For Those Who Give a Damn

My last blog, “Some of Us Don’t Give a Shit,” really stirred up quite a response. 

Oh sure, we’d read some articles

We knew some people needed help

But social workers take care of that

I mean, why give a damn yourself?

Well, the reason that you didn’t

And the reason that you won’t

Is you think you got a lot to lose

And the other fella don’t

Oh, you give a damn, and so does he

You think the rest of us are just fakin’?

I mean what do you need that you got to give

Less than what you’re takin’?

For those of you who are interested in doing more to help poor kids in the developing world, here are some ideas:

I have been involved with these organizations (some for decades) and can recommend them highly:

Sponsor an impoverished child in a developing nation.  This is one-to-one concern at its best:

http://www.compassion.com/sponsor_a_child/default.htm

Help build homes for those with insufficient housing:

http://www.habitat.org//

Give assistance to poor people trying to start small businesses in the developing world:

http://www.opportunity.org/site/pp.asp?c=7oIDLROyGqF&b=203866

Assist with antiretroviral drugs for HIV/AIDS patients

http://www.unicefusa.org/site/c.duLRI8O0H/b.25966/k.B283/HIVAIDS__What_We_Do__US_Fund_for_UNICEF.htm

Give your voice to helping reduce poverty, third world debt, and assist economic empowerment to developing nations:

http://theonecampaign.org/

Buy African art/gifts where your money goes back to those who created the crafts:

http://www.globalcrafts.org/

Donate to a fund to help fight global spread of tuberculosis, malaria, and AIDS:

http://www.theglobalfund.org/en/donate/

Administer justice for those caught in forced labor and unjust systems:

http://www.ijm.org/

Donate to help with the global food crisis affecting hundreds of millions, especially children:

http://www.oxfamamerica.org/

Help dig clean water wells in Africa:

http://bloodwatermission.org/

Act to help free children from sex slavery operations:

http://www.freeforlifeintl.org/

Write governments and policymakers about Human Rights abuses:

http://www.amnestyusa.org/index.html

If you go here you can activate a donation from another source to help health care for children in the third world just by clicking:

http://www.thechildhealthsite.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/CTDSites.woa/393/wa/gotoSite?destSite=ChildHealthSite&origin=thstab&wosid=RS4000hw800ao600I&revisionCode=ON_THS_CHS_TAB

Get involved in helping stop the genocide in Darfur, Sudan:

http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/organizations/darfur/content.jsp?content_KEY=1282

If you’re interested in finding out more about Tony Campolo’s books, speaking, and outreach to the poor in the U.S. and abroad:

http://www.tonycampolo.org/

No one expects you to do everything…but at least do something…

Where could you go?

What could you see?

What could you do your best?

The book is in your left hand

Your right hand knows the address

Address your questions

Address your money

Address your telephone number

But above all, please address yourself

And give a damn this summer

(Noel Paul Stookey, “Give a Damn,” from Paul And,  1971)