In the book The Blue Sweater, written by Jacqueline Novogratz, we follow her journey from a banker to the founder and CEO of Acumen – a non-profit organization that funds social enterprises and aims to tackle issues of poverty. The story started off with a rather miraculous story about a blue sweater that her uncle once gave her. When the sweater fell out of her favor, Jacqueline donated it to Goodwill, only to find that the same zebra and mountain blue sweater appeared on a little boy when she visited Kigali, Rwanda, 12 years later. She even checked the clothing tag and sure enough, it had her name on it. This incident reassured her that people’s actions around the globe can have far and wide influences, no matter how negligible or small they may seem, and propelled her to continue her good deeds in the foreign continent.
Jacqueline started like the most of us in rather privileged upbringing, graduating from college and transitioning to a job at chase bank. She then realized the harsh realities of the world and in her current position, she was doing little to help them. Banks, particularly in well-to-do areas, were manipulating large sums of money to create overnight wealth, where people in impoverished areas were struggling to make ends meet. She then took action to her own hands. She “did what I now tell young people to do: I started where I could and where I was given the chance.” This advice is something that I think people need to take to heart. From what I see in my family and friend group, there is a lot of pressure to know what you want, have a set goal, and to be instantly successful in whatever it is you decide to do.” This is a very noble cause that a lot of us can learn something from; whether it is seizing the opportunities on hand, resisting societal and family pressure, and having a heart of gold and caring for the less fortunate.
The other point that I want to highlight is that charities may not always be well-received. In the book she had several bitter setbacks when the local people did not want her help, seeing her as hostile and imposing and even went to lengths as to poison her food. She then reflected her intentions and realize charity is just as much about the methods and attitudes as the actual gifts and resources. It is less about feeling good when you give, and more about how people perceive you and use your gifts. The people will not appreciate if they don’t see or understand your efforts to help. Initially she didn’t ask what they wanted or needed and assumed a role of expert, but as she learned through her mistakes, connecting with the locals, learning their needs and making conscious advisement will empower the people by giving them a sense of accountability, reward, success, confidence, and therefore freedom. Traditional charities were not a long term solution to help the poor, and that the best solution was to provide loans to the poor to start a business and become self-sustainable.
Jacqueline started like the most of us in rather privileged upbringing, graduating from college and transitioning to a job at chase bank. She then realized the harsh realities of the world and in her current position, she was doing little to help them. Banks, particularly in well-to-do areas, were manipulating large sums of money to create overnight wealth, where people in impoverished areas were struggling to make ends meet. She then took action to her own hands. She “did what I now tell young people to do: I started where I could and where I was given the chance.” This advice is something that I think people need to take to heart. From what I see in my family and friend group, there is a lot of pressure to know what you want, have a set goal, and to be instantly successful in whatever it is you decide to do.” This is a very noble cause that a lot of us can learn something from; whether it is seizing the opportunities on hand, resisting societal and family pressure, and having a heart of gold and caring for the less fortunate.
The other point that I want to highlight is that charities may not always be well-received. In the book she had several bitter setbacks when the local people did not want her help, seeing her as hostile and imposing and even went to lengths as to poison her food. She then reflected her intentions and realize charity is just as much about the methods and attitudes as the actual gifts and resources. It is less about feeling good when you give, and more about how people perceive you and use your gifts. The people will not appreciate if they don’t see or understand your efforts to help. Initially she didn’t ask what they wanted or needed and assumed a role of expert, but as she learned through her mistakes, connecting with the locals, learning their needs and making conscious advisement will empower the people by giving them a sense of accountability, reward, success, confidence, and therefore freedom. Traditional charities were not a long term solution to help the poor, and that the best solution was to provide loans to the poor to start a business and become self-sustainable.
No comments:
Post a Comment