Kids' Charity

We have all seen the images of starving, sick, maimed or clean-water-deprived children on television in advertisements hoping to raise funds for any number of children’s charity organisations. The eyes-glazed-over response by most is not to respond in any way, just as if they were watching an ad for detergent.

Of course we can’t dip our hands into our pockets for every heartrending image or for the growing number of other charities that come out of the woodwork. But for sure, fundraising is one of the most difficult of jobs, and fair enough, why donate your money for charities that have nothing to do with you or your area of influence?

I’m no more generous than the next person, actually, probably far less because I have these short arms and very deep pockets but fate has taken me to places where, my experiences have had a lasting effect on me.

Charities depend on small donors just as they depend on the large philanthropic donors - anyone can become a small donor.

First it is necessary to put something to bed. I have seen and have been critical of some charities because of what to me, amounts to a wastage of resources and practices that I don’t all together agree with. But administration can’t be avoided, compliance with government rules is expensive and paid staff with related costs are necessary for the integrity of the organisation.

The work (it’s far more than work) carried out in refugee camps, during famines and in field hospitals is tough and dedicated people often put their lives on the line – I’ll rephrase that too – constantly put their lives on the line. Invariably they struggle for funds and for supplies, the inevitable result being all cannot be saved, which is mind-numbingly difficult to accept.

No matter how you look at it, conception is miraculous and that spark flares into life is within us all. No matter if it is called a soul or something else, everyone has that little spark. It spurs us on and causes us to cling to life; so because nobody can be responsible for their own conception, within the womb, all of humanity should be equal. Well that’s my theory.

Seven years working and living among some of Africa’s rural poor, including some 24 primary schools, gives me a perspective of sorts to relate. Poor is a relative term because the collective term rural poor does not account for how under-resourced some people live out their lives.

As long as kids have a full stomach and are healthy, they display happiness, but all live on the edge and when crops are harvestable, they are generally fine, but drought, crop failure or sickness easily tips the balance.

I took responsibility for a family of three orphaned kids, which turned out to be a compromise between their needs and my affordability. Their basic living allowance was $1 per day as well as separately funding their schooling, health and clothing. As a comparison, charity child sponsorship at the time was $2 per day per child, so if I tallied my total the daily cast was around $2 for the three. But compare that with the school teacher salary of their mother before she died, of $40 per month, my three kids were ok, but by no means living like princes or princesses - about the same as their peers.

Malaria is one of the major killers of children and the course of treatment I purchased at home was $40; the same drug locally in Tanzania was about half that. A mosquito net cost was $2 – 5 but a nail to hang it was difficult to find let alone a hammer! Few rural homes have nets.

Until I sat with kids to interview them, I had not noticed the effect of a food shortage. Kids didn’t have the energy to walk to school, some passed out at school. The average child was not eating for three days and that starvation period was broken by a half glass of banana mixed with warmed water. Parents left their kids alone while they travelled to beg for food.

I took care with my food, drink and hygiene, yet an amoebic abscess dug a cup-sized hole in my liver. Luckily I didn’t have to pay for the hospital care nor the specially imported drugs, but the total cost would have bought a small car! If the same thing happened to the average African, it would be fatal. Clean water is by no means the norm and fuel to boil contaminated water comes at a cost albeit usually a labour cost.

Fundraisers are used to the eyes-glazed-over syndrome, but if yours haven’t by now, perhaps you will forgo that unnecessary coffee and help a kid.