Put Your Money in Someone Else's Mouth

I was going to post a well-researched blog on the effects of imperialism in developing nations, but I'm busy so this is what you get. 

I've read a lot of nattering banalities about how we should be thankful we have so much more than a large majority of the world population. I don't discount gratefulness. I am extremely grateful, but there are lot of issues with comparing the economies and lifestyles of countries with vast economic differences.

Let me begin by stating that I will not be talking about "third world countries." Third world was a coin termed sometime after the second world war to describe the state of the world with the US and economically leading countries being called First World countries while the Soviet Union retained the right to be called a Second World country all on its own. Everything else was considered a Third World country. With the fall of the Soviet Union, this no longer applied so countries were eventually shuffled into developed nations or developing/emerging nations depending on their GDP. So I will be talking about developing nations.

I do not on any level disagree that the the majority of Americans are much better off  than the majority of the world.

Sanitation laws have been passed so we, the common people, aren't allowed to dump our trash in our rivers. (Though these laws don't really seem to do much about big industry polluting our environment.) Even when those laws are breached, we have access to fairly clean water through water treatment plants.

Government insurance is offered to those of us too destitute or incapacitated to go out and earn it. More than a few people fall through the cracks, but the essential safety net is there.

Food programs insure that the least among us do not starve or are forced to live on substandard and nutritionally lacking diets.

Housing projects, while sometimes not up to standards they should be, provide many with basic shelter.

In this country, most state child protective services agencies require parents to provide adequate housing, food, clothing, and medical care. If a parent is not able to provide what is considered the basic elements of child rearing, then there are resources available to help provide those necessities.

Parents in the United States are required to provide the basics for their families. By failing to provide what has been outlined in CAPTA, parents can be held liable for neglect. Parents in developing nations often cannot provide these basics, and as far as I know, they are not legally required to do so nor are there government-designed programs to help the destitute provide child necessities. So to compare differing national economies and how to exist or subsist within each one when there are different societal requirements is a failure in logic.

I truly wish that one day all nations will have the ability to provide the same, if not better, requirements for its citizens. Adequate shelter, education, consistent medical care, healthy food and clean water should never be considered luxuries. They are a right for every single human on earth.

Until such a time as this becomes possible, there are many organizations struggling to improve the living conditions in developing nations. I suppose if we're all going to spend time marveling at how rich our nations are, then we should be utilzing our wealth to help these nations lesser than us.

(Unless of course, all this talk  was just a shame factor like when you tell your child to eat his mashed potatoes because there are starving children in China. In which case, I want to know exactly how this works because then some poor American kid is stuffed to the brim with more mashed potatoes than he can handle while the poor Chinese kid is sitting over there wishing he had some mashed potatoes. Pretty ineffectual in doing anything for anyone.)

So without further rambling, here are links to charitable organizations I've researched and put together specifically for those who are truly concerned about the plight of the malnourished and underhoused in developing nations.

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Heifer.org - Named one of Forbes' magazines top ten charities, Heifer provides livestock, plants, and education in sustainable agriculture to impoverished people around the world.

Clean the World - CTW takes a two-fold approach by recycling hotel soaps and shampoos. Just by providing soap to underpriveleged families, diahrrea related deaths can be reduced by up to 60%.

Americares - Named one of Forbes' Top Ten charities, Americares provides international disaster relief int he form of medicine, medical supplies and aid to people in crisis.

Help the Children - "Help the Children’s mission is to increase self sufficiency by providing food, clothing, personal care items and medical supplies without regard to political affiliation, religious belief, or ethnic identity."


Bread for the World - Formed in 1972, works to influence U.S. policies addressing world hunger. Currently lobbying Congress to pass the Foreign Assistance Revitalization and Accountability Act.

Namlo  - Founded in 1999 by Magda King, Namla fights poverty through education.


Habitat for Humanity - Seeks to eliminate homelessness and poverty housing throughout the world. Home recipients earn "sweat equity" by helping to build their own homes.

There are a host of charitable organizations aimed to help the poverty stricken in war-torn and developing nations. If you don't find these amenable, run an internet search on "best international charitable organizations." 

I'll be honest, though. All of these organizations are just a drop in a very leaky bucket. Maybe it's time for the world to band together and lobby for the cancelation, or at least the reduction, of "third world debt." If you've never read about the World Bank or the International Monetary Fund, now is the time to do so.