I donated 10$ to charity. Am I part of the real problem?

[NEREVAR117]

Hello people of the escapist Forums! I am here with what I believe to be a mildly interesting (if somewhat 'no-fun serious') topic; one that I would like to hear your opinions on. It'll help me get as good grasp of what the community here can really do, amongst certain other things as well.

This has been on my mind for the past two weeks. I was heading for lunch at my college when I passed by a small group of people accepting donations for charity. The money given would be used to buy wood, water, and basic supplies/necessities for people in poor areas of the world. A noble cause, sure, and after discussing with one guy there I placed 10$ into the bucket. I didn't do it out of pressure, only that I know the money would go to aid someone less fortunate than myself.

However, even before I made the payment and during the two weeks since then my mind has centered on a sole prospect: I may be part of the real problem. Giving poor people food and water isn't really fixing the issue here, you're simply sustaining people. A better use of the money would be to help develop their countries/areas or attempt to actually pull them out of their self unsustainability. Maybe it sounds cruel, because in the short-term people who may have been fed or given water will die, but in the long run they'll ultimately prosper and will have the capabilities to care for themselves.

It's like the old expression goes. Give a man to fish and he'll eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he'll eat for a lifetime. All I really accomplished by donating that money was encouraging people to stick to the short-term solution.

 

[Handbag1992]

Snip

Are you certain that's what the charity was doing? The vast majority of charities now focus on supplying farming equipment, wells, hygiene education and various other ways of helping people help themselves.

 

[NEREVAR117]

Snip

Are you certain that's what the charity was doing? The vast majority of charities now focus on supplying farming equipment, wells, hygiene education and various other ways of helping people help themselves.

They were aiming for, say, medium-term solutions. The building of a well, yes, or the payment of a pump. But buying food and water, along with clothes, were also a part of their priorities.

 

[NeutralDrow]

It's like the old expression goes. Give a man to fish and he'll eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he'll eat for a lifetime.

Try thinking of it this way, instead. Give a man a fish, and he'll eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he might eat for a lifetime...assuming you're already giving him fish while he learns, so he's actually able to survive long enough to be able to fish on his own.

It depends on the charity, of course (though really, charities are more likely to have problems with corrupt local authorities than overdependence), but the original maxim is frightfully oversimplified.