Sunday, March 21, 2010

Poverty and Philanthropy

Poverty is one of the many problems in the world that will probably never be fixed. The problem exists in every corner of the globe and its magnitude is far too great to overcome. I could write this blog about how to get rid of poverty and how everyone should donate their time and money to the cause but that simply is not reality. Poverty is the result of many things, none of which can be pin-pointed exactly, and because of this, it is extremely difficult to eliminate poverty. No one particular person or action can be to blame for the existence of poverty and no one particular person or group can be responsible for fixing it. Poverty is present almost everywhere and it oftentimes goes unnoticed. In the United States we are presented with images of poverty that occur in other countries and encouraged to send our money to these foreign lands. The truth is that there is a large amount of poverty in our own country that we fail to recognize because we are too busy focusing on the problems of others rather than ourselves. It really annoys me when I see advertisements for people to send their money to other countries. I know this may sound bad but I do not understand why the United States has to be the hero and try to fix everyone else’s problems. We have plenty of problems that we should be focusing on, one of those is poverty.

There are numerous philanthropic organizations out there designed to eliminate and lessen poverty in the world. Habitat for Humanity is an organization that works to improve housing for people who need it, ONE is an organization that fights against global AIDS and extreme poverty, and The Salvation Army works to bring the Christian message to the poor by meeting both their physical and spiritual needs. All of these organizations are non-profit which means they are funded by donations. Donating money is a great way for a person to help out and do their part in fighting against poverty. People should not be forced or required to donate their money, rather, they should do it out of the goodness of their heart because they want to help people who are less fortunate. Rich people should not be required to give away their money just because they have it. In most cases, people who have money have worked long and hard to earn every penny they have. If a person wants to help the poor then they will, no matter their income or social status. Even though people cannot see directly where their money is going, they can still know that their donation is going to a great cause, a cause that can change a person’s life. Any amount of money can help, and if a person does not have a lot of extra money to donate, they can give by donating their time. The fight against poverty is a long and endless one, but with the help of people around the world, we can work to improve the lives of those less fortunate than us.

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