Thinking about charity

Should be given to the right person, right place

In the province, many charity models have practical meaning to share with the poor, contributing to social security care, and have been responded to by the community. Over time, many models continue to be maintained and expanded; there are also models that are no longer suitable. For example, "Zero Dong Stores" were established by many organizations, from Ao Dai, to all kinds of clothes, necessities, vegetables, household appliances in the spirit of giving whatever you have, giving to those who have excess, receiving from those who lack. Stores have "sprouted" in many localities, with dozens of "Zero Dong Stores" in some places, especially in remote communes. However, up to now, some stores are no longer operating, lacking caretakers, and there is a situation where the givers and recipients are not the right people.

Ms. Thanh Hue (Long Xuyen City) brought a bag of clothes and shoes to a "Zero-dong Store" in Tri Ton town. When she arrived, the store was empty. A nearby refreshment shop offered to receive them to distribute to those in need in the village, because they clearly understood who was truly in need and who was in need. While at the previous "Zero-dong Store", the items were sent and received voluntarily, after a while, people who did not really need them still came to get them, while those who needed them ran out of items before their turn. "Anyway, they were old clothes to give away, so when we heard that, we happily donated them. However, I cannot help but worry about places that are operating similarly. I have witnessed stalls and charity stores that aim to help the poor, in reality, there are still people with full conditions who come to get them as usual" - Ms. Hue shared.

Ms. TTN, representative of a retired charity group operating in Long Xuyen City, sighed when mentioning the calls for donations of clothes to support the poor and those in sudden difficulties. The eternal story is that some people seem to borrow places to put things rather than give them away, because in addition to unsuitable clothes, there are also old, torn clothes, underwear, and moldy, damaged shoes... On holidays, Tet, or even maintained monthly on the full moon day, you can see stalls such as: "0 VND" rice, 2,000 VND rice, "0 VND" ao dai, "0 VND" clothes, "0 VND" vegetables always crowded with "customers" coming to choose. This model is very necessary so that those who are still facing difficulties will be able to reduce some of the burden of making a living. Hopefully, in every small gesture, the giver should also put their heart into it so that their gift and action is fully meaningful.

Charity on social media

The power of social media in today's era is undeniable, especially when used by famous people. Many difficult circumstances, accidents, serious illnesses... thanks to a post by a reputable group, an individual that many people care about can be spread in an instant, receiving a huge amount of money. Also because it is easy, fast, and has a strong spread, many cases after a period of joining hands to support, the online community turns to anger because they realize that the money they contributed has been used for the wrong purpose. At this time, people cannot help but wonder, is even compassion being used for profit?

Previously, Mr. Nguyen Van Tap (Long Xuyen City) joined many groups on Facebook to get information about buying and selling real estate; selling online, planting trees, learning skills... The groups have strict rules of posting only according to the set rules, but sometimes there are exceptions to prioritize posting articles calling for help for difficult and special situations... Commonly, there are articles related to newborns with serious illnesses, people in traffic accidents who cannot find their relatives, lost elderly people or children, lottery ticket sellers who are scammed... "I noticed that there are situations that are posted over and over again, even in cases where the person has been dead for many years but their image is still exploited to call for support" - Mr. Tap said.

In the online environment, even when it is a real person - real work, charity does not stop at the act of giving and helping the needy, but has become a tool for individuals to polish their image, distorting the core values ​​of humanity that have existed for a long time. A gift-giving ceremony somewhere can be warm and full of joy for both sides if it does not take too much time to set up photo shoots, film, require the recipient to express their feelings... while the support value is not much. The line between true charity and "backdrop" and exploitation can be very fragile. Mr. Nguyen Huy Danh (a primary school teacher in Chau Phu district) said that charity needs to be done in the right way, with the right person, in the right place. If you want to help someone, it is best to support through the Vietnam Fatherland Front, the Red Cross and reputable newspapers, with a clear address.

The feelings of the people involved

The unfortunate events that happen around charity between "givers" and "recipients" not only create public opinion, but also affect those who are doing humanitarian work in the true sense. Ms. Kim Linh, who has been involved in charity activities in Phu Tan district for more than 10 years, expressed that most members involved in charity work are elderly and retired people, who consider contributing to society a joy. That is also an obstacle when they directly verify the circumstances, receive support sources, and go to the place to deliver money or gifts to support people in difficulty.

“We will prioritize the most urgent cases, such as work accidents, traffic accidents, incurable diseases that need urgent treatment... There are many difficult situations, but in order, we still have to verify with the local authorities, have the correct information before calling for support. Some cases have to wait a long time, they think we are biased, favoring this person, leaving that person behind, or this situation has a lot of money, that situation has little money... While all sources of contributions and donations, we publicly disclose information, detailed amounts of money... Not to mention some incidents on the internet, sometimes charity workers are unfairly equated and misunderstood" - Ms. Linh confided.

The desire to be kind in every human being is a good quality. However, the desire to help all the poor in society is impossible, because the few situations we see and hear about are only a few of the countless situations that need help in reality. Individuals and organizations that call for support for difficult cases must follow the regulations in mobilizing, receiving, distributing and using contributions. People need to be more vigilant, carefully verify information before deciding to make charitable contributions, to avoid being scammed by bad people and criminals. Charity is not a movement, but needs to be carefully considered so that each coin, each gift reaches the people in need in the most meaningful way.

HOAI ANH

Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/ngam-chuyen-lam-tu-thien-a418595.html