Be Thankful for Your Bad Year

It’s U.S. Thanksgiving and the holiday season is coming up. So speaking of Thanksgiving I wanted to take a break from project-talk. It’s been a bad year for everyone, but when we say “bad”, many of us mean no European vacation, fewer dinners out, and no more impulse purchases.

For those struggling in war-torn and impoverished countries, a “good” day means being able to fill a bucket with clean water or sending a child to school.  Over the past two years, a group of friends have been giving donations to charities in lieu of gifts to each other. After all, we have everything we need, and more stuff won’t improve our lives significantly. But a small donation can make the difference between hope and despair for someone in a third-world country.  So before you allocate your Christmas budget, consider these organizations and be truly thankful for your bad year:

Kiva.com: This micro-finance organization uses lending to alleviate poverty.  Kiva works through established local microfinance partners around the world, focusing on low income entrepreneurs. They disburse small loans –ranging from hundreds to a few thousand dollars – that traditional banks are not set up to deal with. For as little as $25 you can pitch in to help a small business. Their website allows you to select the entrepreneur, making this a person-to-person micro-lending arrangement. Once your loan is repaid, you can re-invest in another worthy small business.

Women for Women International:  This organization helps women rebuild their lives after war has taken away their homes, families, community and self-confidence.  They operate in truly desperate locations: Afghanistan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iraq, Kosovo, Nigeria, Rwanda, and the Sudan. During and after conflict, women are the most vulnerable to violence and bear a disproportionate burden of poverty. WWI educates women, typically in a one-year program where women learn an income-earning skill, literacy and about their rights. Donate $27 a month for 12 months to sponsor a woman, and the money goes to supporting her basic needs while she attends classes.

Doctors Without Borders: No political or religious affiliations, just some modern-day heroes going into situations even the Red Cross hesitates to enter. Armed conflict, natural disasters, disease, or famine are all part of their mandate for humanitarian action. Enough said.