What Can You Do?

In the face of international charity and huge relief work efforts, Africa is still struggling to cope with poverty, famine and disease. Global projects have been launched from all four corners of the world to help those most in need, yet still thousands of people are dying each day and millions more continue to suffer. This naturally raises a question regarding the efficacy of international charity and even the relief work being done to counter the ongoing problems. Yet, it is still not as simple as pointing a finger at those who aren’t doing as much as they can.

There are in fact a number of international charity organisations who should be lauded for the relief work they do in Africa.

Chief among them is the United Nations whose peacekeeping forces in various parts of Africa have helped maintain a reasonable amount of stabilities in regions where total chaos and gross violations of human rights would have spiralled out of control. In addition to its peace-keeping forces, the United Nations’ food distribution program, the World Food Programme, has already contributed to the lives of tens of thousands of people throughout the continent in areas where drought, war and the resulting famine has taken place.

But of course, there is something that each and every one of us can do. And, believe it or not, donating money to an international charity is at the bottom of the list. The reason for this is a simple one which points toward the fact that funds handed to charities for relief work often contribute to the corruption of local government or is poorly spent due to a lack of infrastructure. And if none of those are true, then at the end of the day it may just encourage those at the receiving end of international charity or relief work not to work. So what else can you do? What can you do from your own country, from the locale of your own town? What will make your contribution count more toward relief work and international charity than money? The answers are painstakingly simple.

Donate Food To International Charities

Forget expensive jars of caviar – they won’t feed a person for a day. The most economical and best way to contribute to international charity and global relief work is by buying canned food that can be shipped across the water to needy individuals in Africa. It will be worth more than gold to those with nothing and will mean that you have actively helped in saving a life.

Supply Clothes

Everyone has got clothes they don’t want and shoes they don’t need. Do your bit for relief work and donate those things you don’t need to an international charity that is able to distribute them to people in Africa who have little or no protection from the elements. In addition, toys are welcome too as all children have a need for fun – it will mean that most of them won’t have to go look for things to play with in garbage dumps.

Visit Africa

Yes, we’ve mentioned places that are even too unsafe for the peace-keeping and relief work forces. But there are other areas and regions bustling with tourists from all over the world. They have the infrastructure to cater for all your needs and will provide you with an opportunity to experience Africa’s greatest gift to all: itself. You’ve never experienced a sunset until you’ve seen the African sun go down; you’ll never see stars as bright as those in Africa. The days are filled with an intoxicating vibrancy and a sense of timelessness.

More to the point, however, is the fact that visiting Africa will provide you with a firsthand knowledge of what life is like on this beautiful continent. In addition you’ll be able to buy from local businesses which will in turn fuel the economy – the ideal form of international charity and relief work. Africa will supply you with the experience of a lifetime in exchange for your presence and the awareness of the situation. Donations to any international charity are greatly appreciated and contributions to relief work even more so, however many Africans have come to realise that fixing the problem has to start from within.