JULY - Dignity & Inclusion

Illustration by Miki Howenstein
​(From page 212 of the book “Jumbo Jumble”)

…….　Looking at dignity and inclusion from this perspective, we must be wary of our well-intended charitable actions that may actually be detrimental. By making others more dependent on handouts for simple survival, we are destroying their dignity and secluding them from the “functional” society.
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Author’s Comment: I have found that having the benefactors of charity be the ones to decide how the funds are to be used is best. Related to this, the people running the charities should, as much as possible, be those who have endured the conditions which the charity is trying to deal with (for example, poor people (or those who have experienced poverty) being on the board of a charity which helps the poor). In the end, creating systemic change so there is little need for such organizations  (since the society is fair and just) should be the ultimate goal.