I made the front page of BrazenCareerist.com today with this very post. You'll see it listed as one of their "Featured Posts". So go check it out!
The United States is one of the wealthiest, most powerful countries in the world. But yet just like every other American, I too am bitching about our economy. I’m complaining about my investment portfolio whittling away. I’m complaining about getting raped at the gas pump (although gas prices recently started dropping). And I’m complaining about how I now have to pay for the mistakes made by all the greedy banks and stupid people who took out subprime mortgages on houses they couldn’t afford. My complaints are valid, IF you live in The States. But if you live in a poverty stricken country like Nigeria or Peru, my complaints are nothing but whinny words from an overindulged and unappreciative man. Why is it that the poorest people in the world are usually the ones you never hear a complaint from? They don’t have a mortgage because they don’t have a house. If they are lucky, they live in a small mud hut with 10 other people. Gas prices don’t affect them because "piling into the family SUV" doesn’t exist for them. And they certainly don’t have an investment portfolio because they don’t have money for basic necessities like food, shelter and clean drinking water. So they definitely aren’t saving a chunk of their income to invest in stocks and bonds. They have virtually nothing and instead of saying something, they remain silent. I sometimes wonder if they’ve just given up. If they just learned to adapt and accept a life of poverty because they can no longer dream of anything better.
When you’re young, you dream of growing up and being so many different things. One day you want to be a doctor, the next a lawyer. You then switch your mind and dream of being a teacher, football player or fireman. These are all exciting and rewarding careers, but what about the kids in Nigeria or Peru? Do they dream of being anything? Do they even dream, at all? This is where we can help out. We can become a "dream maker" of sorts. We can help grant their wish.
There is a saying..."Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime." So if we help them today, we can change their tomorrow. I think we should start with the youngest victims of poverty, the children. They are the future face of poverty. But if we empower them now while they are still young, chances are they will only grow stronger and wiser with age. And God willing, they will escape a life of poverty. When you know better, you can do better. Knowledge is power and power will overcome poverty. Right now they lack the knowledge and resources to make this change. So to help out, I’ve decided to donate 15 XO laptops from the OLPC (One Laptop Per Child) program to 15 children in a developing nation.
So why 15 you ask? Because today is Blog Action Day 2008 and this year’s focus is on poverty. If you recall, last year I participated in the first ever Blog Action Day about the environment with this post. Blog Action Day occurs every October 15th and was created to unite the world’s bloggers, podcasters and videocasters, to post about the same issue on the same day. The aim is to raise awareness and trigger a global discussion. Basically, it’s one issue and thousands of voices. This year I really wanted to make a difference and actually DO something and not just blog about it. Therefore I decided I would donate 15 laptops in the spirit of the 15th of October, Blog Action Day 2008.
When it comes to poverty, it’s sad to think about. It’s one of those topics that if it doesn’t directly affect us, we like to ignore it. And as an American, I can honestly say I rarely think about it, let alone actually do anything about it. That is until today. Some will argue that a 3rd world country would benefit more from a supply of food, clean drinking water or help with housing. But they are also severely lacking in public schooling. I’m a big fan of education and if I can help some underprivileged kid not only dream about becoming a doctor or lawyer, but actually help put them on the right path to making their dream become a reality, then I say this is money well spent and a gift I’m happy to give.
The (OLPC) One Laptop per Child Foundation is supported by individuals, businesses and foundations. Contributions large and small are greatly appreciated and will be used to support grassroots learning innovations throughout the lesser-developed world. You can bring the light of learning to a child who would otherwise be left without adequate access to information and education with a donation of one or more XO laptops. A donation of $200 will pay for and deliver one XO laptop to a child in a developing nation, $400 will pay for and deliver two XO laptops, and so on. Your entire contribution will be tax-deductible. If you would like to learn more about the laptop, the program and how to get involved, visit laptop.org
Blog Action Day 2008 - Poverty. Are you just blogging about it, or are you actually doing something about it?
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