Handing Out Hope

Does Welfare Make the Road to Self-Reliance More Difficult?

Professor of Social Work, Dr. Chack-Kie Wong, conducted an interesting qualitative study where he found many welfare recipients desire self-reliance, but often times recipients find many challenges literally trying to escape the welfare system. Although Dr. Wong’s research was conducted in Hong Kong, it is of noteworthy global importance since many welfare recipients face similar stigmatization. Handing Out Hope focuses on making the transition to self-reliance as painless as possible. You can help.

Engaging a World Rife with Dinscontent and Worry: How We Can Be Our Own Best Hope

In a recent article by Nicholas Kristoff for NYTimes.com’s ‘On the Ground’ blog about giving and it’s health benefits, Kristoff makes note that many people are apathetic or wary about giving. Whether giving back to their communities, or charitable giving in general – and I would add – participating in their societies as a whole, people often become caught up in the process rather than appreciate the experience. They begin to look upon it as a chore and at times, done almost begrudgingly.

In the hustle and bustle of life, with all of our daily stresses, compounded by external foes, which we have no control over (lay-offs, debt, recession, natural disasters like Haiti- to name only a few foes on many minds of late) we often times don’t think that making connections with others, helping our fellow man, can actually be rewarding not only to the recipient but to ourselves as well. Kristoff adds, “I also hope that young people won’t wait until retirement to find a cause; this is something that can animate your career, not follow it.”

In a time when “Millennials” or “Gen Nexters” are growing up with reputations of self-entitlement, they are also growing up in what reports have called the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. Many are still at a point in life when optimism rules – According to the PEW Research Center for the People & the Press “Fully 76% of young adults believe their personal financial situation will improve over the course of the next year, compared with fewer than half of those ages 30 and older.”

Just as Ksritoff alludes in his Sunday Column, that the 65 year-old Black woman on dialysis, but who is respected by her family and is very involved in her community and giving, lives a happier life than the 36 year-old, successful and wealthy but stressed-out and lonely commodities trader, so too should we take a look at ourselves and remember what’s important: family, friends, connections with people, community engagement, giving.

At a time when traditional measures of success, like wealth and status have been rocked by a shaky economy and failing industries, perhaps we can take a hint from this and remember to help each other, and in turn give ourselves back a little hope.

If you want to find a way to give hope back, and engage your world so that people can help themselves and build upon their own futures, you can find more information HERE.

Fighting World Hunger from now until 2050

In an article posted today by oneindia, the authors of “Agricultural Water Management” assess the problem of world hunger. They looked at the investments needed to improve agriculture to achieve global food security goals. They address the issue of feeding the world by 2050, given the exponential birthrates in developing countries.

The authors offer a few solutions, such as managing land and water resources with extra care and investing in ongoing policy choices.

There’s no doubt that this is a daunting task. What can we do to help?

Handing Out Hope is all about self-sustainability. If we are able to contribute to the education of agriculture within developing countries, then we can eventually step away from these communities. If they learned how to maintain their own agriculture system, they would be able to harvest their own food.

If you’d like to help us be part of the solution, please donate here.

The Audacity of a Child to Hand Out Hope

The human spirit during times of crisis always becomes a beacon of HOPE to those in need.  Last week there was the story of the 7-year-old British boy who raised over 150 thousand dollars for Haiti.  After seeing the footage of the earthquake aftermath in Haiti, he wept.  It was then that this courageous 7 year-old decided that he had to do something to help.  He reports having said, “I want to make some money to buy food, water and tents for everyone in Haiti.” The goal was 500 British pounds; the last numbers reported by the San Francisco Examiner, revealed that the boy had raised 109,579.07 British pounds. What started out as a simple goal has turned out to be much more; it’s encouraged young people throughout the world to get involved.  According to the Chilliwack Times, the students at Sardis Elementary School in Chilliwack, Canada have raised $ 3,737.95 Canadian Dollars so far, which will be used to buy 37 water filters that will be able to purify and provide 1,137 liters of  “clean water”  to the victims of the Haiti earthquake.   One has to ask, what is it about children who seem fearless when they want to help, and how can we, as adults, learn from them?

If you feel compelled to help Handing Out Hope with its future projects that will enable and empower underprivileged communities throughout the world to become self reliant, please feel free to do so by clicking HERE.

Before Deadly Earthquake Hit Haiti, A Deadlier Water Crisis Remained

The Huffington Post reported today that before the earthquake in Haiti hit, Haiti already had been plagued by a much greater crisis.  With approximately 10 Million citizens, Haiti reports that in recent years half of all the deaths of its citizens are related to the lack of clean water.   If something is not done to address this crisis, then 5 Million of the current 10 million citizens will stand to die due to this crisis.  This estimated death toll would clearly exceeds the current death toll in Haiti that stems from the recent earthquake.  Haiti is not the only nation struck by a water crisis; reports show that 1 billion people in the world do not have access to clean water.  More has to be done, more can be done!

Providing clean water to those in need are just some of the projects that Handing Out Hope has on it’s radar.  If you’d like to help us fund such projects, click here.