Posted On: 2022-09-06 18:01:00
What does charity mean to you? Do you directly assist or volunteer on the field? or do you donate money and other necessary materials to a drive or campaign? Talking about donations, Philanthropy in India continues to grow. In the fiscal year 2020, private-sector funding totalled about Rupees 64,000 crore, close to 23% more than in the fiscal year 2019 (52,000 crores).
A Day Dedicated Only For Charity!
To raise awareness and encourage people to give more to charity, United Nations has picked a day dedicated to it. September 05 is observed as the 'International Day of Charity.' The date was specifically chosen in order to commemorate the anniversary of the passing away of Mother Teresa of Calcutta. Mother Teresa was known as the catholic nun who dedicated her entire life to caring for the destitute and people suffering from diseases.
She received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 "for work undertaken in the struggle to overcome poverty and distress, which also constitute a threat to peace."
International Day of Charity was declared by the United Nations General Assembly in 2012. The main goal of the International Day of Charity is to increase awareness and offer a common platform for charity-related events for individuals, charitable, philanthropic, and volunteer groups to use for their own purposes on a local, national, regional, and international level.
Observing a day dedicated to charity by the United Nations is a cue for the world that those who can help others to live a better life and can bring even a minor yet positive change in others' lives, should do it.
Donating funds: When we say donations, people think of donating money. Well, earlier donating money was the only way people thought that they could help others. And here are the ways people can offer funds.
Monetary Donations: Donating money to those in need is a usual way of giving to a charity that everybody knows of. Nowadays, you do not even need to get out of your house or move a step to donate. The digital era has made donating easier. NGO websites and internet banking have made it possible that people can donate to the cause they want from the comfort of their homes.
Donating to crowdfunding platforms:
Online crowdfunding has recently gained popularity in India. Crowdfunding platforms run fundraising campaigns on their websites where the visitors can donate through the given online payment options. Filaantro is one such trustworthy crowdfunding platform in India, that has campaigns running for underprivileged children's education, food relief and medical emergencies.
Visit filaantro.org to know more about online crowdfunding.
Helping others does not mean you need money every time. There are more number of ways to help non-monetarily that we might not know of. You can find a few here.
1. Food Relief programs: One of the basic necessities of every human, food is inaccessible to many people in this world. Donating food directly to the ones in need or donating money to food relief programs is the best way to fight against the global issue of hunger.
Filaantro along with its NGO partner, Child Help Foundation has initiated a food relief program- 'Zero Hunger' that serves numerous warm and nutritious meals to numerous children daily in India.
2. Donating Materials:
Another way in which you help people is by donating materials. During floods in various areas, people lose everything they own to never find it again. Such people need many items other than food and water. It can be clothes, sanitation items or footwear. You can donate these things to the people affected due to natural calamities.
3. Volunteer: Volunteers are essential to the survival of many nonprofit organisations. Volunteering is a noble way to give back to your neighbourhood and can be just as beneficial as monetary contributions.
4. Offer your skills: If you have a speciality, like writing, cuisine, or photography, think about volunteering your time. Many nonprofits, charities, and advocacy groups require specialised services but are unable to pay for full-time employees.
5. Be a part of a donation drive: Consider organising a donation drive for a cause if you have the motivation and the time but lack the funds. Organising a food drive at your place of employment, school, college, or in the neighbourhood. It only takes one person to start a food collection or drop-off in motion.
Bottom line...
International Day of Charity is marked to spread awareness regarding the challenges people face around the world that they cannot overcome because of a lack of support. It is our duty to help our fellow citizens according to our capabilities. Because this earth is our home and we are one big family.
"The smallest act of kindness is worth more than the grandest intention."
-Oscar Wilde
Author: Anjali Patel
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