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How to help the poor

“We can do no great things; only small things with great love.” - Mother Teresa

We often get asked how to help the poor. At some point in our lives, we want to help the poor. Most of the time, we don’t do anything at all. Perhaps we are ashamed of helping the poor, perhaps we don’t know how to, perhaps we can’t.

Here are some ways to help to people;

Direct monetary help: find someone who is in need of money and just give them a few hundred/thousands of rupees. Just make sure that the needy will not waste the money and use it wisely. Alternatively you buy the things they need.

Get them clothes: there are many who can’t afford decent clothes. You find the people who wants some clothes (in Bihar, you don’t have to go very far) and offer to buy clothes for them. There is nothing less dignified than not having clothes.

Give food: offer to give grains for a month to a poor family. You can give a bag of rice or wheat directly to a poor family and let them know that they will get another one when they finish.

Sponsor an orphan: visit an orphanage and donate some gifts to the children. Most cities in India have one. Here is a list for you to see. Bihar has its own share of orphans. http://www.indianorphanages.net/orphanage/orphanages.html

Make a house for the homeless: you can build a house for the homeless poor. A mud house can go a long way for those who don’t have a house.

Give the poor water: find an area where there is scarcity of water or lack of clean drinking water. You can get a hand pump installed.

Provide medical care: in India, the rich has their medical care taken care of, the super rich goes to the USA for treatment. What about those who die without any medical treatment whatsoever. Find the poor who needs medical treatment and get them treated.

Provide education: many children have to work as labourers to survive missing out on vital education. Pick a child and provide them education, get them admitted to a school, buy them books, offer to send a few hundred rupees every month. Talk to their parents and express your desires to help.

If you are feeling like helping the poor, don’t be ashamed. Do what you can. Help those who are weak and marginalized in society.

More ideas welcome.

Tags: How to help the poor

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Shalu Sharma on May 19, 2012 at 4:39pm

Please share more ideas for helping the poor. You ideas are important.

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Permalink Reply by Neeraj Kumar on May 19, 2012 at 4:51pm

I like to thank you Shalu ji for philanthropic discussion. I think most important thing how we can help a poor by helping him/her with employment. Shalu ji, you can not able to provide money or food or clothings every time, In my opinion if they got employed so that they can earn and live on there own.

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Permalink Reply by Shalu Sharma on May 19, 2012 at 4:58pm

Neeraj ji, you make an important point. If one is not able to help financially then any other help will be welcome even assisting someone in employment. Thank you. Great point.

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Permalink Reply by Anshu Shekhar on May 19, 2012 at 6:45pm

I feel that we can also provide vocational education to the poor to help them in setting up their own ventures like cottage industries etc.

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Permalink Reply by peter singh iqbaal on May 19, 2012 at 9:21pm

bery good idia

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Permalink Reply by Sushil Kumar on May 19, 2012 at 9:21pm

This is a great thing you have started here. But I think we should not give money to any poor. We should try to help him in other means like by providing them the things they need. And more important thing is that we should focus on the children of poor peoples. kyunki vo apne bachon ko majbur krte hain bhikh mangne ke liye aur unhe kisi trah ki education nhi dete.
to i think hme pehle unke liye education provide krne ki koshish krni chahiye taki jaise unke maa baap majbur hain vese unhe na hona pde. Dusri bat kafi log janbhuj kr grib dikhte hain to un logo se bchna chahiye....

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Permalink Reply by Gaurav Gupta on May 20, 2012 at 1:02am

so long as we are unable create economy for the poors every efforts are useless and will be considered a filling work.We will have to share economy for the poor class and needy as well.so many scemes conducted by the goverments for the poors but main problem is that benefit of that schemes dont reach to them easily.We need to improve system and work culture.We will have to make special provisions in economy for the poors unables and needy.
These two points are important.
1. Educating them
2. Vocational courses
There are so many ideas to improve the situations but atleast we all will have to dedicate a day in a year for them as Helping poors day.
If we celebrate one day for them so that it could be examined various schemes or better schemes on particular day.We would also have more and more contribution on the war basis level to improve their situation.

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Permalink Reply by Shalu Sharma on May 20, 2012 at 1:06pm

Gaurav, great points. There is no better gift than the gift of education. Money will last a days, months perhaps but education will be with the receiver for life.

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Permalink Reply by R Singh on May 20, 2012 at 2:47pm

Women and Philanthropy will enable us to provide meaningful opportunities for the poor. I congratulate you for your points here.

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Permalink Reply by suraj on May 20, 2012 at 9:56pm

upper all view seems like a politician paper work.....
don't think only , If you all really want to help then just start to implement it.

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Permalink Reply by Ragini Bhatiya on May 21, 2012 at 12:25pm

Impressive suggestions. Clearly, there is a need to find a sustainable way to provide finance at the bottom of the pyramid. In India, the microfinance model is in tatters and the poor givernance exhibited by some of the microfinance institutions. This has only led the poor to go back to the clutches of the local moneylenders.

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Permalink Reply by Mahfuzur Rahman on May 21, 2012 at 5:42pm

Give out blankets and sheets to the poor people. It is very sad to see a homeless person sleeping on the streets with no blankets. Helping them will make a big difference. You can also donate blankets and linens to thrift stores and good will.