Poor people are everywhere around us and believe me the term “poverty” is a tragic condition that many struggles to obtain basic necessities and to provide for themselves and their families. To this end, helping the poor achieve a prosperous life free from the incessant distractions and anxieties of an impoverished way of living is of utmost importance.
There are several things that can be done individually and collectively to help improve the lives of the poor around us thereby creating a better society and world. Even though the government is giving reassuring measures to improve the quality of life, however, millions still remain under the poverty line; economic progress, while ongoing, is not inevitable, and still necessitates committed efforts as a society to ensure the welfare of all people.
Read: How to get a job in uk
Nonetheless, this article is written to enumerate the various ways in which you contribute towards the cause of further eradicating poverty.
How to Help Poor People
- Scholarship Funding: There are lots of poor people whose problems have led them to inability to give their children quality education. Although the children may be ready to learn, they are faced with funding problems that limit them from attaining their desired goals. You can fund their tuition fees thereby giving them an opportunity to obtain a quality education and become useful to themselves, their families, and the world at large.
2. Volunteer: Ask at your local religious organization, or non-profit organizations and see if they need assistance. There are many different groups that you can work with: children, the elderly, the mentally ill, the homeless, women. You’ll need to decide which group you want to focus on.
You can do things like teaching a course in resume development, computer skills, arts, and other technical skills. You could start up a local community garden and teach courses on how to grow sustainable food. A large number of people who are poor cannot afford to buy much produce, so teaching them a sustainable and cheap way to grow their own food, could help alleviate some of that vitamin deficiency.
You can work in shelters, soup kitchens, community centers, after-school programs, and employment centers.
- Individual Assistance: Helping one individual can make a small change for the better. If you see someone who needs help, talk to them. Give them some money, even a few dollars can help. Offer your help without being condescending or judgmental. Try to help them find a place like a shelter or a soup kitchen.
Ignoring the poverty around you, or making judgment calls about the people in poverty, is a surefire way to do nothing to help. You don’t know how that person got into poverty and you don’t know what they are going to use their money for.
If you are afraid of what they are going to use your money for, you can offer them something (e.g. to buy food, give them a job, buy clothing, etc.). This way, you can make sure that they get what they need without using your money for something bad like weapons or drugs. -
Donations: Making donations to your local and global organizations are incredibly important. Many of these organizations rely on donations to survive and serve their communities. Make sure you know where your money is going if you’re donating money. You want to be sure that the organization is actually helping people.
Make a pledge to give up some treat for a month (like fancy coffee, or chocolate, or clothes shopping) and use the money that you save to donate to a local or global charity or non-profit.
Other than money you can donate food, clothing, toiletry items, old furniture, toys, and books to local shelters and programs. These donations help people in straitened circumstances.
There is a variety of books for prisoners’ programs in various cities. See if your city or town has one. If not, maybe try to start one. Making sure that prisoners are getting the education they need (and often, have been denied) will help them to become productive members of society rather than stuck in the criminal justice system for the rest of their life.
5. Start or join an organization: Gather like-minded individuals and pick something to do with poverty to work to alleviate. Startup a group to help educate community members on poverty, or create an after-school program for low-income kids.
Use your group to have a benefit concert. Put flyers around your town or city and try to get the local paper to cover it. Have the proceeds towards helping people in your community.
Start a petition in your community to help low-income students have more nutritious food, or to make your school system adopt a better sex-education program.
- Take legislative action: Get involved in your local government and in your country’s government. Pay attention to laws and bills that are being passed that impact programs to help people who are impoverished.
Support a health care system that protects and helps the people who are part of it. Many people, especially in the U.S. are forced into poverty because of a medical situation that they cannot afford.
Support better education for your community and your country. Better education means people who have the life skills and the knowledge that help them realize their full potential and to become productive, interested members of their communities.
Whatever good plans or innovations you have that will help better the lives of the poor and eradicate poverty in your community will be a welcome development. Ensure that whatever you do is done with good motives and not for selfish reasons.
