Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Poverty - The state of having little or no money - Blog Action Day 08

Be tuned in, On October 15th we will write a small note on poverty...

To join the Blog Action Day - 2008
Visit here - Click here

Hope to make a difference to few lives.






Two contrasting scenarios

1) Me with a job, with a debit card, with some cash in my bank account

-- Yoo man, flash my card at anything that I feel like picking up, chocolates are at my mercy (my belly ...at chocolates mercy), pick up unwanted things from the store, go on trips, waste money here and there...

2) Me without a job, without a debit card, without cash in my bank account
-- Take some money from my parents or friends, look longingly at things displayed at the store, buy good food once a month, and keep my old clothes as a heritage pocession, trying walking to humanly distant places...

Well the future is unpredictable, put yourself in different shoes, if it can happen to anyone it can happen to you...am sure if you are reading this in your swanky new laptop, you will fit in the first category.

Let’s spend two minutes to really understand the vicious vices of poverty...
If you are born in a poor family you don’t get quality education not because your parents don’t want to, just because they can’t afford it, without a proper education you don’t get a job, without a proper job you are repeatedly sucked into poverty, generation after generation.

My 2 lines might sound like a drop of water explaining the might of a tsunami but if all drops decided to move away a tsunami would be just a wave licking your feet.

If financial instability can get certain financial giants crawling on their feet think of certain mere mortals, homeless, abandoned and sick. None of us would want to be in such a position, god forbid we get into such a position the only hope would be in the race of humans…
Some good person like you, anyone going ahead and helping them out personally or financially.

So what can you do…?

1) Promote micro finance - Micro finance refers to the provision of financial services to poor or low-income clients, including consumers and the self-employed.

There are many firms like example www.dhanax.com which give out money for the poor and give them a living and in return you get pretty decent interest rates, its a complete win-win situation. I can’t vouch for the above link; it is just an example which came to my mind.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microfinance

http://kiva.org/

2) Gift an education – Gift an education to a poor child, track their future. I am sure many organizations close to your house will be able to help you, else mail me and I will find a way for you.
Example: http://www.cry.org/index.html

3) Donate liberally – you get what you give, am not saying this a way of investing money, give someone 100 and be assured of 150 Nope, give people money if they want it and you have some in surplus, trust me it doesn’t hurt. Support & play with spastic children, read lessons to the blind during the weekends, teach for free for poor childen.
Example: http://teach.timesofindia.com/ / http://diya.org.in/

Be happy with what you have and make others happy with what you have, remember its one life - live it to the fullest and make it memorable.

This is a organization run by my friends from college, please help if you can,
http://diya.org.in/

As I say
A penny donated (for the poor or the needy) is a penny well spent - MiM

Some past actions:
http://minmaxmim.blogspot.com/2007/10/spread-festive-cheer-to-all.html


m.
I.m



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