I wanted to use this series of posts to show that it is possible to make a difference just by devoting a small amount of time each day.
Part 1: Get informed
In order to know what the issues related to global poverty are and where you can make a difference, you need to get informed. This may be stating the obvious, but I wanted to include everything and you need to start somewhere to be able to make informed decisions. There are many ways that you can do this and there are many sources of information available including:
- Books: there are a large number of books that are both inspirational and informative. I have created a list on Amazon of some books that focus on ending global poverty through microfinancing, education, health and social entrepreneurship (list of books about ending global poverty). There are obviously many more available to choose from based on what you are most interested in.
- Websites: there are many websites related to the various issues of global poverty. Most charity organisation websites have detailed information about the specific issues that the charity deals with such as Kiva.org. There are some links on this page, however, there will eventually be more and I will post lists of sites as I discover more.
- Blogs: I have listed blogs as a separate item because even though they are obviously websites they often serve a slightly different purpose. I do not have too many blog links to list yet and I will add them as I find new ones, however, one I have found that is worth visiting is Riches for Good.
- Newspapers
In addition to informing yourself by using the Internet and buying books you are also sending a message, and that is that the topics that you are searching for and reading about are of interest and deserve of attention. The more hits that websites receive and the more sales books have all contribute to raising the level of public interest and hopefully media interest in global poverty issues.
Well, that's it for the first part, there is nothing ground breaking but it is a starter and I hope to complement what I have written by adding links to blogs and websites that I discover over time.
4 comments:
I'm glad you find my blog to be helpful. Thanks for joining the conversation and sharing my blog with others. Looks like we're interested in many of the same topics and books. I'll add your blog to my blogroll. Ryan
Ryan,
Thanks for your comment and for adding me to your blog roll. It was from your blog that I became aware of the book Mountains beyond Mountains which I look forward to reading along with the others in the list that you have already reviewed.
Jason,
I've added The Bottom Billion to my own reading list based on your Amazon list. Have you read it yet? It looks like it would fit very well with my interests. I see you also refer to Banker to the Poor -- Yunus recently wrote Creating a World Without Poverty, which is also on my reading list. Ryan
Ryan,
I have not read The Bottom Billion yet, but I am glad that I was able to tip you about it. I saw it on Amazon when I was creating my list there and have also seen a very positive review of it on the Microfinance Blog. I am almost finished reading Banker to the Poor and believe that Muhammed Yunus is a fantastic and inspirational person. I look forward to reading more of his books in the future so thanks for the tip.
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