Archive for category: Charity

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How to Help People in China

How to Help People in China
Despite the rapid economic growth that China has experienced in the last few decades, 400 million Chinese people still suffer from poverty, especially in rural areas. The following paragraphs provide detailed information on how to help people in China:

1. Teach for China

Formerly known as the China Education Initiative, Teach for China is a program founded in 2008. Teach for China works to reduce the gap in education level between rural and urban China. To deal with the shortage of teachers in rural areas, Teach for China hires top university graduates from both the United States and China for two years to work as teachers in primary and secondary schools in Yunnan and Guangdong provinces. The American volunteers are responsible for teaching English, while the Chinese volunteers focus on other core subjects, including math, science and Chinese literature. As of today, approximately two-thirds of the volunteers are Chinese, while the remaining one-third are from the U.S.

2. UNDP’s programs

Another example of how to help people in China is through the United Nations Development Programme’s various programs aimed at mitigating poverty and inequality in China. The organization focus on tackling the root causes of poverty in China. Additionally, the UNDP emphasizes sustainability and ensures that its actions are in line with China’s values and cultural identity. The specific programs include partnering with leading national institutions in China to support their policy research and provide policy recommendations, and an initiative that focuses on inclusive development for ethnic minorities.

3. Donations to NGOs

Another way to reduce poverty in China is to donate to NGOs dedicated to helping the rural poor in China.

Save the Children, one of the world’s largest NGOs focuses on raising the quality of educating Chinese children in impoverished communities. Since 1992, it has established child-friendly spaces in rural communities and schools where children can safely learn, play and socialize. Immediately after the Sichuan earthquake in 2008, it established a permanent office in Chengdu and has helped millions of homeless children and families affected by the earthquake ever since.

Another nonprofit organization that aims at ending the poverty crisis in rural China is Project Partner. Its uniqueness lies in the fact that while even the largest charities operating in other developing countries cannot work in China, it can, because of close relationships it has established with its partners since 1982. The organization accepts donations to various projects it carries out, as identified by its Chinese partners.

To provide clean water, for example, Project Partner digs wells and builds water storage systems. To improve health care, it builds clinics and trains doctors. Project Partner also offers scholarships and trains teachers in order to bring education toq rural areas. Project Partner also organizes regular trips to China to work directly with the people it supports through donations and fundraising. The participants can either help facilitate medical clinics, teach English, join youth soccer camps or visit rural Chinese villages.

These are the most typical examples of how to help people in China. Through these direct channels, it will be easier to alleviate poverty in rural China. This will help the nation achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.

– Minh Joo Yi

Photo: Flickr

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8 Important Documentaries About Poverty

Documentaries About Poverty
Streaming services such as Netflix and Hulu can be a means to unproductive and endless binge-watching. However, they can also be an instrument of political and social change. Documentary films can be some of the highest quality filmmaking out there, as well as a great tool for nonprofit organizations. Documentaries about poverty can cover almost any issue, discussing topics of hunger, health, education and more. Below are eight documentaries about poverty that are definitely worth watching.

8 Influential Documentaries about Poverty

  1. Poverty, Inc.: This film examines and critiques the ways that good intentions from nonprofits and charity organizations can actually end up hurting the communities they wish to help. Some of these strategies include the Western attitude of patronizing developing countries and flooding a nation with handouts and thereby hurting its economy. Poverty, Inc. points out the flaws in certain forms of aid and how organizations and governments can fix them.
  2. Why Poverty?: This is actually a series of eight documentaries about poverty that are available for streaming on the PBS website. Broadly speaking, the series asks why poverty still exists for over a billion people around the world. The episodes aim for awareness, examining the causes of poverty and looking for solutions.
  3. We Feed the World: This film depicts the disparity between the amount of food available in the developing world with how much they produce and eventually waste in those same nations.
  4. Thought for Food: One of the shorter documentaries about poverty, this film also focuses on hunger. It tells the stories of students who created solutions for large food security problems. Consequently, it can give the viewer some ideas on how to fight hunger with their own skills.
  5. Girl Rising: This documentary looks at the stories of nine different girls in Asia, South America and Africa and how they used their education to overcome obstacles. Celebrities narrated this film without sounding patronizing. Overall, Girl Rising illustrates the power of education in desperate circumstances through messages of inspiration and triumph.
  6. Sewing Hope: While movements such as “Kony 2012” examined the plight of boys in Uganda forced to become child soldiers, this documentary looks at what happened to young girls and the quest to improve their lives. Many girls were taken as sex slaves and returned to their communities with their captors’ children. The documentary also examines Sister Rosemary Nyirumbe’s mission to give these women independence through vocational training like sewing and tailoring.
  7. On the Way to School: This documentary inspects the greater global issue of education through a closer look at four personal stories in India, Morocco, Patagonia and Kenya. It is thus a great film to raise awareness about the things the Western world takes for granted in education.
  8. Bending the Arc: This brand new documentary tells the story of the organization Partners in Health. It premiered at Sundance Film Festival this past January and is one to keep an eye out for.

– Ellen Ray

Photo: Flickr

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One Way to Demand More Corporate Social Responsibility


It’s no secret that Americans love to go out to eat. Choosing take out or driving to the nearest food drive always sounds better than working in the kitchen for what seems like hours. Luckily, for those times that a good burger or pizza sounds too delicious to pass up, there are still opportunities to help the world’s poor as restaurants adopt new policies of corporate social responsibility.

Restaurants everywhere are catching on to the notion that they can adopt a policy of corporate social responsibility and use their position in society to help people who are in need. According to an article in AdWeek, Millennials are civic-minded and have more recently demanded that companies and corporations be civic-minded as well by giving back to society. Millennials want to create change, take responsibility for the world and help those who are unable to help themselves.

The 2015 Cone Communications Millennial CSR (corporate social responsibility) Study found that 9 in 10 millennials would drop one brand and replace it with a more socially conscious one. Furthermore, 62 percent of millennials would willingly take a pay cut if it meant working for a socially responsible company. Millennials are dedicated to staying socially responsible in all areas of their lives.

Many people know of clothing brands and large corporations that are donating sums of money or have a one-for-one philanthropic model with clothes, shelter and other essential items. In a similar way, there are now many restaurants that are donating food to hungry people all over the world.

Some major brands, including Panera Bread, Chipotle Mexican Grill, Yum Brand restaurants and Zambrero donate to charitable causes specific to eradicating hunger worldwide. Some restaurants name the charities they are working with right in their mission statement. For example, Malawi’s Pizza serves “pizza with a purpose,” has a Meal for Meal Exchange program and has sent 923,859 meals to orphans in Malawi since its inception.

These are only a few options. The good news is there are many more corporations that care about good causes. Staying educated on corporate social responsibility is the most efficient way to be up-to-date with which corporations are making a difference because those are the ones that should maintain support. The more demanding consumers are of socially responsible corporations, the more they will appear and, as a result, Americans can begin taking more responsibility for those in need everywhere.

– Emily Arnold

Photo: Flickr

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How Sustainable is the McGovern-Dole Program?


The McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program was established in 2000 by former Senators George McGovern and Robert Dole. It has fed millions of children all over the globe by way of school meals made from surplus U.S. agricultural products. In 2006, McGovern and Dole were awarded the World Food Prize for their work on the program. This award is seen as the “Nobel Prize for hunger.”

The program is credited with helping improve school attendance as well as feeding the hungry, as free school meals provide families with an extra incentive to send their children to school. This is especially the case for girls, as parents sometimes decide to keep them home from school to do housework.

McGovern-Dole has made recent news because the Trump administration’s 2018 budget outline proposes eliminating the program, citing that it “lacks evidence that it is being effectively implemented to reduce food insecurity.”

Forbes contributor Tim Worstall contends Trump’s claim that McGovern-Dole fails to reduce food insecurity is accurate. He points out that because McGovern-Dole consists only of food donations, it lacks sustainability, doing nothing to inject money into local economies or help farmers grow their crops. Although the program feeds people effectively, it is not a long-term solution to ending hunger locally.

This being said, McGovern-Dole does have sustainability measures in place, though they may not address food insecurity directly. The program is concerned with education. All meals through the program are offered through schools. This allows McGovern-Dole to track data such as the number of kids taking medication or learning to read at school. This helps other education-centered organizations focus their efforts. McGovern-Dole also implements teacher training, school infrastructure improvements and nutrition programs for pregnant women in the communities it serves.

Alternatives to direct food aid programs are not always reliable. The cash-based transfer, a form of assistance by which individuals in need receive bank transfers or vouchers to exchange for food at stores owned by the World Food Programme, is ineffective in communities with extremely unstable markets or bank services. Direct food aid like McGovern-Dole provides hungry individuals with food regardless of the state of the market in a community.

– Caroline Meyers

Photo: Flickr

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Rihanna’s Charity Work: Fighting Poverty in Malawi

Rihanna's Charity Work Fighting Poverty in Malawi
In January 2017, Rihanna visited Malawi on behalf of her foundation, the Clara Lionel Foundation. She also journeyed as a global ambassador for the Global Partnership for Education.

During her stay, Rihanna, accompanied by former Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard, hoped to learn more about the challenges regarding health and education in Malawi. Global Citizen uploaded a short film documenting Rihanna’s charity work. The film depicts the poverty, hunger, poor education and the lack of many basic human rights that many children face in Malawi. In addition to interacting with children, Rihanna also discussed future improvement strategies with key political leaders.

The situation regarding education in Malawi requires immediate action. This documentary and Rihanna’s charity work helped bring attention to the severity of conditions in Malawi. According to a World Bank survey, one in two Malawians live in poverty, making it the country’s most pressing issue.

Currently, the fight against poverty in Malawi has experienced little progress in the past decade. Like many impoverished countries, the rural regions of Malawi are the most heavily impacted. The issue is primarily due to volatile economic conditions, natural disasters and poor performance in the agricultural sector. The World Bank has suggested that one possible solution could be investing in secondary education for women.

These issues regarding poverty and education have a particularly profound impact on young Malawian women. Rihanna’s charity work, as shown in the documentary, addresses how issues such as poor public infrastructure put young women in danger while walking to school. In addition, cultural practices such as arranged marriages deter women from pursuing education.

Rihanna’s charity work in Malawi attempts to increase global awareness of these issues while creating connections with key leaders. The Global Partnership for Education has raised funds for global education, and in past years has focused specifically on “inclusive, equitable quality education for all by 2030.” In fact, the organization hopes to raise $3.1 billion for over 870 million children in 89 countries between 2018 and 2020. Partnering with Rihanna allowed them to combine these goals with the singer’s interest in education for girls and arts education.

In years past, Rihanna has used her fame to further her charity work. As a champion for women’s rights and access to arts and education, Rihanna established the Clara Lionel Foundation in 2012. The nonprofit fights to “improve the quality of life for communities globally in the areas of health, education, arts and culture.” The foundation creates scholarships, partners with various corporations, holds fundraising events and does much more in an effort to provide these areas with the resources they need.

– Julia Morrison

Photo: Flickr

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Innovative Social Enterprise: ME to WE Works to End Global Poverty


The for-profit arm ME to WE, an innovative social enterprise, partially funds Free the Children, a well-known international charity re-branded as WE last year. With WE, ME to WE works to end global poverty in a variety of ways.

Brothers Marc and Craig Kielburger started WE more than a decade ago, when Craig was only 12 years old. Their goal was to give people with fewer opportunities and resources the chance to better their lives. That goal is still carried out in the daily workings of the corporation, which donates half of its net profits to WE while reinvesting the other half to grow the enterprise.

WE focuses on five pillars that are important to the advancement of underdeveloped communities: education, water, health, food and opportunity.

In cooperation with the WE Charity, ME to WE works to end global poverty in these three main ways:

1. Volunteering

ME to WE offers volunteer trips to a variety of countries where communities exist in dire need of assistance. They currently serve Kenya, India, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Haiti, Sierra Leone and rural China.

The WE Charity offers “holistic, sustainable development work” for the volunteers to participate in to help the community.

ME to WE recognizes the importance of volunteer work and how far a single act of kindness can stretch. Its trip website says that after participating in the volunteer trip, “you will take home these lessons, along with an action plan to make a difference.”

Those who volunteer may build houses, install wells or plant community gardens, making a lasting impact on those in need. These projects are designed to help communities develop into sustainable societies.

2. Selling merchandise

Along with offering trips, ME to WE works to end global poverty by selling merchandise that directly benefits poverty-stricken communities.

On the ME to WE Shop web page, there is a description of how a purchase affects a community: “All ME to WE products carry the Track Your Impact promise and create sustainable change around the world in WE villages and here at home through WE school programs.”

Pacsun, a California-based retail clothing brand geared for young people, gives back by selling ME to WE merchandise in stores and online. The brand proudly announced that with any purchase of a ME to WE item, “essential resources are delivered that work to break the cycle of poverty and create real, lasting change.”

3. Educating and giving opportunities

One of the most impactful ways ME to WE works to end global poverty is by empowering communities through problem solving. The WE Charity and ME to WE Foundation “carry the power of WE globally, empowering communities to lift themselves out of poverty.”

In rural Nicaragua, for instance, a group of unemployed and impoverished women struggled to put food on the table. WE stepped in and helped the community build a school and a well. ME and WE, in the meantime, gave the women options for income-earning. The women eventually chose to learn the craft of bracelet-making. ME to WE pays them for the dedication and passion involved in making jewelry, then sells the bracelets in Europe and North America.

For years now, ME to We helps women reward themselves and feed their families. Instead of charity, these passionate females received encouragement and sustainable skills that help them care for themselves and their families. This is just a couple of the many ways ME to WE and its nonprofit arm WE empower communities to support themselves.

– Sydney Missigman

Photo: Flickr

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10 Richest Countries in the World Include Some of the Most Generous


Several of the 10 richest countries in the world are also leaders in foreign aid and charitable donations to organizations that fight poverty both at home and abroad.

According to Global Finance Magazine, which utilized data provided by the International Monetary Fund, the 10 richest countries in the world by GDP per capita are Qatar, Luxembourg, Macao, Singapore, Brunei, Kuwait, Ireland, Norway, the United Arab Emirates and San Marino.

Kuwait
Number five on the list with a per capita GDP of $71,263, Kuwait has a history of offering humanitarian aid to developing countries, particularly in the Arab world. The Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development has provided a total of $18.5 billion in loans to 104 countries in support for education, health services and agricultural development since the fund’s establishment in 1961. Part of the fund is also put aside to assist Kuwait’s citizens in finding housing.

Kuwait is also known for providing humanitarian relief in the wake of natural disasters and violent conflict. The country recently provided $500 million to Yemen and pledged another $500 million to Syria. In 2015, Kuwait’s contribution to foreign aid was 2.1 percent of its GDP, more than twice the U.N. Official Development Assistance target.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE)
Ranked ninth on the list with a per capita GDP of $67,696, in 2013 the UAE was recognized as the top humanitarian donor of the year, having contributed nearly six billion dollars in aid to over 140 countries to provide food, shelter and education to vulnerable populations, particularly in countries such as Egypt, Libya, Yemen, Jordan, Lebanon and the occupied Palestinian territories. Dubai, the UAE’s largest city, is also the location of the International Humanitarian City, which houses more than 50 commercial companies and nongovernmental organizations instrumental in the delivery of aid to areas of the world in need.

Ireland
Ireland is the seventh richest country in the world and has a GDP of $69,374. In 2013, 49 of the top Irish companies donated over 24 million euro to local groups and organizations that focus on issues such as homelessness, education and disability services. The country increased its foreign aid budget, offering 640 million euro for developmental assistance in 2016, a seven percent increase from the previous year. Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Charles Flanagan defined the fight against poverty and hunger worldwide as being “at the core of Irish foreign policy.”

Norway
Just behind Ireland with a GDP of $69,296, Norway allocates large amounts of aid money toward global education and health. It spent the third-highest percentage of gross national income on foreign aid in 2016 out of all the countries in the U.N., placing it just behind the UAE. Norway has recently proposed to double its support for renewable energy and is working with Kenya through the Oil for Development program to help Kenya protect its natural resources while gaining a foothold in the petroleum sector.

These nations, four of the 10 richest countries in the world, give back for a variety of reasons. The UAE claims that the humanitarian element is the single deciding factor in its policy on foreign aid, citing an Islamic belief that it is an obligation to help the less fortunate. Others see foreign aid as a means to strengthen its own political, diplomatic and economic positions. According to Dr. Hessah Al-Ojayan, assistant professor of finance at Kuwait University, Kuwait uses foreign aid to achieve “smaller ‘wins’ in the day-to-day global political arena.” Similarly, Norway’s partnership with Kenya, which the government has called “an engine of economic growth in Africa” and “increasingly important for Norwegian interests,” has the potential to be mutually beneficial.

Several of the 10 richest countries in the world have also made it to the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) World Giving Index top 20. The rankings are determined by three criteria: the percentage of people surveyed from that country who say that they have helped a stranger, donated money or volunteered time. These statistics show that not only the governments of these countries, but also the citizens themselves, are generous to the less fortunate. Ireland ranks ninth on the list, followed by the UAE at 10th, Norway at 14th and Kuwait at 19th.

– Emilia Otte

Photo: Flickr

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Wealth in Dubai: Generous Strides in the Global Poverty Effort

Wealth in Dubai: Making Generous Strides in the Global Poverty EffortFrom a small pearl fishing village to one of the richest cities in the world, Dubai has made quite the journey. Dubai is the largest and most populous city in the United Arab Emirates and is home to the tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa.

People believe that wealth in Dubai stems from its oil industry. However, it only accounts for about 7 percent of its total revenue. The big bucks are in Dubai’s real estate.  Reports show that most of the state’s $82.11 billion in revenue come from its investment in real estate, airlines, and sea ports.

Dubai has shown that its population has no plans to hold onto its wealth.  The city has made tremendous strides toward the eradication of global poverty and plans to continue to do so until it is eliminated.  Forty-six years after the foundation of the UAE, international aid provided by its government and non-governmental organizations has been estimated at $15.23 billion.  This international support using wealth in Dubai makes it one of the world’s largest contributors to foreign aid.

“Foreign aid and assistance are one of the basic pillars of our foreign policy.  For we believe that there is no true benefit for us from the wealth that we have unless it does not also reach those in need, wherever they may be, and regardless of their nationality or beliefs,” founder and former president of the UAE Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan said.

The majority of Dubai’s foreign aid goes to programs that focus on the assistance of the poor, healthcare, energy generation, transport and storage.  In recent years, the state has put an emphasis on the pursuit of solar energy.

Dubai’s leaders say that sustainability and clean energy are priorities for any long-term resolution to issues created by poverty.  They say that further investment in solar energy will lead to its use in emergency operations, schools, refugee camps and other aid processes of this kind.

– Emily Trosclair

Photo: Flickr

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Former Bon Jovi Guitarist Launches Csnaps App


Richie Sambora is not just known as the guitarist of the band Bon Jovi from 1983 to 2013, but he is also known for his humanitarian work, now including being the co-founder of Csnaps, the new humanitarian app that allows celebrities to take pictures with fans and raise money for a charity of the celebrity’s choice.

“Fans are always going to ask their favorite celebrities to take pictures with them,” Sambora said in an interview with People Music. “By using Csnaps, you get a picture with your favorite star and money goes to help good causes and those in need, so it’s a win-win for everybody.”

Charities must register with Csnaps.org to be eligible for donation. Among the registered charities are The Humane Society, PETA, Smile Train, and the ALS Association.

The app also benefits publicists and celebrities, who can break news about their clients on Csnaps and have the media purchase it. Not only does this raise money for a charity their clients care about, but it allows the publicist to control what is said about their client, and the client gets new followers and good publicity.

So how does it work? A fan approaches a celebrity and asks for a selfie. Using the catchphrase, “Csnaps only please,” the celebrity will take a selfie with the fan through the app, and for a minimum of three dollars, 80 percent of which goes to a charity of the celebrity’s choice, the fan has their picture and a sense of contentment knowing that they have helped save a life, or make someone’s life better.

Csnaps is available on iTunes now, but no plans have been announced for it to be on any other platforms. Hopefully after witnessing Csnaps’ impact, other charities and platforms will join in on the goodwill.

– Kelsey Alexis Jackson

Photo: Flickr

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Charitable Giving: From the Business to the State


Pip’s Original Doughnuts and Chai is a quaint doughnut shop situated in the heart of Portland, Oregon. Last year it received media attention because of its Freedom to Give initiative. This initiative provides employees with an extra $30 in their paycheck. Employees are to use this extra cash to give to those in need as a form of charitable giving. Pip Employees may give their $30 to whoever and whatever they desire.

This story has inspired Pip’s employees and the surrounding community. Pip’s is the quintessential mom and pop shop, but giving back is not limited to small business.

Goldman Sachs, one of the largest investment banks in the world, has been striving to increase its charitable giving, particularly after the 2008 financial crisis. The Goldman Sachs Foundation has initiated the 10,000 Women and the 10,000 Small Businesses campaigns. The 10,000 Women campaign focuses on training women around the world in management and business. The 10,000 Small Businesses campaign serves to provide business assistance to small businesses around the world for up to five years.

The desire for small businesses to help the needy and commitment of big businesses to do so as well is similar to state involvement in fighting poverty. The reality is that small states tend to spend much on foreign aid, whereas big states could afford to spend more on fighting global poverty.

According to the World Economic Forum, a nonprofit foundation based in Geneva, the U.S. spends the most on foreign aid. Germany and the United Kingdom come second and third. However, when considering the percentage of a state’s gross national income, the U.S. does not even rank among the top ten. Sweden ranks first, the United Arab Emirates ranks second, and Norway ranks third.

This phenomenon demonstrates that big states have the capacity to give more than they currently do, just as a big business can afford to expand its charitable giving.

– Rebeca Ilisoi

Photo: Flickr