My feed is filled with bad news, which is my fault for using the fediverse as a news feed, but it made me wonder: Which organisations, groups or individual people in the world are doing the most good for our world? I’m particularly interested in those who manage to do good on a larger impact scale (quantity or quality), but if the unknown person on your street who fosters kittens is a great example, I’d love to hear about them too.
Mr. Rogers told me to look for the helpers in times of trouble. Tell me about your favorite helpers!
Yao Ming (an NBA basketball player) has, nearly single-handedly, saved the lives of tens of millions of sharks by simply asking citizens of China to stop eating shark fin soup. Since he started doing this, the price of shark fins has tanked, and 90+ percent of people surveyed in China support a ban on selling shark fins.
The Great Green Wall initiative. They’re teaching farming methods that restore water tables and greening arid areas across middle Africa, stopping the advance of the Sahara desert. They supply the expertise and the materials, and locals do the work. In the process they’re also reversing the exodus of young people to the cities, because increased/improved agriculture provides jobs for them in their home villages.
Stunning initiative! Some real-life Dune ecology going on.
As you said, it’s not just the greening angle, they’re providing jobs and generational stability to the region, which is far more important than what would otherwise be a quick and short win.
James Christopher Harrison, a blood donor from Australia, who has saved over two million babies with his blood because it has properties which can treat rhesus disease.
Yep, 2.4 million estimated lives saved across 60 years of weekly donations. He’s the kind of human you write songs about. Retired from donating at doctors behest in 2018. I hope he inspired new donors.
I’m amazed they let him do weekly donations. Isn’t it typically every 6 for typical whole-blood donations? I get he’s got special blood, but I’m surprised it would be that frequent compared to “normal” people
Maybe before, but not these days. They take donations claiming to help abortion rights, but also quietly admit they can’t defend them. https://www.jezebel.com/satanic-temple-abortion-rights-religious-exemption-real-1849073332 https://queersatanic.com/the-satanic-temple-cannot-help-you-get-an-abortion-and-it-does-not-deserve-your-support/
Plus the Temple was sued for harassment of it’s members/advocates. The people were linking publicly accessible info about the Temple’s internal issues and then sued for libel and defamation. https://www.newsweek.com/orgies-harassment-fraud-satanic-temple-rocked-accusations-lawsuit-1644042
Then when Newsweek covered the lawsuit, they themselves were sued for libel, when they literally showed that a lawsuit for telling the truth was being made in courts. https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/new-york/nysdce/1:2022cv01343/575138/27/ https://casetext.com/case/the-satanic-temple-inc-v-newsweek-magazine-llc-12
TL;DR: The Satanic Temple sues you for telling publicly known truths about itself, and then takes money that could go to actual help for abortion rights.
Habitat for Humanity. People seem to shy away, thinking it’s a free house program for the utterly destitute. Nope!
They put people in affordable homes, with a legit mortgage, who otherwise might be shut out of the market.
Ex-wife started us on the program. We worked it, and I’m typing this from my forever home, $600/mo. and paid off in a total of 19-years. No property tax, no mortgage interest, cost of the home is what you sign for. And it’s brand new or totally gutted and redone. Most are new, appliances and all.
My credit was shit from medical debt, they don’t even look. BUT, you have to make a payment plan with every creditor, and pay on time. They don’t officially favor families, but I’m sure it helps. OTOH, old girl across the street got hers with her 85-yo momma.
We did 300-hours of classroom work and volunteering in the field. The Habitat Restore was our favorite Saturday afternoon. But we nailed and painted and laid sod as well. No, you don’t build your own home, you build your neighbor’s homes. Sodded and mounted my neighbor’s lawn and mailbox! Neat!
I’ll answer all I can, but programs vary from region to region. If you’re truly interested, email me: blade runner blues @ gmail. (My DMs are all jacked up on Lemmy, and I won’t see replies unless I remember to dig.)
Worst anyone can do is volunteer. I’ve never done such satisfying charity work. Call your local chapter!
And praise be to Jimmy Carter, blessing be unto him.
