We Americans are ridiculous. Well, at least I know I am. Every morning I wake up in a comfy bed, in a warm house, with food in the fridge upstairs that probably won’t get eaten. Did you know that nearly one half of the world’s population lives in extreme poverty? Extreme poverty is defined as living on less than two dollars a day. People die because they simply don’t have the money to live. It’s crazy that so many people like me can live like we do… when people are dying somewhere else.

I don’t understand how people can just sit there and not share a bit of their prosperity with those less fortunate. My family gives to various charities even though we don’t make a whole lot ourselves. If more people would just give up their weekly coffee at Starbucks, or their monthly pedicure and manicure and set aside that money for a donation… think about how many lives could be saved!

You might think that you don’t have enough to give; but I believe that every little bit counts. Even the youth of our world can help! Think about it; you might make about twenty dollars babysitting the little kid across the street for two hours, but the kid in Africa who works all day won’t even get half of that. Donating even ten percent of your earnings to a good cause can help a lot!

For example, my family and I sponsor a little boy in Myanmar. He started out not able to go to school… but with our help he has succeeded in going! It makes you feel so good to know that you helped somebody else in the world; somebody who might not have the same comforts as you, but who might have the same thoughts and dreams.

So, next time you earn a bit of money- think about the baby in a slum in India, or a single mother struggling to make ends meet, and donate a bit to a trustworthy charity that you know. What you have might not be much, but you can always count on it being more than what somebody else has. So be thankful, and share your success!