Help me understand please! Third world countries...

[redhen]

Quote:
I've often thought the same thing. There's nothing wrong with wanting your money to go to Americans. I like to donate to my local foodbank/ clothing center. Everything I donate goes right back to my community. It makes me feel good knowing that is some small way I am helping the people I see everyday. On a larger local scale, we donate to a few homeless shelters and soup kitchens in the city, as well as to an afterschool program for disadvantaged youth.

On the other hand I also like donating to agencies that do global aid. Kiva is a great program! I can donate 350 dollars to someone and it makes a LIFETIME difference. 350 dollars doesn't go that far here. I remember hearing something a while back that someone was doing something similar in New York.

I think people should give where their hearts tell them to give. The point is to give.

Agreed..

 

[Boyd]

Quote:
I've often thought the same thing. There's nothing wrong with wanting your money to go to Americans. I like to donate to my local foodbank/ clothing center. Everything I donate goes right back to my community. It makes me feel good knowing that is some small way I am helping the people I see everyday. On a larger local scale, we donate to a few homeless shelters and soup kitchens in the city, as well as to an afterschool program for disadvantaged youth.

On the other hand I also like donating to agencies that do global aid. Kiva is a great program! I can donate 350 dollars to someone and it makes a LIFETIME difference. 350 dollars doesn't go that far here. I remember hearing something a while back that someone was doing something similar in New York.

I think people should give where their hearts tell them to give. The point is to give.

Agreed..

I do as I can when I can. I totally agree rain

 

[tailsnfeathers]

Kenya, as well as many "third world" countries I have been privleged to visit is quite beautiful. Their citizens are polite ,caring,
and motivated to help their own people. There is a university medical school in the capital city, Nairobi. Having visited Amish farms in central Pennslyvania," bartering" is alive and well in this country! Be thankful for what you have, as I am thankful to have experienced so many wonderful cultures!

 

[luvarabhorses]

The post about the more educated a country, the less children was really enlightening.

You guys all need to rent the movie "Idiocracy".

This may seem silly but did you guys ever think what would happen if these people could raise zucchini or other types of squash? I mean how many of us are bombarding our neighbors etc with them and in those countries they would grow year around. I see them growing corn, raising chickens and cows, but for day to day survival how about goats milk, goats milk cheese and zucchini? Just wondering if there are cultural eating barriers also.

 

[heavypetting]

If you've seen the latest samaitans purse commercial about their catalog, you've seen the cute model holding a hanful of baby chicks. The graham headquarters are here in charlotte. They shot the ad here and a good friend did the makeup. She interviened when she head the 12 chicks were going to be tossed outside to their deaths.

I am happy to report that those babies are safe and sound and very large, living with my friend carly

If the public knew how much money they spend on frivolous crap they would be disgusted.

 

[curliet]

I meant to get back here and post this and then sort of forgot what thread it was. But the thrift store that I was referring to is a Valueland Thrift store, and it's through World Mission. Their web site does show a mission statement that involves bring the Word of Christ to the world.
My problem with that is that these are people that have no food, clean water and clothing, need to learn how to plant crops, drill wells, and need basic education. Not to mention that they are in countries where they have a culture and faith and belief system of their own.
I shake my head when I hear people ranting about how some other religions seem to feel that they are right and Christians are wrong. But that Christian missionaries have been doing the same thing for ages. They go into other countries and tell them that they need to change the way they think as far as their spiritual beliefs are concerned. As a Native American, I have seen what happens when a religious entity decides that the beliefs of a culture are wrong. Our spiritual beliefs were what defined our culture, and when Chris Columbus declared that since he found no Christians in this country, he would declare it "devoid of humans" it set the tone for us as a people for the next 500 years, and was why we were referred to as 'heathens' , savages, and a host of other disgusting terms. It gave those who came here to this country the right to kill the Native people, and the right to steal from them. Now, around the world, we are decrying other forms of Govt for indulging in "ethnic cleansing' , the same thing that happened here. We need to forget about trying to change other faiths, and worry about feeding, clothing and providing medical care for children in this country. I've worked with social service agencies and with disadvantaged young people in inner cities, and the needs are staggering. We need to be paying attention to them.

I'm really not saying this as a rant, or trying to be antagonistic, or hypercritical. I know that sometimes I type things meaning to sound one way and since there is no "tone of voice" in the typewritten word it might come out much different that I mean it to. I guess I would just like people to realise that things work in both directions. It can't be right for one, but wrong for another. If it's wrong, it's just wrong.

 

[rainplace]

Quote:
I'm not religious, but in this sort of forum, speaking the way you did about "Christian Missionaries" you will either be preaching to the choir or ruffling feathers. You have something you want to say that is important can you say it without adding a religious or political element? If not, then it probably isn't for these boards.

 

[curliet]

sorry, thought this whole thread had a religious/political element to it.

A previous poster had asked me to provide the name of the thrift store that said that it used it's profits to provide bibles for places that needed the word of God. Had to add my own thoughts to the answer. Somehow I thought that was the purpose of having threads like this, to share our own thoughts. Must have seriously misunderstood.

 

[Wynette]

This is an interesting and (thus far) helpful thread; please keep it that way, folks. Just a friendly reminder!

 

[TammyTX]

How can a country become more prosperous if they are breeding faster than they can grow food to feed themselves?

I would like to see is that every hand out was accompanied by a birth control injection.

Even here in the good ‘ol USA, if I see a family who wants a handout and they have six kids….my first thought is, “Okay, you should have thought about that 5 kids ago…” But we can’t punish the kids, so we give. Unfortunately that does not teach the parent, either here or where ever, to behave more responsibly. That’s why they have education programs for the kids…to plant that seed.

I have a friend who is a wonderful person and I love her dearly. Her grown daughter and SIL come to her and ask her for help because they can’t feed their child BUT they have money to buy cigarettes and get their hair done…. I have asked my friend when she delivers the groceries to her daughter, why doesn’t she wag her finger in her daughters face and ask, “Why can’t you feed your child??” No one is entitled to have a child and if you have a child that you can’t take care of, then shame on you