramifications will be felt throughout the Philippines. Power was reported to be out across Cebu City (the fifth largest city in the country), Masbate, and the Bohol province. Part of Cebu Doctor’s University in Mandaue City collapsed, and Cebu City also suffered two collapsed buildings and a ruined fish port. The death toll was first reported to be 28 people, but by the end of the day it had risen to 82. An additional 159 people were injured.
The child poverty situation was atrocious before the earthquake, following the effects of it the situation can only be expected to worsen as restoration projects expect to take a majority of the aid’s attention.
Child poverty is defined in two separate ways: child income, which is based on family income, and child deprivation, which is examined through availability of shelter, food, and water. An expected 47 percent (12.8 million) of Filipino children are suffering in poverty. One of the elements where this poverty is most evident is the malnutrition shown on full display in the bodies of Filipino children.
In the 0-5 age group, the percentage of underweight children rose 1.6 percent from 2003 to 2006. With the malnutrition factor settling in at a young age, the children are growing up underfed, and being forced to live the majority of their lives in this state of unhealthiness.
Not only are children suffering from a lack of access to food and water, education rates remain low in the Philippines. The number of children aged 6-16, who are currently out of school, rose from 1.8 million in 2002 to 2.2 million in 2007. Many of these children are being forced to scavenge for a living, rummaging for street scraps and thrown out food.
Now, it is estimated that the well-being of Filipino children has never been worse. The almost 13 million children residing in poverty are struggling to survive, and issues such as malnutrition from lack of suitable source of food and water and an utter drop in education rates has the Philippines moving backwards. The earthquake repair costs will not help these rates. The damage caused by the earthquake will be repaired in time, but the true issue in the island country lies in the hardships faced by the youth for the last several years.
– Zachary Wright
Sources: Global Issues, NBC, PIDS, UNICEF
Photo: MSNBC
Can One Person Change the World?
Jim Ziolkowski is the founder, president, and CEO of buildOn, a non-profit organization established to build schools in developing countries while also running after-school programs for America’s toughest inner-city environments. The seeds for buildOn were planted on an after-college excursion into the Himalayan Mountains. Ziolkowski came across a village in Nepal that was celebrating the opening of a new school. During his trip, Ziolkowski gained first-hand experience of poverty-stricken areas and the conditions that lay therein. But in this village, Ziolkowski saw something that forever changed him. He saw a community that was hanging its hopes on the power of education.
Ziolkowski returned to the United States, and began his job in corporate finance at GE. However, the memories of his cross-country hiking could not be forgotten. 15 months into his job, Ziolkowski walked out forever, pursuing a life that would enlighten the lives of others throughout the world by founding buildOn.
In 1992, Ziolkowski traveled to Misolami, a village located in Malawi. Ziolkowski planned to build his organization’s first school here, but he soon succumbed to malaria. Ziolkowski barely escaped with his life, and had another life-changing moment in the process; barely anybody in the area diagnosed with malaria escapes with their life. Ziolkowski only survived because he was not entrenched in extreme poverty, unlike most of the people in the area. Ziolkowski saw education as a way to escape extreme poverty, and his fire to change the world’s education for the less fortunate was strengthened.
Ziolkowski returned to the U.S knowing he also had to impact the lives of the urban youth in a positive way. Ziolkowski was unable to connect with these kids on a deeper level because he had been raised in a stable small town in Michigan. To solve this problem, Ziolkowski moved into a rough neighborhood in Harlem, so he could experience the difference in person. He lived there for three years, and he learned the urban youth did not want to participate in the dangerous style of life, they wanted to change it. Ziolkowski wanted to assist this mindset to the best of his ability.
Twenty years later, the results from Ziolkowski’s experiences have helped launch buildOn into a successful program. On Ziolkowski’s return to Misolami in 2012, the village had constructed four other schools thanks to support from buildOn. Instead of 150 kids attending school, now well over 1,000 were enrolled. Ziolkowski’s success can be seen on the forefront of this village, and in neighborhoods throughout urban America. The tree (buildOn) started out as a small idea, but Ziolkowski’s drive and determination turned it from a seed into a giant sequoia.
Ziolkowski’s success has been printed in his book, Walk in Their Shoes, available on Amazon.
– Zachary Wright
Sources: Amazon, buildON, NC State University
Photo: WorldOz
Pack H2O: Bringing Water to Developing Nations
Greif Inc., a well-known packaging company, has spearheaded the opportunity to develop a way for people in developing nations to obtain clean water. Greif has developed an innovative backpack that safely and easily transports water to homes in developing areas. The backpack is officially called the Pack H20. It even has been nominated on the National Design Museum’s list of “products that make a difference in everyday lives.”
According to Greif Inc., the H20 pack has been “replacing jerry cans and buckets as the mode of transport for drinking water in Haiti, Guatemala and Kenya and more than 20 other countries.” The backpacks are designed to carry 5.25 gallons of water and are made of extremely resistant fabric and plastic liner, which makes them puncture resistant. Each backpack is also sold at an affordable price of $10.
The backpacks have been so successful that over 100,000 have been distributed to women and children. According to Justin Moodley, Marketing Director for PackH2O LLC, these women and children don’t have to rely on these traditional and burdensome methods for water transportation. Moodley also mentioned that these people will not have to come in contact with heavy and contaminated containers any more.
Moreover, representative officials for Pack H20 have taken other initiatives to better developing communities’ access to clean drinking water. Some have taken notice of the distance between water sources and these communities. They plan to grant more instant access to water to these communities in the near future. As a result, Greif Inc. plans on spearheading other clean water access projects in developing nations.
– Stephanie Olaya
Sources: Biz Journal, Pack H2O
Photo: Pack H2O
5 Great Female Writers on Giving Back
This author’s previous post illuminated philanthropic quotes from five of the greatest male writers of our times. Here, we introduce to you five great female writers and what they have to say about giving back:
So many gods, so many creeds,
So many paths that wind and wind,
While just the art of being kind,
Is all this sad world needs
—Ella Wheeler Wilcox
Wilcox was an American poet whose style was simple, but the meanings therein were often profound. Some of her great works include Poems of Passion, A Woman of the World, and Poems of Peace.
I’ve learned that you shouldn’t go through life with a catcher’s mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw something back.
—Maya Angelou, As a writer, poet, and a significant member of the Civil Rights Activists during the 1960s, Angelou is perhaps most known for her autobiographies, including I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Other famous works include Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water ‘Fore I Die, The Heart of a Woman, and Letter to My Daughter.
As we work to create light for others, we naturally light our own way.
―Mary Anne Radmacher. Radmacher is a writer and artist, and teaches writing seminars. She is best known for Lean Forward into Your Life, and Live Boldly.
No one has ever become poor by giving.
—Anne Frank. While hiding with her family from the Nazis during World War II with another family in Amsterdam, she kept a diary which was discovered after her death in a Nazi concentration camp. Her diary, The Diary of a Young Girl, is well known across the world as the heartbreaking memoir of a young girl’s transition into adolescence and an attempt at understanding an adulthood she’d never reach.
Indifference and neglect often do much more damage than outright dislike.
—J.K. Rowling, a writer with a rags-to-riches story, is not one who needs to be convinced of the importance of giving back. After making it to the list of richest people in the world in 2011, Rowling managed to donate so much money that she failed to make it to the list in 2012. Along with her multi-faceted fantasy Harry Potter novels, JKR is known for The Casual Vacancy, and The Cuckoo’s Calling, which was written under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith.
– Aalekhya Malladi
Sources: GoodReads, Poetry Foundation, Telegraph
Photo: HTML Giant