Charity or Empowerment..??

Charity or Empowerment? Are charitable donations to feed and house the poor really the way out of the mire of poverty or do NGOs need to focus more on skill development? Should we as donors be more proactive rather than merely donating money?#CharityorEmpowerment

There is saying that goes like – “Charity begins at home” meaning one should take care of the near and dear ones before worrying about helping others. So, my question is if we only give the required money to our loved ones, are we free from our responsibilities? If a father (or say, mother) gives all the money that their child has asked for, will that suffice? Do the old parents need money instead of proper care, love and respect? Do we, the independent youth only require money for survival?

I’m sure majority of us will answer all these questions in the negative. Because whether it be a child, the old parent or the youth we all need love, care, concern and respect. These are those intangible and invaluable things that money can’t buy. Undoubtedly, in today’s materialistic world, money is important but could we have earned that had our parents not given us proper education, a set of morals and ethics? Then, how can we be so indifferent towards our society? Does giving ample donations relieves us of our moral responsibility? Just take an example, if we keep giving the desired money to our children, won’t we have a fear in mind of his getting spoiled or won’t we be concerned about the use that money is being put too? Then shouldn’t we do the same for the money we donate?

My dad says, “It’s okay not to have money, but one should know the correct ways to earn it”.

Also, there is a proverb on a similar  thought process, “Give a  man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach him fishing, and you feed him for a lifetime.” 

Going by what my dad has taught me and the above proverb, I think it is crystal clear that if we empower the people with the requisite skills, we are doing something more than mere donation could do. This way, we will help them earn their living and help them lead an independent life.  Moreover, money is an exhaustible resource while skills are our own for the lifetime. So, my call is that we as donors should be more proactive rather than merely donating money.

And, imagine if we could empower(or help) a few people in our lives and if those few could empower(or help) a few further, I think our job is done and I hope a day will come when we won’t require donations. [This is a thought I have always believed in, though you will feel more connected to it when I’ll relate it with the Salman Khan starrer movie, “Jai Ho”]. There are other sayings supporting this “Many a little makes a mickle” and “Little by Little, fills the pot”. So, if we all do our bit, the world would turn out to be better place to live-in.

This is written in response to the Indispire Topic – 31 ” Charity or Empowerment” hosted by Indiblogger.

P.S. -Though this isn’t a ten minutes post,

but today, this is something that I wrote.

I would love if you read and connect,

as a part of the Daily Prompt.

Ping Back –  10 minutes Hat-Trick

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What’s you call? Please feel free to comment and share and if you feel connected with my thought process, please do your bit.