Because No One Can Do Everything, You Should Do Something

I recently received some pictures of a trip to Ghana last April from my good friend Ben. Ben and I went to Ghana along with 3 other students and a professor to work on a project that we hope will save the world. It is a merry go round that generates electricity as kids play on it at schools in rural Ghana. As I looked over these pictures, I couldn't help but feel like there was nothing I can do to help in the world. I felt like the poverty in Ghana alone is too large of a task for me to do anything. What I did over there--my 10 days--was not even a drop of water in the bucket that needs to be filled in order to douse the flames of poverty. Furthermore...what can you or I do now, thousands of miles away from these serious situations?

Before I left for this project, I participated in a "Hunger Banquet" held at BYU. After sharing a plate of rice and beans with 5 other people, and hearing several moving and informative talks, I had this same feeling of hopelessness and futility of anything I might do. Just before the banquet closed, the host eloquently dispelled those feelings.

The way she made me believe I could do something to eliminate poverty was by explaining that no one person can do everything by themselves to solve an issue this big--therefore more people need to do something. It doesn't matter as much what you do. Don't wait until you have the means or opportunity to do something really major. Do something...anything. By doing something, you may inspire others to do something and it will spread. Eventually little things will add up to big things. Big things will get thrown into the mix by those you inspire who have the means or are in the position to really make an impact. Its like starting a line of dominos that sets off a bowling ball down a hill.

There are so many opportunities to do something. One of my favorites is Kiva.org. Go to this site right now and put $25 in the hands of a hardworking group of women in Uganda that need a small amount of capital to break out of the vicious poverty cycle (or any one of the many microcredit businesses that need a little capital on the site). I've been paid back my $25 already and will be reinvesting shortly.

Here's a list of 88 ways to take action against poverty right now. I like #87 and 71 because they are so simple. One way to accomplish #87 (educate yourself) is to watch the extremely moving video below of a TED talk that is very inspiring to me.