So, I missed Blog Action Day, and I’m really bummed about it. Therefore, I have decided any day is a good day for some blog action, and this year’s topic, poverty, is something that could use one more post (even if it’s late!).
Here are my thoughts: As we United States inhabitants are now unable to peel our eyes away from CNN and the gloom-and-doom economy news it provides, I have been struck by the sheer numbers of people who honestly think we have it bad. Here, “bad economy” might mean people don’t eat out three times in a week. In Haiti, “bad economy” means people don’t eat at all. If you have any of these things…
…you are outright wealthy compared to most of the world. Not to mention that if you own a car, you are among the 7% of people in the world who do. We have no right to complain.
Now, I’m not claiming that poverty doesn’t exist in America–that would be an absurd statement. But I will go out on a limb here and say that more Americans are in a position to help the truly needy than are not. Helping doesn’t mean solving the issue of world hunger single-handedly. It simply means doing what we can—and maybe admitting to ourselves that giving up a cheeseburger this week so that a child could go to school doesn’t even really qualify as sacrificial.
So, here are some of my favorite ways to get involved ending poverty, here and around the world:
The Mocha Club : The cost of two mochas a month can give 7 Africans clean water for a year.
Kiva : Loan money (any amount you can, no matter how small) to entrepreneurs in small villages around the world.
Feed the Children : Buying this bag feeds a child school lunch for a year–which helps keep them going.
