Blog Action Day: or how I learned to stop being selfish and love the power of porridge
I am a selfish person. That’s the main finding from my 59 days thinking about poverty: or rather, thinking about how little I usually think, let alone do, anything about poverty.
I dodge the clipboard-wielding out-of-work actors on Victoria Street (and have even told one to fuck off on occasion). I use the clothing collection bags that come through my letterbox as bin bags for my recycling. And I sell my unwanted stuff on eBay or Amazon instead of giving it to charity shops.
But fortunately for my doomed soul I remembered that I have a friend who is a much better person than me, who runs her own fantastic charity which feeds schoolchildren in Southern Tanzania. And because I know her, I give monthly.
It’s called The Breakfast Club.
It’s a great name and an even better cause. The idea is to help kids concentrate at school (and get them to turn up in the first place) by providing much needed meals. These young students otherwise get only one meal a day, after school ends, making decent education – a cornerstone of the fight against poverty – pretty much impossible. And because The Breakfast Club is a small, local operation, you know the money is going straight to where it’s needed.
So as lazy/busy as I am, I give monthly by direct debit set up online (ever the web geek – but as an aside, it’s worth noting how the Internet is making it so much easier to give, pledge, sponsor or be sponsored than ever before).
Since signing up for Blog Action Day I’ve realised that it takes no time and only a little money to make a huge difference. And that makes me want to do more.
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Comments
Just found you on the Blog Action Day site. I love this post and that Breakfast Club looks fab. I’m gathering a few of my favourite posts to link from my own blogpost today. Hope you don’t mind me including yours. P.S. I’m glad I’m not the only clipboard dodger. It’s when they say do you want to help children in need…geez, it’s blimmin hard to say No or even Yes, but I don’t want to help them now, cos I’ve got to rush for the bus. ;-D
[...] Neil WIlliams writes: “I am a selfish person. That’s the main finding from my 59 days thinking about poverty: or rather, thinking about how little I usually think, let alone do, anything about poverty.” Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)Blog Action Day 200810 things you can do to make poverty historyGlobal Call to Action Against Poverty, Oxfam, Save the Children, Comic Reli… No Comments Leave a Commenttrackback addressThere was an error with your comment, please try again. name (required)email (will not be published) (required)url [...]
Then there is the value of writing about such initiatives and elping to raise a bit more awareness, which can often be priceless to smaller organisations.
Thanks for sending me in the direction of The Breakfast Club.
[...] our own little part of the world and even recognize poverty when it is staring us in the face. Like Neil from the Mission Creep blog put it today I am a selfish person. That’s the main finding from my 59 days thinking about [...]
Wow, I am pleasantly surprised to have so many comments for this post. Thanks everyone. I’ve added those who’ve pinged me to my reader and will enjoy having a proper look at your blogs later.
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Hello, I'm Neil Williams. I'm a government web geek, a dad, a husband, a grower of veg, a keeper of hens and a lapsed comedy writer, roughly in that order. 
it’s good of you to be part of something like that.
saw this post via the front page of blog action day. it’s great that you’re participating.