You guys missed the point. You can help poor people in two ways. One is through pure charity, that is, giving money to them. The other is through giving them jobs/employment. Jobs give people dignity and hope. Direct charity takes them away.
A good example would the maids we employ. Imagine if every family in Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong "saved" money by not employing maids, the hundreds of thousands of maids from Indonesia, Myanmar, and Philippines will be going back to abject poverty. Will you give your "savings" to them as charity ? And will your "charity" give them hope and dignity?
It is better to employ them and be a good boss to them. My latest maid who has worked for us for 6 years have bought a home for her family, sent her siblings to high school and is now thinking of starting a business in the Philippines once the current contract ends. She shared her dreams with us with great pride and we are happy for her.
Another example. We used to wash our own cars once every week, but after bumping into the Indian man who washes the cars in our condo, we decided to get him to wash our 2 cars too. The reason was because he told us he was illiterate and could not hold down permanent and well paying jobs. He has 4 young children to feed and a wife who was unable to work because of medical problems. We pay him $80 per month for washing our 2 cars every night. It was a win-win situation. He has dignity from providing services and earning his keep.
Yet another example was the sad case of the canteen operator in my company. Some "wise" guy in the company suggested packing and bringing home made food as part of the "Stay Healthy" campaign. The idea caught on because staff see that they could also saved money that way. Within a month, the canteen operator closed shop and was jobless. Will your savings help him find dignity? What about his family?
Always remember that every dollar spent goes to someone. Money is only lost if they were kept out of circulation or if they were destroyed.
I am a saver myself, saving for my retirement, but it is important to be aware that my job and salary was there because someone needed the services I can provide and was willing to pay for it!
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Originally Posted by Unregistered
Good to know that you are helping others. Nothing wrong with enjoying your bags and exotic cars as long as done in moderation and not to show off and looking down at others with lesser means.
As for myself, even though I'm a millionaire, I'm very well aware of the plight of poverty in this world. We live in a world with other fellow human beings and they have every right to live. We will feel hurt when we know of people who die out of hunger. Thousands of people in this world die everyday because of hunger. So, even though I can afford to buy the latest European car model, I go for a humbler Asian make. I know the money I have saved could be channeled to humanity to help end world hunger and poverty.
So every time you want to spend that one dollar, think of how that dollar can best be used for those who needs it more, sometimes a matter of life and death. A dollar can save a life.
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