Poverty, we can make a difference – Blog Action Day 2008
I am a little late with this, but today was Blog Action Day 2008, and this years topic is another issue I am passionate about and that’s poverty. I try to give aid whenever there is a terrible disaster somewhere and I have a sponsored child through World Vision. Late last year I sponsored a second child for my Mother. It’s a strange feeling doing something like this, although it feels great knowing you are helping in a very small way, it also makes you very sad to know that people live in such poverty, especially children.
As geeks we like to talk about toys, gadgets, computers and technology, these are things that make many of us get excited. I know that I am extremely passionate about technology in general; the breakthroughs we are seeing in every area of technology are quite astounding, everything from consumer electronics to curing new diseases, the future looks amazing for some of us. What is also astounding is that in this world of amazing technology there are children starving to death every single day. The future doesn’t look so amazing for them and I can never quite wrap my head around that fact. How can we have so much and yet some other people have so little just because of where they were born? That’s a complex question with many answers, but what you really have to ask yourself is if you can make a difference. Even if it is a once and awhile contribution to a charity of your choice or a long term commitment or volunteering, it could even be as simple as talking to people about the issues and spreading awareness. If we can send people to the moon and make tiny computers that can surf the web and fit in the palm of our hands, then we can end poverty someday, and I hope that someday is in my lifetime.
Awareness
It starts with awareness, so many people aren’t even aware of what is going on in many parts of the world or don’t even care. Yes it’s hard to look at images and video of these places or read about them, but this is real, and ignoring it won’t make it go away. The more people are concerned about this the better the world will be for everyone. So much crime, hatred, violence and war are direct consequences of extreme poverty. If more people care about these issues then our governments will also care, because we are the government and we can push for change. Some countries like Canada will even double contributions made at certain times of the year or during a crisis.
Even if all you do is talk about it with friends or family you will have made a difference. Today some of my favourite blogs have posted some great information on these issues, so I will leave you with a list of great sites to ponder and explore.
- World Vision (You can give one time gifts or sponsor a child)
- ProBlogger – Reflections on Poverty
- Tech Crunch – Help Eliminate Poverty, Make a Microloan to An Entrepreneur
- Google blog – Information on Poverty
- Mashable – 8 Poverty Resources You MUST Check Out Today. No Excuses
- Official Blog Action Day website
