Think back to the big tsunami disaster of December 2004, which resulted in an outpouring of generous donations. Several billion dollars were contributed or pledged to relief efforts by people and governments who wanted to help. The damage was substantial -- around 275,000 people were killed and close to 2 million people were injured or displaced.
But step back a minute and think about the bigger picture. Yes, this was terrible and horrifying, and it stole the lives and livelihoods of a huge number of people. But there are even bigger disasters going on in the world -- ones that we turn a blind eye to every day, ones that we don't dig deep enough into our pockets to alleviate.
According to the Global Issues website:
- Half the world -- nearly three billion people -- lives on less than two dollars a day per capita.
- The GDP of the poorest 48 nations (i.e., a quarter of the world's countries) is less than the wealth of the world's three richest people combined.
- Less than 1% of what the world spent every year on weapons should have been used to put every child in the world into school by the year 2000 -- and yet it didn't happen.
- According to UNICEF, 30,000 children die each day due to poverty. That's about 210,000 children each week, or just under 11 million children under five years of age, each year.
- A few hundred millionaires now possess as much wealth as the world's poorest 2.5 billion people.
- 51% of the world's 100 wealthiest bodies are corporations. Consider this: The GDP of Bangladesh is about $260 billion -- that's less than the market capitalization of General Electric (NYSE:GE), Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT), or ExxonMobil (NYSE:XOM) and less than the annual revenues of Wal-Mart (NYSE:WMT) or ExxonMobil.
A United Nations web page offers more shocking information:
- More than a third of the world's children are malnourished.
- 1.2 billion people live without access to safe drinking water.
- The cost of eradicating poverty is 1% of global income.
Pretty eye-opening stuff, eh? I don't want to begrudge anyone's donation to tsunami relief -- that disaster was real and put many lives in danger. The need was -- and remains -- large (countries affected are still in the process of rebuilding, almost a year later). But the questions is: Why, when tragedies like this (and Hurricane Katrina and the subsequent flooding of New Orleans, and the recent earthquake in Pakistan) occur, do we quickly empty our pockets, when we don't do so on any other day of the year?
To be blunt, the tsunami killed around 275,000. It was a one-time event that occurs extremely rarely in history. Poverty kills around 210,000 children every week. Doesn't the pattern of giving seem kind of, well, irrational?
How you can help
Fortunately, it's not too late to improve this situation. You can do so by joining us in our annual Foolanthropy campaign. Over nearly a decade, we've raised more than $2 million together, to support the extremely impressive work of many outstanding organizations. This year is no different, and once again we want to introduce you to some worthy charities and invite you to send them a little -- or a lot -- of dollars. Even if you just click in and read about the organizations, without donating anything, they'll be happy. Building awareness is a valuable achievement, too.
Another way to avoid ignoring many of the world's problems is to have a system. Perhaps when a big disaster strikes and you write a check to help out, you might also take a moment to send a check to an organization working on an ongoing problem.
Or maybe you can take a few months (or years) to read up on organizations tackling issues you care about (such as the environment, homelessness, education, poverty, health, the arts, etc.) and jot down the ones that impress you the most. This would be like building an investment portfolio, essentially, to which you can regularly contribute.
However you do it, I encourage you to remember the many causes in the world that need your attention -- causes that don't get as much airtime as major natural disasters do.
This year's charities
Here are the organizations we invite you to support with us this year:
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Doctors without Borders encompasses thousands of volunteer doctors, nurses, logisticians, water and sanitation experts, administrators, and other medical and non-medical professionals. They deliver emergency medical aid to people affected by armed conflict, epidemics, natural or man-made disasters, or exclusion from health care in more than 70 countries -- the premise being that the right to medical care supersedes respect for national borders.
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DonorsChoose provides at-risk students with the books, technology, and supplies they need to learn. Teachers submit requests for desperately needed resources such as "Magical Math Center" ($200) or "Big Book Bonanza" ($320). Donors can select the projects they fund and receive a feedback package, including a report on how their gift was spent.
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Heifer International gives economic survival to poor families worldwide by providing livestock and training, enabling them to improve their health, earn money, educate their children, and preserve their environment. Recipients give their animals' first female offspring to other needy people, continuing a chain of sharing and self-reliance from Appalachia to Zambia.
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The Humane Society of Louisiana had its operations critically disrupted by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Its donor base, shelters, and volunteers are largely gone, its fundraising activities are canceled, and tens of thousands of animals from across the state have been displaced. Its day-to-day activity involves veterinary care, shelter, and reuniting pets with displaced owners.
- Mercy Corps works to alleviate poverty and oppression. Its programs in health care, education, agriculture, disaster relief, and economic development reach 7 million people in 35 countries. Mercy Corps is currently providing winter shelter for Pakistan's earthquake victims, rebuilding lives shattered in Guatemala's mudslides, and providing Darfur's displaced women with survival skills.
The fundraising drive begins Monday, Nov. 28. To learn more about our drive and these organizations, click in to: Foolanthropy!
Share your thoughts on Foolanthropy and philanthropy on our Foolanthropy discussion board -- or just pop in to see what others are saying.
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Selena Maranjian 's favorite discussion boards include Book Club , The Eclectic Library, and Card & Board Games. She owns shares of Microsoft and Wal-Mart. The Motley Fool has an ironclad disclosure policy. For more about Selena, view her bio and her profile. You might also be interested in these books she has written or co-written: The Motley Fool Money Guide and The Motley Fool Investment Guide for Teens . The Motley Fool is Fools writing for Fools.
