In a class I’m currently taking, there has been a lot of discussion about how much money a person should donate each year. We spent time on two different philosophies, both of which take a pretty extreme view on what you should do to help.
The first is the Singer Solution to poverty which encourages people to donate all money above what directly contributes to their means to live. So, by popular estimate, you need $20,000 to live year to year, so anything above that should be donated to charity. No matter if you make $50,000 or $75,000 a year, anything above $20,000 should be donated. All luxuries, savings and excessive spending would not exist in the Singer Solution.
The other person we read about was Dr. Paul Farmer, an inspiring story of a man who gives his life volunteering as a doctor in Haiti at his own institution, Zanmi Lasante. He focuses on individual patients, as well as the grand scheme of treatable diseases, to accomplish things day to day. He refers to patients as “Mother” and “Father” and ensures that they follow up with their appointments, or else he or a member of his team will go personally to their houses (sometimes hours away) to figure out why they did not show.
When Dr. Farmer spoke of the American doctor who came to Haiti only for a year, I was reminded of my personal experience on a University sponsored Habitat for Humanity trip to Birmingham, AL. Throughout the week there are reflections, and many focused on how we would bring what we learned from our trip back to our experiences in our lives at home. We all agreed that our doing something was better than doing nothing and that our intentions were good. But conversely, we discussed how could we justify us each spending $400 on travel to the worksite, when we could have donated the money to the organization already in place to do the work better, in less time, using less money? Because we are human, and as Dr. Farmer puts it, “What does it mean to be human, instead of a cockroach? Solidarity, compassion, sympathy, and love”.
Of course we could send money, but not only is the volunteer experience helping those who need it, but it also betters the lives of the volunteers. Volunteers for Habitat for Humanity, much like the American doctor who returned home after a year, have experiences that help them understand the world’s differences while enforcing the concepts of solidarity, compassion, sympathy and love. Although it is counterintuitive that volunteering time can also help those who volunteer, it creates a higher happiness to know you are helping others in need, even if it can’t be a full-time job. So, although heavy donations are essential and years of volunteering time would be ideal, I believe a mix of both for most individuals will create the most benefit for all.
As a college student, I am satisfied with the amount of money I donate to various charities and causes on campus, but I do wish I could do something more long-term as a volunteer experience. Although Habitat for Humanity trips are great experiences, the week-long limitation makes it hard to continue to serve into the future. I hope, with initiatives in my current clubs on campus, as well as my weekend Habitat Trip to New Orleans in a few weeks, that I can experience something more long term.
For more information on any of the above mentioned people, please look at the following resources: