Unique Ways to Give
Reader's Digest India|December 2023
Here are the innovative ways people are helping those in need-even when money is tight
Penny Caldwell
Unique Ways to Give

FOR ABOUT TWO HOURS a week when my kids were little, I spent one-on-one time at their school with children who had reading difficulties. The reward for volunteers like me was the kids' growing confidence and delight as words on the page started to make sense.

Fortunately for non-profit organizations, the feel-good reward of helping others is universal. Nearly a quarter of all adults worldwide volunteer and about 35 per cent of people donate to charities, according to the World Giving Index, which includes data for 119 countries. It also reports that since 2021, the rate of giving has increased among the wealthiest nations.

That's a good thing because in today's cost-of-living crisis, the demand on charities is greater than ever. Here are a dozen innovative ways people around the world are giving back.

RICE BUCKET CHALLENGE, INDIA

Heard of the Ice Bucket Challenge? The social media initiative started in the United States and spread around the world, raising $115 million dollars for ALS (or Lou Gehrig's disease) research. You take a video of yourself dumping a bucket of ice water over your head, then nominate three more people to do the same. In some versions, the participant donates $100 if they don't complete the challenge.

"I thought it was an amazing way to garner awareness of ALS and raise funds," recalls Manju Kalanidhi, a journalist in Hyderabad, India. But it didn't make sense in her country, where water is too precious to waste, even for a good cause. Then in 2014, it hit her: Why not make it a Rice Bucket Challenge to fight hunger?

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة December 2023 من Reader's Digest India.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة December 2023 من Reader's Digest India.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

المزيد من القصص من READER'S DIGEST INDIA مشاهدة الكل
GIRL UNINTER RUPTED
Reader's Digest India

GIRL UNINTER RUPTED

A powerful exploration of identity, freedom, and the quiet feminist act of a woman at leisure

time-read
5 mins  |
March 2025
MY SMART PET
Reader's Digest India

MY SMART PET

These clever critters are some smart C-O-O-K-I-E-S

time-read
4 mins  |
March 2025
We're a Match!
Reader's Digest India

We're a Match!

TIA WIMBUSH AND Susan Ellis have been co-workers for a decade, and while they didn't know each other well, they had a lot in common, both working in information technology at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta and both dealing with the same medical stress at home.

time-read
2 mins  |
March 2025
STUDIO
Reader's Digest India

STUDIO

Worker drilling inside a coal mine, Asansol By Ahmed Ali, 1951 silver gelatin print with selenium toning, 24 x 30 in

time-read
1 min  |
March 2025
The Best Guy I Know
Reader's Digest India

The Best Guy I Know

When Uncle George calls, it’s always worth picking up

time-read
2 mins  |
March 2025
Just a Snore, or Something More?
Reader's Digest India

Just a Snore, or Something More?

Sleep apnoea is on the rise, and it can be dangerous. How to tell if you or your sleeping partner has it

time-read
3 mins  |
March 2025
POINT TO PONDER
Reader's Digest India

POINT TO PONDER

COMMUNITY MEANS WE'RE collaborating. It means that you help my children and old people, and I help yours.

time-read
1 min  |
March 2025
A TOUGH PILL TO SWALLOW
Reader's Digest India

A TOUGH PILL TO SWALLOW

Too many older adults are taking medications where the likely harms outweigh the potential benefits. Is it time to start 'deprescribing'?

time-read
10 mins  |
March 2025
A Piggyback Ride from a Stranger
Reader's Digest India

A Piggyback Ride from a Stranger

After an elderly woman broke her leg on a hill, a hiker spent hours carrying her down

time-read
3 mins  |
March 2025
A Sojourn through Smuggler's Cove
Reader's Digest India

A Sojourn through Smuggler's Cove

Behind Cornwall's charming coastal villages lies an infamous, seafaring past

time-read
4 mins  |
March 2025