There are millions of people around the world who give hundreds, sometimes thousands of dollars to a piece of clothing, sneakers, bags, etc. However, that money could easily be diverted to a cause. People living in poverty have no access for food, shelter or clean water which is even hard to imagine for most of us as we tend to complain about minutes of water or power cut. According to Water Wells For Africa, it costs approximately $4.00 to provide clean water to one person in the world's poorest nations.
Claiming that you are too poor to give is just an excuse. College students spend thousands of dollars for alcohol, tobacco, shopping, and entertainment but when it comes to donations a student is too poor to donate. When it comes to recent graduates they are either finding jobs or paying student loans. Usually, marriage comes after student loans, kids come after marriage along with savings and mortgage. You may believe that you will reach the desired and strong financial state that you can donate but in reality, it never happens because there is no money that can satisfy a person. This could change by just thinking and becoming aware of the situation.
It is not that those excuses are wrong but it is all about thinking, prioritizing and asking questions. All I am saying is that maybe rather than saving $10 of donation, it is better to save hundreds by asking "Do I really need it?". Diverting to a cause is all about that.
For example,
1.By cutting down or completely quitting a bad habit such as alcohol consumption and tobacco smoking, you could actually save thousands in a year and stay healthy.
2.One of the biggest complains university students and working professionals have is that it is too unhealthy and not so delicious to eat fast-food. Welli it is much cheaper and healthier to cook.
3.Coffee and tea are two of the most consumed drinks in the world, and they are not full of nutrition either. By cutting down the consumption, you can again save thousands in a year. Besides that, all big coffee companies like Starbucks, Néro have a special card that gives the tenth cup of coffee for free. This is an amazing option to divert the money and donate for the world's poor.
4.Movies are too expensive, and you could save a lot of money by watching movies online at your home with the comfort of your bed and blanket. If you are a student, it is also cheaper to go for a movie, and there are even special cards or campaigns being used to make it free of charge.
5.Again, with the shopping ... Ask yourself "Do I really need it?"
6.You could ask for your friends and families to donate for the cause in support of the world's poor rather than buying you a present.
7.If you are an Amazon user, shop from Amazon Smile. It gives 0.5% of your spending to your preferred charity, and the prices of items do not change at all.
8.There are also other apps that give you some of your spending back or provide you a discount on your purchases.
9.Two of the world's biggest problems are global warming and climate change which are caused majorly by greenhouse gas emissions. By using public transportation, you could avoid overpriced gasoline, and could save both lives and the planet.
Those are just examples to show how important it is to think before buying. You could divert the money and donate it for a cause without worrying about your financial status. Do not be selfish or self-centered, we are all a part of this planet and we all need each other's support.
"As long as poverty, injustice and gross inequality exist in the world, none of us can truly exist." – Nelson Mandela
DIVERT TO THE CAUSE!!!