Watch Larry King Live on Thursday!
I watched the final episode of Oprah’s Big Give, a show about charity and giving back last Sunday. And I was inspired; I was thinking about issues that people were having around them.
Sorry to be ambiguous, but I am talking about the state of mind; depression, lack of fulfillment, lack of confidence and many other issues that affect everyone especially here in the US.
I was thinking that the no one is incapable of giving a little; the consensus on the show was you don’t have to give money to give big. You just have to share what you can, it can be time or thoughts or ideas. It could be encouraging words.
Few of my longtime readers might remember when I asked them to give some money to Ethiopia Reads last march. Well, this world is so small that nearly a year later I found out my sister ended up working for this Organization; such a small shop, making giving big. I mean Huge.
You can read about Jane Kurtz, who I met and found to be inspiring person, and founder Yohannes Gebregeorgis on their website.
Guess what Yohannes is now going to be recognized on CNN as a Hero.
Watch Yohannes on CNN Thursday, May 1 during Larry King Live 6-7 pm PST; 9-10 pm EST times.
And then come back and report to me, let me know what you think.
Published by April 30th, 2008 in Help and Noteworthy.Send this post to a friend
Hello! I am a blog reader from the Philippines. You have a very nice blog. It is worth visiting.
Thanks for the heads up Nolawi.
Definitely inspiring…look forward to seeing YG on Larry King Live tonight.
Great news. Thanks Nolawi. But I am WAITING FOR THE NEW TEE !!
when talking about charity it is important to always point out that it is a double edge sword. Yes it is absolutely great what Yohaness is doing. The kids that use the library are definitely better off and I genuinely believe that helping a few hundred kids is absolutely great but how about the several millions or, if u are not restricted by abstractions such as boarders, the billions in the world who are basically fucked. Therefore charity seams to me like putting a band-aid on a shotgun wound to the chest. But it quite astonishing how it is widely accepted as an end in itself. Oprah’s show being the ultimate obscenity in charity porn is turning it into the new opiate of the masses. It is becoming the drug of choice that one takes for the sake of feeling good about yourself and nothing else. I believe you can be charitable and work to get rid of the condition that necessitated you charity in the first place. Charity without the other is a sham. But Oprah’s new ideology/religion is yet another self defeating proposition that poised to perpetuate the shity condition that persists and the vast ngo or rather the poverty pimps industrial complex that benefits from it.
http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2008/cnn.heroes/archive/yohannes.gebregeorgis.html
Dr. Ethio, 1. Nyala makes an excellent point. 2. How do you justify trying to guilt trip people after you said in so many words that you dont have a history of giving back.
Yohannes has got it right. He is investing on the kids. Giving them knowledge so that in later years they will help the country (hopefully). If all fails, the kids know how to read and write which already gives them a heads up in life. I think this is most productive than any form of giving.
Changing my handle since there is more than one Anon now….
Anonx
yes, giving something is better than not giving at all.. nyla, I understand your argument but we got to start somewhere.. it takes too long to change systems but I agree with you that we have to preserve and try addressing the root cause of the problem.. but putting our hands up and saying system is wrong in the place so I wont do anything does not get us ahead either.. my two santeem.
Anon - you seem to have taken offense to my statement, which in this case, seems to apply accurately to abesha folks. You are a classic example. In my comment, i was talking about folks like you who are here to judge others opinion, and have nothing to share.
By the way, what i said was the truth about myself. I have the nerve to do it, or you can say i have a big chutzpah. By the way what was your opinion on Yohannes? Oh, i forgot, NOTHING.
Keep on doing what you’re doing. And, pick your battles smartly. I don’t need no one to tell me the obvious or repeat to me what i have already made clear about myself.
I honestly feel it’s a waste of time to go tid for tad. Bottom line is no one is holding your hand, but use your time wisely and discuss the issues. If what i have said didn’t apply to you, don’t raise your hand. Chill out with the attack.
Changing your name from Annon to Anonx is really another example. You failed to talk about the subject at hand on 2 tries. That is absolutely laughable.
Look where you got us kid. Finally, i could subscribe you a chill pill. Be smart and take me on my offer. It would only help.
“Look where you got us kid”
That has to be the funniest line Dr. Ethio. Your generation trying to put the blame on my generation…. ok, buddy, blame the kids, always works.
I knew it would work. It brings a joy to my heart that i can predict you to this extent. I have warned to pick your battles carefully. You’re bringing a knife to a gun fight. Chances are you’re gonna lose.
Anyhow, i am still awaiting on your opinion of this very post? Don’t you have any? Sometimes silence is golden. Let grown folks do what grown folks do child.
Dr. Ethio, apparently, your wrinkled ass hasn’t picked much wisdom
This is very inspiring indeed!!
I wish to be involved with more charity but at the moment I am only involved with feed the children. My dream in life is to study psychiatry. It is a long process which i am traveling. I am a nurse working with mentally ill ppl but to be psychiatric will take years but i will do it. Then I plan to go back to EThiopia. I got involved with psyciatry nursing because i saw many people suffering back in addis. I felt for them but thought i can not do anyting. Well my life changed when i saw a photo of psychiatic patients in Amanuel hospital in world health organization web site. It is so sad seeing the mentally ill in Ethiopia treated less than humans chained to the bed, unfed, unwashed. Please check out those photos. I know we are a poor nation we cannot treat it easily, but we can start by treating them like humans. I wish there is a charity supporting them. I would help 100%.
Thank you.
how does one know if a charity is legit? I want to know if there is a charity that employs ethiopians, instead of transplanting foreign experts any recommendations?
Inspiring story…
Datdude
Ethiopia Reads has 25 employees in Addis and Awasa.
and only two employees in the US (One Ethiopian and one American) to support and fundraise for the all thier programs in Ethiopia.
My recommendation to you is to do your research regarding each organization you are interested in before you start to support them. If there one recommendation I could make is to find an organization that keeps its over head cost to under 10% of its budget.
But really that also depends on what stage of growth the organization is in. Normally it’s easy to keep cost down for an already establish organization and at the beginning stages of starting an organization. Usually there is a stage in a life cycle of any organization it needs to spend more to lay the foundation to maintain growth.
mitmita,
do you know what organization is working in ethio to dig water wells? I’ve been trying to find organizations that deal with water, food or shelter.
If anyone has info. please share. thanks.
could it be ethiopiawinet http://yagforlife.org/
?
nolawi,
I like everything about their focus and operation, but umm..why is the website stalled since ‘06? are they still in operation? I’ll read it more closely and figure it out I guess. many thanks for the info though, keep sharing info. on org. that deal specifically with water/food/shelter…