Helping Manila

[craig7501]

Just been watching a program on tv about a london Bus driver who went to manila, it showed how they live and how they survive out there, the program focused on 1 family in perticular who earn 8 pesos per day being a bus driver, this is converted into:

19 cents USD
13 pence GBP
15 euros

Is there any way that we could hold a special event to raise money for the people of manila?

[moonwitch]

I know someone 2 doors away from me who according to the Department of Works and Pensions gets money from the state that amounts to the minimum she needs to live on.

Out of that minimum she has to pay about £175 every month on rent and council tax...poverty is relative.

[HerMajesty]

There are so many places in the world where deserving people struggle every day. I assume that money goes further in Manila than here, by some degree. I worked at a children's hospital in Haiti, and saw a woman with 8 children living in a hut about 10'x 10', and whose daily work was sitting in a river bed breaking rock by hand into gravel. I think she got something like 2p a day.

The best way I can think of at the moment for gaining support for your idea, is for you to win the opportunity to choose a charity in the YDC auctions, then name a charity that helps over there. Good luck!

[kreativebargains]

I saw the program, and the preceding one from about 2 years earlier. Your figures are incorrect, though compared to what we have they are still on an extremely low income. He earns about 700-1000 pesos a day, but pays 30% of his takings for his Jeepney. Since the first program he has opened up part of his house as an internet café and receives 40% of the takings for doing so. He also received a fishing boat from a Philippine's TV show that he rents to his nephew. Since the show he has also become a bit of a tourist attraction and his takings and possibly tips off tourists could well be higher. Therefore by Philippine standards he is doing pretty well, by our standards they are living in poverty.

While watching the program, and others in the series I too thought it would be great to help, but in this particular case the family are receiving at least some help, while thousands receive nothing. I have had a quick search and found a charity that helps orphaned and abandoned children in the Philippines, those most at risk. Maybe if something was done it could be done for those who have not had the good fortune to appear on the BBC.

http://www.soschildrensvillages.org....FdHLtAod2WQAww

[madelaine]

There are so many people who need our help. I think it best to help where you have personal knowledge. We have friends who visit Burkina Faso regularly. They know the people they try to help and any money given to them is very carefully directed. Similarly, I know those involved with African Children's Fund and that the money is well targetted.

Emotional responses to TV programmes are seldom the most useful way to go.

[damian_steele]

So much aid given to other countries never gets to the people it is intended to help.
So much aid given by our government to other countries should never have been given in the first place.
Did you know that the UK recently gave over four hundred million pounds to Russia? The same Russia that has made many billions of pounds from their massive oil and gas fields?
It's the same with India and Pakistan - we give millions to countries that would rather spend vast fortunes on their weapons than on their people.
Even Bob Geldof is reported to have said that the vast majority of the aid money he (and others) raised never got to the people it should have helped.

All in all I suggest that people only give to charities where they can directly see the results and check that the money is going to the people it was intended to help.

[olivia8143]

Here's the link for anyone who's interested in watching it

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode...rn_Bus_Driver/

[KAYS6912]

So much aid given to other countries never gets to the people it is intended to help.
So much aid given by our government to other countries should never have been given in the first place.
Did you know that the UK recently gave over four hundred million pounds to Russia? The same Russia that has made many billions of pounds from their massive oil and gas fields?
It's the same with India and Pakistan - we give millions to countries that would rather spend vast fortunes on their weapons than on their people.
Even Bob Geldof is reported to have said that the vast majority of the aid money he (and others) raised never got to the people it should have helped.

All in all I suggest that people only give to charities where they can directly see the results and check that the money is going to the people it was intended to help.

Well said Damian. Charity begins at home and as far as I'm concerned, should STAY at home. There are PLENTY of deserving causes here in the UK. I just wish the government would get a grip with the "foreign aid" too. I still don't get how services in the UK have to be cut to the bone, the economy is in an uproar but we can afford to send MILLIONS if not BILLIONS abroad every year. Something just not right about that.

[westlondoncarparts]

Unfortunately a large proportion of the world’s population live in or close to poverty and just manage to get by.

It is not because there are not enough resources to support everybody, it is because of how the resources are distributed.

There needs to be a reasonable balance between enabling individualism but also supporting the needs of wider communities.

In the western model, individualism at the expense of the wider needs of communities is encouraged. This is at the root of problems of poverty – the vast majority of people controlling resources take for themselves and look after themselves only

It’s the ‘I’m all right Jack, let everybody else look after themselves’ mentality.

With regard to the UK economy, there is a need to manage the build up of external debt which has been increasing because the Government has been spending more than it receives in taxes. The way to have sorted this out would have been to get the economy growing so that there was higher employment, less welfare payments, and more tax revenue for the Government. The present Government has its own ideological agenda which is why it has gone for austerity. There has not been the need for such deep cuts in public services, it has been a matter of political choice rather than necessity.

[suesjools]

Unfortunately a large proportion of the world’s population live in or close to poverty and just manage to get by.

It is not because there are not enough resources to support everybody, it is because of how the resources are distributed.

There needs to be a reasonable balance between enabling individualism but also supporting the needs of wider communities.

In the western model, individualism at the expense of the wider needs of communities is encouraged. This is at the root of problems of poverty – the vast majority of people controlling resources take for themselves and look after themselves only

It’s the ‘I’m all right Jack, let everybody else look after themselves’ mentality.

With regard to the UK economy, there is a need to manage the build up of external debt which has been increasing because the Government has been spending more than it receives in taxes. The way to have sorted this out would have been to get the economy growing so that there was higher employment, less welfare payments, and more tax revenue for the Government. The present Government has its own ideological agenda which is why it has gone for austerity. There has not been the need for such deep cuts in public services, it has been a matter of political choice rather than necessity.

Couldn't agree more about the individualism model, IMHO it produces horrible end results. I do wish someone would come up with a better model that works outside the classroom, (learned a bit about politics and economic theories in college, but it seems many theories that sound good on paper don't work so well in the real world).

Craig, ditto what HM said, YDC raises money every month for charity, you can support the chosen charity or raise for a charity of your choice, IMHO it's a great way to get involved and lots of fun, too.

Best wishes for many sales to all,