CHARITY AND ACTIVISM

Charity

Charity is the voluntary giving of help to those in need. It is the act of giving money, goods or time to the unfortunate, either directly or by means of a charitable trust or other worthy cause.

Most forms of charity are concerned with providing basic necessities such as food, water, clothing, healthcare and shelter, but other actions may be performed as charity.  Donations to causes that benefit the unfortunate indirectly, such as donations to fund cancer research, are also charity.

Many may rely on support from charitable organization .These organisations collect money and goods and then give them to those in need.

Charitable organization

A charitable organization is an organization that supports a cause by fundraising or through donation and charity. The organisations arrange for all the distribution of any money to each cause. 

There are many well-known charities all over the world. Two of the most well-known charities are UNICEF and the Red Cross. 

         American Cancer Society  Center

          Red Cross

Fundraising

Fundraising is the process of raising money for charities. Charities may use these to continue providing free after school activities for children, raise money for a cure and help elders and other patients with low income.some of the way for fundraising is donation, sales of merchandise. 

                Fundraising for donation

Humanitarianism

Humanitarianism is a way of behaving out of kindness to other people. Someone who is a humanitarian is a person who helps to improve the lives of other people without thinking about their race, belief or nationality. 

Humanitarianism also means basic molarity indispensable for human being. There are international law called "international humanitarian laws" considered to created out of humanitarianism of this mean. 

        Volunteers from Americops

NGOs

What is an NGO? 

An NGO is an organisation in which the government has no role; It is a Non-governmental organisation. People who have good money or business help people through NGO. NGOs are a subgroup of organisations established by citizens, including clubs and associations that provide services to their members and others—an organisation aimed at the welfare of society.

Various NGOs

1.Smile Foundation

2.Nanhi kali

3.Give India Foundation

4.Help age India

Smile Foundation: 

 Smile Foundation is an NGO based in New Delhi, India. It was established in 2002 and had a presence in 25 states. As of 2017, the Foundation reaches approximately 4 lakh children and their families.The purpose of the Smile Foundation for Education in India was to promote education among the underprivileged. Their development program includes Education, health, livelihood for children and women, provision to be equally affected by lack of resources. Some of his programs are Smile on Wheels, Mission Education and Smile Twin e-learning programs.

Nanhi kali:

Nanhi Kali is an Indian non-governmental organization that supports education for underprivileged girls in India. Founded by Anand Mahindra in 1996, it is jointly managed by Naandi Foundation and KC Mahindra Education Trust, part of the Mahindra Group’s corporate social responsibilities.Project Nani Kali educated girls and women to influence India in the long run positively. In an interview, the chairman of the non-profit organisation, Sheetal Mehta, told the Daily News and Analysis that “we wanted to create global awareness about the plight of young girls in the country who are denied their basic rights.

Give India Foundation:

Give India is a non-profit organisation in India. It is an online donation platform and aims to provide channels and resources to trusted non-governmental organisations across India. As a web portal, it helps raise funds and contributions from individuals in India and worldwide and then distributes these donations to trusted NGOs.

Help Age India:

Help Age India is an Indian organisation focused on the concerns of elders. Established in 1978, its mission is to “work for the cause and care of under aged elderly people and improve their standard of living”. Help Age is taking action against universal, pension, healthcare, Elder Abuse at the national, state and social levels with the central and state governments and advocates for the needy. It runs various age care programs to cater to the more significant needs. It aims to serve the disadvantaged elders holistically to lead an active, dignified and healthy life.

Activism

Activism is the practice of taking direct action to achieve political or social goals.

Activism can involve supporting a particular cause  or opposing it. Activism uses direct actions, such as protests, lawsuits, lobbying, petitions, and strikes.

A person who engages in activism can be called an activist. The word activist implies that such actions are taken Consistently that the activist is consistently active in their activism. For example, protesting is a form of activism, but someone who attends one protest probably wouldn't be called an activist . 

Various type of activism

Demonstration and protest

Demonstrations are arguably the best-known type of activism. During a demonstration or a protest, people united by a common belief meet together. They might march along a specific route, sit in at a specific place to draw attention to the cause, or hold a vigil to honor someone’s life. Time and place are often important. Many demonstrations take place on the anniversaries of certain events, like the birthday/death of someone important to the movement or the birthday/death of a victim of injustice. Organizers often also pick a location that’s meaningful, like outside a capitol to protest a law.

The right to peaceful assembly is so important, it’s included in the United Declaration of Human Rights. Article 19 and Article 20 protect the right to gather publicly and express, promote, and defend a belief. Together, these rights are often called the right to protect . National constitutions (like the United States) also protect this right. Demonstrations and protests are often complicated by the presence of law enforcement and counter protesters. Activists should anticipate resistance and work to ensure everyone’s safety.

Boycott

Boycotts are designed to economically impact a “target,” like a business that’s engaging in exploitative practices. Like with protests, boycotts are most successful when large groups of people participate. The 2009 Fruit of the Loom boycott is a good example. Fruit of the Loom/Russell closed a Honduras factory after workers organized a trade union. Around 1,800 Honduran garment workers lost their jobs. The Workers Rights Consortium and Fair Labour Association found that the company was at least partially motivated to close because workers were organizing a trade union. Students in Canada, the UK, and the USA pressured their universities to boycott Fruit of the Loom. Over 100 universities joined in the largest garment boycott in history. The result? Fruit of the Loom reopened the factory, returned the jobs with union rights, and awarded workers $2.5 million. To be effective, boycotts need clear goals and strong leadership. 

Strike

When workers deal with unfair or dangerous work conditions, low wages, or other issues, they might refuse to work when negotiations are refused or they fail. Strikes were a feature of the Industrial Revolution as there were few work protections and companies depended on mass labor. Many countries made strikes illegal to deter workers from engaging in them. While strikes are most associated with businesses, they’re also used to pressure governments to change certain policies. In 1975, 90% woman in Iceland went on strike to protest the gender pay gap. This included women who worked in offices and stay-at-home moms. Factories, banks, schools, and childcare centers had to close and men were left to pick up the work. The next year, parliament passed a law ensuring equal pay. Five years later, Iceland chose the first democratically elected female president in the world.

Letter writing and petition

Letter-writing and petitions are two of the most common forms of activism. They’re used to pressure public officials, corporations, and other power-holders. The more letters or signatures on a petition, the more likely it is that people will pay attention. Organization  like Amnesty International understand the power of letter writing . In the internet age, emails are also a common strategy. They have some benefits, like being useful in urgent situations and when postage is expensive. On the downside, officials sometimes shut down their emails so emails bounce back. They can’t do that with physical letters or faxes. Letters also imply a degree of commitment that emails don’t, which makes it harder for power holders to dismiss people’s demands. Petitions also have the downside of being so accessible and easy that they lose some of their power. They are most successful when paired with other actions.

Social media campaign

Social media activism is a new form of activism taking the world by storm. Also known as “hashtag activism,” it brings activism to social media networks like Instagram and Twitter. Users raise awareness of issues, organization, and actions through posts, graphics, videos, and more. The reach of social media activism became clear in 2020 with the hashtag “Black Lives Matter.” According to data from Pew Research, the hashtag was used over 47 million times on Twitter between May 26 and June 7. Despite its popularity, many are skeptical about social media activism. It often stops at simply sharing a post, so there’s no real-world action. It becomes performative. However, when paired with other strategies, social media activism is a very effective way to share information and broaden an issue’s reach, especially among the young. According to Pew Research, the number of 18-29-year-olds using social media for social and political issues has doubled since 2018. The first step to activism is engagement, and while many people will stop at sharing posts, others will take what they’ve learned on social media to the real world.