Category: Charity

Luiz Inacio Lula de Silva, the President of Brazil once said, “Hunger is actually the worst weapon of mass destruction. It claims millions of victims each year.” This quote is eye-opening and explains what world hunger truly does to individuals and how some people view it. We should be able to end it today with all the money being spent in this country but ever since the fall of man, this world we are living in is broken and torn in half forever. People have been and are still rebelling, starting wars, spreading lies, and causing frustration and chaos. There has also been famine, drought, and pestilence in many areas of the earth as a result of the fall in Genesis. Out of many, one of the most destructive problems the earth is facing today is world hunger. Getting food and nutrition for someone’s body is one of the most basic needs and greatest necessities a person needs, without it they will be undernourished and will eventually die. Millions of people don’t have a meal to eat every day because they can’t afford it or have been in a catastrophic event that resulted in not being able to get the food they need. Luiz was right when he said hunger is like war because it claims so many innocent lives each year. World hunger is devastating and still exists today. The Salvation Army is trying to solve the problem by helping feed people locally and nationally.

World hunger has been a problem for many centuries and is still a very devastating and tragic dilemma the world faces today. It is difficult for some individuals that live in America to visualize how hard it is for others that have no idea where their next meal is going to come from since we have so much of it. One out of nine people globally suffers from hunger (Hunger). World hunger has risen tremendously throughout the last few years and will continue to rise in years to come if we do not do anything to help (Hunger). This escalation in world hunger has shown a tremendous challenge to those trying to make sure that everyone has food (Hunger). This problem affects so many people around the globe. Statistics show that in the United States, 17.4 million households go to bed hungry each night and an added 6.9 million live on the brink of food insecurity (Salvation). It’s not just Americans that deal with food insecurity, it’s people from around the whole world. Poverty and hunger are mostly generational dilemmas that are passed down, but sometimes certain catastrophic events will cause one to be left without food, and some of those events include, floods, droughts, war, displacement, natural disasters, and many other unfortunate events (Hunger). A lack of education can also contribute to a person being in poverty which then leads to someone not being able to afford food. “As the food insecurity worsens, people grow weaker, become more prone to illness, and find it harder to be productive at work” (Hunger). 8.9 percent of the world is undernourished, which leads to major health problems and eventually death (Roser). Those people’s lives are stolen by not eating enough and not being able to collect those resources to live a good and healthy life (Hunger). It’s sad to see that this problem still exists in the world today. One of the seventeen sustainable goals for the world is to get rid of people being hungry by 2030 (Lowe). There is an estimated amount of how many people are affected by hidden hunger and it reaches over two billion people worldwide (Lowe). It is mostly seen in middle to low-income countries and their diet is also very dull because their food choices are affected by them living in poverty (Lowe). There are millions of people that live in poverty and that leads to people not having enough food, that cycle traps them in poverty and keeps going on from generation to generation (Hunger). About half of the people that live with food insecurity are farmers (Hunger). If those farming families are dealing with poverty then they cannot buy the correct equipment to manage their land and if they are also suffering from hunger they do not have that much strength to tend to their fields (Hunger). If a child also doesn’t have an education it will be hard for them to find a job and when they are older it pushes them into poverty and leads to hunger for another generation and probably many more to come (Hunger). It is sad to see that more people are affected than the ones mentioned earlier.

World hunger affects millions of people but the households that face the biggest threat of food insecurity are families raised by only a woman, Hispanic households, and black households (Salvation). “Hunger seasons” are now normal in parts of the southern world and women usually bear the burden of the food shortage but they are also the ones that produce most of the food in a lot of countries that are being developed (Otter). “They might prepare most of the world’s food, but they do not eat their fair share of it” (Otter). Some of the children are undernourished to the point that they are ‘stunted’, which means they lack the nutrients they require (Roser). Those children who face food insecurity are below the line of the height-for-age that comes from the World Health Organization’s Child Growth Standards (Roser). The child that is suffering from underdevelopment will go through severe impacts on their mental and physical development throughout their whole life (Roser). So many people all around the world today are undernourished but specifically in women and children to the point that there is a huge risk for death and other health-related problems directed to them (Hunger). Statistics show that 99 percent of those that are undernourished live in developing countries (Hunger).

The Salvation Army has been helping and continues to help individuals that face hunger and food insecurity. They are committed to including everyone who needs help without any discrimination or persecution based on who a person is (Salvation). The Salvation Army was instituted by William Booth in England in the year 1856. He wanted to eliminate the image of how a traditional church had a pulpit and instead, he wanted to take the gospel directly to those who needed it the most. He walked on the streets of London preaching to the homeless, poor, hungry, and indigent. When the people of the church found out about this they disagreed with his method and soon after he and his wife left the church. Subsequently, they left and trained evangelists all over England, and in 1865, they returned to the East End of London where they were joined by many followers that were fighting for the same thing as them, the lost souls of thousands of men and women. After ten years into their organization, they were still operating under the name of “The Christian Mission.” When William Booth was reading a printer’s proof of the 1878 “Christian Mission” annual report, he observed the comment that said, “The Christian Mission is a volunteer army.” After he read that, Booth crossed out the words “Volunteer Army” and replaced the word “Volunteer” with Salvation. From those words originated the organization’s name we all know today, The Salvation Army. From there on, the converts became soldiers of Christ and were known as Salvationists. Booth helped lead 250,000 people consisting of prostitutes, gamblers, thieves, and drunkards to Christ between the years 1881 and 1885. The message he put out started spreading expeditiously. Booth was starting to gain influence in America, Canada, Australia, France, Switzerland, India, South Africa, Iceland, and Germany. The Salvation Army has been very active in every part of the world. It wasn’t only William Booth that made this charity what it is today, his wife, Catherine Booth, who was also known as the “Army Mother”, became an evangelist, preacher, theologian, and a co-founder of The Salvation Army during her marriage to Booth. Another person that helped William with his ministry is Joe. He was a man that was often said to be obnoxious and impolite, but he assisted Booth and gave many opportunities to the Salvationists all across America. He was also known as “Joe the Turk” and had a strong passion to protect those who had been harmed. Joe was famous for his ministry and he was the one to go and get attention because of his behavior. He was “Jailed for Jesus” and was also a father to those who were spiritually “dead”. One other person that helped shape The Salvation Army was Samuel Logan Brengle. He was a well-known minister to the charity that would preach to the officers and soldiers in the U.S. Samuel served there for 30 years total. Brengle believed that the people who looked for God would “burst into flame” when they touch Him and they can bring those who aren’t followers of Christ to Him. In 1912 Booth died, and his ministry went on because he established a good foundation for the work that would save people’s lives. They serve in over 100 different countries and offer the message of God and His healing to those who need it most (History).

This charity has been helping many people for centuries and continues to keep on giving to those that need it the most. The Salvation Army provides services to 3 million Americans and to even 131 countries (Army). One way they serve is by helping fight against those who deal with food insecurity and hunger (Salvation). They hope to cure people’s hunger by giving nutritious foods to any person that is in need of it. The Salvation Army hosts many food pantries that supply people in need with free fresh produce, healthy frozen food items, canned goods, and many more nutritious foods. They are helping people get back on their feet and gain back their independence and decency. Sometimes entire communities are going through food insecurity and the food pantries The Salvation Army hosts helps them because they don’t have access to a grocery store. This charity also hosts meal programs that provide aliment meals which allow people to come in and eat at facilities and it’s also beneficial human interaction with the people suffering. The Salvation Army also delivers meals to those who are not able to make it to one of the shelters or food pantries. This ministry helps the most vulnerable people beyond their many shelters and residential facilities to help them break out of the burdens of food insecurity (Salvation).

Today everyone should be more aware of how hunger affects the world and the population as a whole. The Salvation Army is just one of many great organizations that helps feed people all around the globe. World hunger is visible and devastating, and affects so many people to this day. It is also apparent that if more communities helped or just volunteered, the effects of this global problem would greatly diminish. Nutritious foods are one of the most important things a person’s body needs to survive and without them, they will die. It’s tragic to hear about all the evil in this world but it’s also good to know that people do care and want to help or are helping right now. The Salvation Army helps people in need while also sharing the gospel. Without William Booth there wouldn’t be as many people helped as there are today. The Salvation Army does a lot more than just help feed people, they help individuals that are suffering and also rebuild and reshape their future while sharing the gospel with them. Anyone is able to get involved and help restore lives by supporting The Salvation Army. Consider donating your time or money to the ministry of saving lives and sharing the Gospel. We should be willing to help change the lives of those around the world that are less fortunate.

Introduction

Background information

The modern world has become smaller and people are becoming more responsible. This trend is manifested through appearance of numerous non-profit organisations that help underprivileged people or simply people in need. At the same time, not-for-profit organisations often fail to achieve their goals and operate ineffectively due to the use of inefficient database management systems.

Modern organisations have to handle significant amount of information including data on operations, accounting, human resources, customer support and so on.

It is noteworthy that churches are now seen as organisations that also need proper information management (Carlson & Lueken 2013; Hegstad 2013). Clearly, numerous database management systems have been utilised by for-profit companies and there are quite many efficient systems.

However, not all of them can be used by charities. For instance, these organisations need specific software for such operations as donation management. Notably, IT companies provide numerous products to meet these organisations’ needs (Kensington Temple manages donations n.d.; Church management software 2014).

IT companies are developing database management systems for nonprofit organisations that address other issues as well.

It is possible to identify most widespread systems employed by charities. Top three systems are Blackbaud, Network for Good and FirstGiving (Top non-profit software 2014). It is noteworthy that 81% of reporting non-profit organisations accept online donations and this increases the need in a comprehensive and reliable data management system (2014 state of the not-for-profit industry 2014).

UK nonprofit organisations as well as churches have already acknowledged benefits of the use of efficient database management systems and utilisation of such a system is seen as an advantage and a sign of effectiveness as well as transparency of the organisation (The Methodist Church in Britain 2014).

There are numerous guidelines on the use of these systems for charities and churches (Kuschewsky 2014; Protecting data, protecting people 2013; Keep or bin? 2009). This also suggests that increased attention towards the issue exists in the society and among non-profit organisations.

Purpose of the Study

This research aims at identifying major issues not-for-profit organisations and churches in UK face when using database management systems and effective solutions to handle the problems. The research will cover such major areas as donations management, volunteer management, HR management, safety, transparency and compliance with standards. Such issue as employee training will also be touched upon.

The present study will explore latest advances in this field through analysis of resources available on the matter. It is also important to understand how charities’ employees see database management systems. It is necessary to learn whether they find these systems helpful, efficient and easy to use.

Furthermore, it is important to understand whether employees can utilise the systems and whether there is sufficient training. Finally, the study will also cover strategies used by employees to handle issues they face while using data management systems. All this information will provide insights into advantages and shortcomings of database management systems used and will help outline areas of improvement.

Literature Review

Researchers stress that effective information management enables companies to remain competitive (Botten 2007; Light 2004). When it comes to charities, these organisations often face more issues as some of tools employed by for-profit companies is inapplicable.

Hackler and Saxton (2007) explore issues non-profit organisations face by analysing literature existing on the matter and they conclude that charities have to enhance their capacities in such spheres of IT planning as budgeting, support, staffing, Internet capabilities, training and so on.

Researchers stress that charities have to invest into efficient database management systems to be able to manage information effectively (Campbell 2009; Dutton 2013). Poister (2008) believes that performance of non-profit organisations depends on the choice of the database management system (which also has to be assessed in terms of its performance).

Not-for-profit organisations tend to utilise systems employed by other (for-profit) companies as well as systems developed for charities. Calabrese (2011) provides a brief account of existing database management systems that are often used in not-for-profit organisations. It has been acknowledged that some database systems are not appropriate for charities (The non-profit marketplace 2008).

Thus, Voida, Harmon and Al-Ani (2011) focus on challenges non-profit organisations face when it comes to volunteer management and coordination. It has been acknowledged that churches are also organisations that need effective information management and specific needs of these organisations have been addressed (Cappel 2002; Wrenn 2013).

Pynes (2009) reveals peculiarities of human resources management in organisations (including charities) and provides helpful insights into the use of database management systems addressing this part of any organisation’s operations.

It is noteworthy that there is significant bulk of literature on different types of database management system. For instance, Buttle (2008) provides a detailed account of different types of database management systems that can be used in numerous settings.

It is noteworthy that researchers focus on flexibility that is important for charities. For instance, Kumar et al. (2012) develop a system that is flexible and able to address the needs of a charity organisation. DeBrabant et al. (2013) introduce a new approach to database management systems and a new architecture.

Clearly, data safety is another concern of any organisation and charities are no exception. Thus, all stakeholders (non-profits’ employees, donators, and so on) have to be protected and this is one of central factors to pay attention to when choosing the right database management system (Parsons & Oja 2008; Hingarh & Ahmed 2013; Stair & Reynolds 2013).

Hasan (2009) reveals effective solutions for protecting data in regulatory-compliant and provenance databases.

Apart from this, researchers note that there is need in transparency and efficient database management systems can enable charities and churches address this need (Study on recent public and self-regulatory initiative 2009; Chasteen & Lampkin 2012).

Hence, Behn, DeVries and Lin (2010) research determinants of transparency in charities and note that the organisation’s size, contribution ratio and compensation expense ratio are factors that affect charities’ readiness to share information. Brody (2012) stresses that donators, officials, volunteers and the rest of the society expect more transparency on the part of non-profit organisations.

Another important issue addressed by researchers is these organisations’ compliance with certain standards. Sloan (2008) stresses that these organisations’ compliance with standards is meaningful for donators and it may shape the way donators see nonprofits. Moutchnik (2008) analyses the recent trend associated with the use of ISO standards by churches and argues that it enhances these organisations’ accountability.

Methodology

Qualitative Method

As has been mentioned above, the purpose of this research is to identify issues related to the use of database management systems non-profit organisations face and ways they try to handle the problems. Therefore, it is important to identify systems used, problems that occur, strategies employed to handle the issues and success stories.

Neergaard and Ulhoi (2007) note that it is beneficial to use combined research methods in entrepreneurship. The present paper will be based on qualitative research method. Alvesson and Skoldberg (2009) note that phenomenological approach can be used to determine existing knowledge on a phenomenon.

Since the present study aims at identifying certain phenomenon, it is possible to use this approach. The phenomenological research implies analysis of existing literature on certain phenomenon and developing ties between the existing literature and particular processes taking place in the society.

Data collection and analysis: literature analysis

Therefore, the present study will involve analysis of literature available on the matter and a survey including a number of interviews. Literature review will include analysis of articles from peer reviewed journals, books, newspaper articles. Websites and reports of certain charities will also be examined.

These reports will help determine attention paid by the organisation to the data management system (The church of Scotland 2013; Charitylog 2013). Forty resources will be included in the analysis.

Grounded theory will be used to analyse the literature available. Maxwell (2012) stresses that this is the most appropriate approach for literature analysis as it enables to explain and extend the scope of the field. Major areas of concern will be identified.

As has been mentioned above specific attention will be paid to donations, human resources, volunteer management, data protection and transparency. This analysis will affect development of questionnaires for the survey and interviews. Major concerns revealed in the literature will be included in the questionnaires.

Data collection and analysis: survey and interviews

The survey will be held with the help of the Internet. Questionnaires developed on the basis of the literature analysis will be sent via emails to employees of noprofit organisations (including local churches). Participants will be managers (of different levels) working in charity organisations for more than a month.

They will be selected randomly. Prior to this heads of non-profit organisations will be addressed to obtain their consent. Since this is a qualitative research, major attention will be paid to participants answers though the questionnaires will include participants’ personal data (which can be used for further research)

It is planned to process around forty questionnaires containing questions on database management systems used, issues occurring and approaches to handle problems. The questionnaires will include close as well as open questions and participants will be able to provide detailed answers. Grounded theory will be employed to analyse questionnaires as well as data obtained during the interviews.

Again, major attention will be paid to areas mentioned above. At that, specific attention will be paid to strategies employees exploit to handle issues that occur. The questionnaire will include 25 questions and participants will be given sufficient time to complete them. They will send completed questionnaires via email.

The final stage of the research will include interviews with ten managers. The interviewees will be chosen based on the answers in their questionnaires. Apart from revealing issues employees face, the research aims at identifying effective solutions used to address these issues. Therefore, the most effective (or unusual strategies) reported by employees in their questionnaires will get most attention.

Participants generating such solutions will be invited to the interview. The interviews will be held in quasi-relaxed setting: either in the workplace (for example, meeting room) or in the park. The interviews will be recorded. The questions asked at the interview will be developed on the basis of the survey results.

The major aim of the interviews is to elicit interviewees’ attitude towards database management system and the way they handle issues. Grounded theory will be used to analyse the data collected during the interviews. Clearly, written consent will be obtained from all participants who will be notified about the purpose of the research.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the research will identify issues associated with the use of database management systems in charities as well as churches and effective ways to handle these problems. The study is based on qualitative research method and the data obtained will help elicit employees’ attitude towards the use of a data management system.

Apart from qualitative analysis of data, some recommendations to managers of not-for-profit organisations will be provided. This study will expand the scope of knowledge on the matter. It will also reveal issues existing in the field.

Admittedly, the present research has a number of limitations. For instance, the number of participants is quite limited. More so, organisations and churches located in the UK are researched. Hence, the study will be limited geographically.

Though the research may be statistically insignificant, it will unveil major issues existing in the field. It is possible to assume that the present study is the first step in the process of identification of issues associated with the use of database management systems. Further research may cover larger territories and more participants.

Reference List

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Introduction

Being one of the poorest countries in the world, Haiti has always relied heavily on the help of other countries and various non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in providing support to its people, including education, healthcare, sanitation, and even nutrition (Kirsch, Sauer and Sapir 200). According to Karunakara, Haiti “hosts one of the largest and best-funded international aid deployments in the world” (par. 1) with over ten thousand NGOs working in the country.

However, despite their work, the living conditions in Haiti were hardly satisfactory even before the earthquake. Haiti’s healthcare system was barely functioning due to the “decades of mismanagement, corruption, and dependence on foreign assistance” (Kirsch et al. 200), with only half of the population having access to essential health services. Low availability of safe water, lack of sanitation, and chronic malnutrition were among other factors that contributed to poor health conditions nationwide (Kirsch et al. 200).

These conditions, coupled with the substantial damage caused by the earthquake, left the country and its people in a dangerous position, demanding more aid and support from NGOs than before. This paper aims to explore the overall implications of the earthquake and the response to it, as well as to provide an examination of the actions of three U.S.-based NGOs, which contributed to the restoration of Haiti following the disaster: Catholic Relief Services, Partners in Health, and Humanity First.

Initial Response and Main Issues

The 7.0 magnitude earthquake hit Haiti on 12th January 2010, leaving more than 200 000 people dead, more than 300 000 injured, and over 1.5 million homeless (Kirsch et al. 200). It was instantly named “the worst natural disaster in a country plagued by disasters” (Kirsch et al. 200). The center of the blast was close to the capital Port-au-Prince, which was the reason for the significant damage to the city: “Many government buildings were destroyed, including the national palace, parliament, supreme court, 14 of 16 ministry buildings, major courts and police facilities, and 90% of schools” (Kirsch et al. 200)

. The UN headquarters in Haiti have also collapsed, killing more than 100 members of staff (Kirsch et al. 202). The damage to the government and the UN was one of the reasons for the lack of adequate response. Most of the support came from other countries, particularly the U.S.: “Haiti is also only 600 miles from Florida, it was easily accessible by the media, U.S. response agencies, and thousands of individuals wanting to help. These factors led to an unprecedented response from the U.S. government, which closely resembled a multi-agency domestic disaster response rather than a limited foreign one” (Kirsch et al. 202). The reaction of other governments and NGOs from all over the world was also massive in scale: “An estimated 2000 NGOs responded to Haiti, including 400 providing health care” (Kirsch et al. 203)

Given such a large number of responses worldwide, the organization of aid was the key to the active support of Haitian people. Providing shelter, healthcare, and protection against sexual and physical violence were the main priorities of the helping agencies (Kolbe et al.). Other areas where support was needed included mental health aid for those dealing with post-traumatic stress, childcare for children who lost families to the disaster or illness.

Various studies also suggest that it was important for NGOs’ staff to acknowledge the increased vulnerability of some communities following the disaster. For instance, there were many concerns about sexual violence against women in shelter camps, whereas orphaned children were exposed to the threat of trafficking, including sexual trafficking (Gupta and Agrawal 1997-1998). Overall, the NGOs were required to address a broad range of issues to facilitate the restoration process in the country.

Catholic Relief Services

Catholic Relief Services was one of the few NGOs that addressed the full range of issues. CBS report states, “CRS is carrying out coordinated programs to help people improve their food security, rebuild safe homes, restore employment and infrastructure, and live healthy lives” (1). The efforts of the NGO were focused on the areas most affected by the earthquake, including “Port-au-Prince, the southern peninsula, and the northern border between Haiti and the Dominican Republic” (CBS 1). Out of the total spending of $12 200 571, more than $2 500 000 was used to purchase, transport, and distribute food rations to a total of 10.6 million units (CBS 1).

More than 730 000 people received food from Catholic Relief Services; the NGO also continued to distribute food to local orphanages, childcare centers, hospitals, and other welfare institutions throughout 2010 every month (CBS 1). Another major focus was the provision of water, sanitation, and hygiene, which are vital factors for treatment and prevention of cholera, a disease that hit Haiti in the aftermath of the earthquake: “CRS has installed hundreds of latrines and hand-washing stations, drainage, potable water tanks, and inflatable water bladders in 10 sites” (CBS 2). Other spendings included shelter, healthcare, St. Francois de Sales hospital restoration, and education and child protection.

The latter was particularly important due to the vulnerability of children in the post-disaster setting. Child-friendly spaces, established by Catholic Relief Services, provided a safe, caring environment for unaccompanied minors living in camps and shelters (CBS 2). Overall, Catholic Relief Services provided for a variety of needs of various communities affected by the earthquake.

Partners in Health

Boston-based NGO, Partners in Health, has been working in Haiti long before the earthquake through its Haitian branch Zanmi Lasante, “the largest health care provider in rural Haiti”, serving over 1.2 million people (Kidder 769). This allowed Partners in Health to be one of the first NGOs that responded to the earthquake: “As soon as they heard of the devastation, several of the senior doctors at ZL’s hospitals loaded up trucks with supplies and headed for the city, looking for groups of people in need” (Kidder 770).

Partners in Health’ activity in Haiti was mainly focused on healthcare provision not only in the aftermath of the earthquake but also in the future: for instance, the NGO built a 300-bed national public teaching hospital, which would provide primary care to more than 185 000 people in central Haiti (Partners in Health Haiti par. 4). It will also generate up to 800 staff positions for Haitians. When the cholera outbreak threatened the population in 2010, the NGO, in collaboration with other organizations, distributed vaccines to nearly 100 000 people (PIH Haiti par. 9). Partners in Health also addressed the mental health needs of the population after the earthquake and developed plans to train mental health workers to support people in case of future natural disasters (PIH Haiti par. 7-8).

Another enterprise of Partners in Health was the construction of a factory for producing Nourimanba, a therapeutic food to target malnutrition in children and adults. The production was opened in 2013, and has immediately proved to be useful: “Within a few months of officially opening this year, the facility has already created more than two dozen jobs and churned out more than 6,000 kilograms of the lifesaving treatment” (PIH Nourimanba par. 6). All in all, the efforts of Partners in Health were efficient both in the aftermath of the disaster and in the long term.

Humanity First USA

Humanity First was also among the first few organizations to arrive at the site. It was mainly involved in the emergency provision for basic needs: “With generous support from its donors and volunteers including the United States, HF was able to provide medical assistance, shelter, clean drinking water and food, sanitary and other supplies to almost 60,000 Haitians” (Humanity First par. 1). Volunteers from Humanity First USA also offered camp management support and opened base camp clinics (Humanity First par. 3).

For its long-term restoration efforts, the NGO located an isolated mountain community, which was “in dire need of health care” (Humanity First par. 5), and opened a clinic, providing healthcare advice and treatment to over 6000 people, as well as employment to 19 Haitian staff (Humanity first par. 6). Humanity First USA also supported efforts for combatting malnutrition in children by starting its Orphan Relief Program in July 2010. The program achieved reliable positive results in the first year, treating 22 children aged three months to five years (Humanity First par. 6).

Support for chronically ill patients was also provided through the Community Health Workers program, established by Humanity First USA: “Each CHW cares for 10 chronically ill patients in the community. CHWs are responsible for spreading public health awareness across Seguin” (Humanity First par. 6).

Haiti Relief Efforts and the Franciscan Tradition

At first, it seems like there is no clear link between the Franciscan Tradition and the work of NGOs in post-earthquake Haiti. Other than the fact that one of the organizations examined is Catholic, there is little correlation between religion and the services provided by the volunteers. However, a deeper examination of the Franciscan values allows perceiving a clear connection between the two.

First of all, the Franciscan Tradition puts a strong emphasis on serving not only God but also other people (Armstrong and Peterson). Franciscans see poverty as a virtue; however, they are also devoted to helping the poor and the sick (Armstrong and Peterson 60). Poverty and sickness, indeed, are the main issues faced by the Haitian communities: “80 percent of Haiti’s population who live in poverty were experiencing a longer-term, more insidious type of disaster” (Horton 296). Therefore, the care shown by the volunteers in Haiti conforms to the values of the Franciscan Tradition, even though their services were not driven by their willingness to serve by it.

Moreover, Franciscans value the community and treat each person as an equal brother or sister: “Francis wanted friars and sisters to be minores, persons who lived together and claimed no special rule or domination or power over anyone” (Mirkes 34). Haitian community, on the other hand, suffers from severe racial, gender, and class inequality, which causes serious issues for the population (Horton 298). The work of NGOs is aimed at combatting the inequalities and providing equal service to and creating a safe environment for all the people, thus bringing the Haitian society closer to the Franciscan view of society.

Conclusion: Limitations and Propositions

Despite the apparent effectiveness of the NGOs’ work in the region, there were still some limitations. For instance, Gorry outlines various issues that limited the effectiveness of NGOs’ responses, including the lack of supplies for cholera treatment, shortage of clean water, complications in the communication between the government and volunteering organizations, and so on. Karunakara also mentions the UN’s failure to distribute the work of NGOs efficiently, causing the excess of staff in some areas and shortage or lack of aid in others.

Nevertheless, these failures can help to identify areas for improvement and thus to raise the effectiveness of responses in case of future catastrophes: “A more robust management and reporting system is needed, with more experienced leaders and a staff that can be rapidly deployed” (Kirsch et al. 206). In general, the mentioned NGOs provided valuable services to the post-disaster Haiti. They addressed many health and safety issues and supported the local community, helping the affected people to avert the terrible impact that the disaster had on their lives.

Works Cited

Armstrong, Regis J., and Ingrid J. Peterson. The Franciscan Tradition: Spirituality in History, Collegeville: Liturgical, 2010. Print.

CBS News. Catholic Relief Services’ Haiti Earthquake Response. Web.

Gorry, Conner. “Haiti One Year Later: Cuban Medical Team Draws on Experience and Partnerships.” Medicc Review 13.1 (2011): 52-55. Web.

Gupta, Jhumka, and Alpna Agrawal. “Chronic Aftershocks of an Earthquake on the Well-being of Children in Haiti: Violence, Psychosocial Health and Slavery.” Canadian Medical Association Journal 182.18 (2010): 1997-1999. Web.

Horton, Lynn. “After the Earthquake: Gender Inequality and Transformation in Post-disaster Haiti.” Gender & Development 20.2 (2012): 295-308. Web.

Humanity First 2011, “Humanity First USA Mission to Haiti”. Humanity First USA. Web.

Karunakara, Unni. “Haiti: Where Aid Failed”. The Guardian. 2010. Web.

Kidder, Tracy. “Recovering from Disaster—Partners in Health and the Haitian Earthquake.” New England Journal of Medicine 362.9 (2010): 769-772. Web.

Kirsch, Thomas, Lauren Sauer, and Debarati Guha Sapir. “Analysis of the International and US Response to the Haiti Earthquake: Recommendations for Change.” Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness 6.3 (2012): 200-208. Web.

Kolbe, Athena R., Royce A. Hutson, Harry Shannon, Eileen Trzcinski, Bart Miles, Naomi Levitz, Marie Puccio, Leah James, Jean Roger Noel and Robert Muggah. “Mortality, Crime and Access to Basic Needs Before and After the Haiti Earthquake: a Random Survey of Port-au-Prince Households.” Medicine, Conflict and Survival 26.4 (2010): 281-297. Web.

Mirkes, Renee. “Confessions of a Franciscan Ethicist.” Review for Religious 66.1 (2007): 30-39. Web.

Partners in Health 2013, “Haiti, Three Years after the Earthquake”. Partners in Health. Web.

Partners in Health 2013, “Nourimanba: Fighting Malnutrition, Fighting Poverty in Haiti”. Partners in Health. Web.

Annotated Bibliography

Armstrong, Regis J., and Ingrid J. Peterson. The Franciscan Tradition: Spirituality in History, Collegeville: Liturgical, 2010. Print.

This is a book on the Franciscan Tradition. It provides a generous overview of the main topics and values of the Franciscan Tradition through the use of biographical and historical notes about Francis of Assisi and his followers. This is a great source of information about the Tradition, which conveys basic principles in a clear and compelling manner.

CBS News. Catholic Relief Services’ Haiti Earthquake Response. Web.

This is a CBS news report on the Catholic Relief Services’ Haiti Earthquake Response. It provides a quantitative overview of rendered services as of 5th May 2010, as well as the plan of action for the following years. It also contains a financial breakdown by the main points of action, such as hospital provision, shelter building, and child protection.

Gorry, Conner. “Haiti One Year Later: Cuban Medical Team Draws on Experience and Partnerships.” Medicc Review 13.1 (2011): 52-55. Web.

This report covers the issue of international cooperation in the health aid sector following the earthquake. The author uses cholera epidemic to illustrate both strengths and weaknesses of the global response to the issue. In addition, he provides some propositions on closing the existing gaps in the cholera treatment strategy.

Gupta, Jhumka, and Alpna Agrawal. “Chronic Aftershocks of an Earthquake on the Well-being of Children in Haiti: Violence, Psychosocial Health and Slavery.” Canadian Medical Association Journal 182.18 (2010): 1997-1999. Web.

This study explains the risks faced by children in poor Haitian communities. It includes both the qualitative overview of the pre-earthquake situation, based on the results of the Haitian Demographic Health Survey, and the exploration of potential dangers faced by children following the disaster. It highlights issues such as child trafficking and sexual abuse and proposes a way of mitigating the risks existing in shelters and other temporary living conditions.

Horton, Lynn. “After the Earthquake: Gender Inequality and Transformation in Post-disaster Haiti.” Gender & Development 20.2 (2012): 295-308. Web.

This article uses qualitative method of research and is based on the interviews with women leaders and staff of NGOs that work on gender issues in Haiti. The results of the interviews are used to introduce the main gender problems and explore their implications in the aftermath of the disaster. The article explains how women are more than others affected by natural disasters and why it is important to address the female populations specifically during the reconstruction process.

Humanity First 2011, “Humanity First USA Mission to Haiti”. Humanity First USA. Web.

The report provides a summary of the work of Humanity First in the region. It stresses the contribution of the U.S. division in the project and describes its results. The primary focus is on short-term projects with some description of future plans.

Karunakara, Unni. “Haiti: Where Aid Failed”. The Guardian. 2010. Web.

This article provides a critique of the aid scheme in post-earthquake Haiti. It uses the example of the cholera outbreak that killed 2500 people to illustrate the complications of NGOs work in the region. One of the main struggles, according to the author, is the lack of cooperation, particularly due to inefficient control from the UN’s OCHA.

Kidder, Tracy. “Recovering from Disaster—Partners in Health and the Haitian Earthquake.” New England Journal of Medicine 362.9 (2010): 769-772. Web.

This work explores the achievements of Haitian branch of Partners in Health and its actions after the earthquake. It provides a clear overview of the NGO’s response in comparison with other organizations, including governmental ones. Furthermore, it discusses the reasons for Haiti’s vulnerability to disasters and addresses the failures of the government and the UN clusters to combat these issues efficiently.

Kirsch, Thomas, Lauren Sauer, and Debarati Guha Sapir. “Analysis of the International and U.S. Response to the Haiti Earthquake: Recommendations for Change.” Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness 6.3 (2012): 200-208. Web.

This source provides a useful overview of the response to the earthquake. It evaluates the actions of the Haitian and U.S. governments, the United Nations, and NGOs as a whole. It also explores the situation in Haiti before the disaster and proposes solutions to ensure higher efficiency in the future.

Kolbe, Athena R., Royce A. Hutson, Harry Shannon, Eileen Trzcinski, Bart Miles, Naomi Levitz, Marie Puccio, Leah James, Jean Roger Noel and Robert Muggah. “Mortality, Crime and Access to Basic Needs Before and After the Haiti Earthquake: a Random Survey of Port-au-Prince Households.” Medicine, Conflict and Survival 26.4 (2010): 281-297. Web.

This report is based on a qualitative study of Port-au-Prince households, conducted before and after the earthquake. The survey deals with the issues of mortality, disease, crime, and access to basic needs, and aims to see the difference between pre- and post-earthquake responses. Overall, the study provides a useful summary of the changes in living conditions, health, and other factors of the residents brought by the earthquake.

Mirkes, Renee. “Confessions of a Franciscan Ethicist.” Review for Religious 66.1 (2007): 30-39. Web.

This article is written by a Franciscan ethicist. In his work, the author aims to connect the core Franciscan values with ethical principles that he uses in his work. The article draws on his personal experiences, as well as on the explanations of the Franciscan Traditions.

Partners in Health 2013, “Haiti, Three Years after the Earthquake”. Partners in Health. Web.

This report contains a useful overview of the work of Partners in Health in Haiti following the earthquake. Dated January 2013, the report lists both the completed projects and plans. The actions of the NGO address not only the issues of the earthquake aftermath but also long-standing problems, such as unemployment and malnutrition.

Partners in Health 2013, “Nourimanba: Fighting Malnutrition, Fighting Poverty in Haiti”. Partners in Health. Web.

The article follows up on the previous Partners in Health report and explores the introduction of the planned project, a factory producing medical food to combat malnutrition in children. It stresses the importance of the project not just for the direct cause but also for its side effects, such as providing work for the local community. It also emphasizes the technological aspect of the factory, showing how the automation helps to achieve maximum effectiveness.

Introduction

Animal welfare is usually considered to play an important role in the charity of a country. In Canada, 44% of the land is covered with vegetation, which provides habitat for hundreds of wild animal and bird species. Pet population in Canada has also been on the rise in recent years; in 2014, Canadian households were home to an estimated 7.0 million cats, whereas the population of domestic dogs has reached 7.6 million in 2016 (CAHI). Also, Canada has a large number of livestock and the performance of animals. The large population of animals requires an effective system of animal welfare protection, both on federal and local levels. Canada’s government and the justice system must oversee the welfare of pets, livestock, and performance animals equally to ensure an ethical approach to animal rights protection. Five freedoms outline animal welfare, all of which can be controlled by people:

• Freedom from hunger or thirst;
• Freedom from discomfort;
• Freedom from pain, injury or disease;
• Freedom to express normal behavior;
• Freedom from fear and distress.

These five principles outline a successful approach that has to be taken by Canada to balance animal rights on the national level. There is a variety of Canada-based organizations, both public and private than promote and enforce adequate protection of animal rights. Also, there are separate laws and processes in place to protect different animal species, including wild animals, pets, and farm animals. However, despite the recent efforts to enhance the protection of animal rights in Canada, there are still some concerns that the government has to address. The essay aims to provide an overview of the legislation and regulations that control animal welfare in Canada, as well as to outline and explain some of the weaknesses evident in the system.

Pet Rights

Domestic companion animals, such as cats and dogs, are popular among Canadians and are somewhat protected by laws, although cruelty towards pets remains an issue. Cruelty, abuse, and neglect against pets are considered to be a crime by the federal Criminal Code. Sections 444 to 447 of the Criminal Code establish laws and penalties regarding animal cruelty, abuse, and neglect (Minister of Justice 463-466). For example, section 445.1 states that it is a criminal offense to cause unnecessary pain, suffering, or injury to an animal or bird (Minister of Justice 465). The same section of the Criminal code establishes a penalty for encouraging, aiding in or assisting at the fighting or baiting activities involving animals or birds, ultimately positioning dogfighting and bird fighting as illegal (Minister of Justice 465). However, there are still some issues faced by pets in Canada. First of all, the approach taken by courts in the cases of animal cruelty is rather weak, which leads to a small number of convictions in animal cruelty cases (CFHS Political Animal 2).

According to CFHS, this is primarily because the prosecution relies on the definition of neglect as willful, which is challenging to prove (Political Animal 2). Secondly, the crimes of cruelty, abuse, or neglect against pets are not graded by the severity, which means that brutal crimes against animals receive the same penalty as minor offenses (CFHS Political Animal 2). Furthermore, Canada is currently facing a homeless cat crisis, which is not targeted at the federal level. In 2015, 82,436 homeless cats were admitted to shelters all across Canada (CFHS Comparison of Animal Shelter Statistics 2). Statistics also show that only 5 % of cats brought to shelters are returned to their owners, compared to 30% of dogs; furthermore, 21% of sheltered cats were euthanized, compares to 13% of dogs (CFHS Comparison of Animal Shelter Statistics 2). Private agencies such as the Canadian Federation of Humane Societies and Animal Justice actively initiate and run programs to improve pet welfare and protection in Canada. However, federal action is crucial to resolving the legal and ethical issues that remain.

Livestock Welfare

Canada has well-developed dairy and meat industries; this requires adequate protection of animals bred for milk or meat, which are granted by Canada’s laws and regulations. For example, sections 444-445 of Canada’s Criminal Code establish a penalty for killing, maiming, wounding, poisoning, or injuring cattle and other animals that are kept for a lawful poison, as well as by leaving poison in places where animals can reach it (Minister of Justice 463). Indictable offenses of these laws might lead to imprisonment of no more than 5 years (Minister of Justice 463). Other pieces of legislation that ensure livestock welfare are Codes of Practice, issued by the NFACC. There are different Codes of Practice depending on the type of animal, with separate codes for beef cattle, dairy cattle, pigs, sheep, veal cattle, and others. There is also a separate code to guide the transportation of farming animals, which establishes standards for the health and comfort of animals. The humane transportation of animals is protected by the Part XII of the Health of Animals Regulations and is overseen by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), as well as relevant local and federal authorities.

The regulations include food, hygiene, and health requirements; according to law, overcrowding of animals, using improper containers for transportations, and “loading, transporting or unloading of animals in a way that could cause injury or suffering” are prohibited (CFIA). The CFIA also oversees the slaughtering of animals for meat in registered establishments to ensure that humane slaughter requirements are maintained. The Meat Inspection Act, first established in 1985, also provides for the presence of adequate procedures and standards to ensure humane treatment and slaughter of livestock (10). Despite the existence of laws and regulations to protect animals, there are also some weaknesses in Canada’s approach to livestock welfare that could be harmful to animals. First of all, the Codes of Practice and legislation regarding transportation and slaughter are only relevant for registered establishments, which usually include large production sites. Besides, the investigation and prevention of cruelty against livestock rely on cooperation with local governments. Thus, low animal welfare standards in small local farms might be left unaddressed. Finally, the standards adopted by official agencies might be outdated and fail to address current issues. For instance, lifelong containment of pigs in gestational crates was only banned in 2014, later than in some U.S. states and European countries (HSI Canada). On the whole, despite adequate laws and procedures regulating livestock welfare, there are still some gaps to be addressed in future legislation.

Fur Farming

Fur farming is a rather controversial business that needs strict laws and regulations to promote the comfort and safety of animals; however, in Canada, the legislation targeting commercial fur farming is fairly loose, which leads to mistreatment of animals. McSheffrey explores the issue of mink and fox farming issues in Canada, reporting that the containers are significantly overcrowded, with “roughly 70,000 mink squirmed in cages the size of two shoe boxes as heaps of their excrement mounted on the floor beneath them”. The author states that such conditions lead to severe suffering, causing anxiety and aggression and leading to injuries (McSheffrey). The key reason for such mistreatment of animals is the government’s approach to fur farming. According to McSheffrey, as of 2015, Canada had no official federal regulations governing the treatment of fur-farmed animals during their upbringing. A stronger approach to fur farming regulation would help individual provinces to address this issue.

Wildlife Protection

The state of wildlife protection in Canada is adequate and poses no significant concerns. Unfair treatment of animals wild by nature is considered to be illegal by the country’s Criminal Code (Ministry of Justice 466). Also, there are separate laws to protect endangered species and their environment, including the Canada Wildlife Act and Species at Risk Act. Therefore, wildlife protection in Canada is effective and enforced by the federal government.

Animal Rights Activism

Animal rights issues evident in the country have attracted the attention of various animal rights groups, which actively seek to promote animal welfare in Canada. Animal Justice, CFHS, Mercy for Animals, Animal Welfare Foundation of Canada (AWFC), Peoples Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) are some of the key organizations; however, as estimated by CFHS, there are “125 humane societies and SPCAs employ close to 2,000 staff, supported by an estimated 26,000 volunteers” (Humane Societies and SPCAs in Canada). The report also notes that only 21% of the sector’s revenue is provided by the government, and less than half of the costs associated with the enforcement of animal cruelty regulations and laws are covered by the government (CFHS Humane Societies and SPCAs in Canada). Even though organizations working in this sector receive donations from the public, establishing a far funding policy would allow involving the government in their efforts, thus enhancing their effectiveness.

Conclusion

Overall, there are significant concerns related to animal welfare in Canada. As part of the project, Canada was compared to the U.S. and the U.K. in terms of animal welfare protection and enforcement using the data from World Animal Protection (WAP). According to WAP, Canada’s overall animal protection index is D, which is the same as the U.S. but significantly lower than the U.K., which is ranked as A. Some of the key issues indicated in the WAP report on Canada are the legal recognition of animal sentience, protection of animals in captivity, protection of animals used in scientific research, and government accountability for animal welfare. Whereas Canada received D or E grade on all of the above, the U.K. was ranked as A or B, and the U.S. obtained a C on most of these items (WAP). The system of animal protection in the United Kingdom is considered to be among the best ones in the world; therefore, using the experience of the U.K. government in establishing and enforcing animal welfare laws and regulations would allow Canada to be more effective in ensuring the protection of animal welfare across the country.

Works Cited

Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA). “Humane Transportation of Animals: Information for the General Public.” CFIA, 2016. Web.

CFHS. Comparison of Animal Shelter Statistics, 1993-2015. N.d. Web.

CFHS. Political Animal. N.d. Web.

CFHS. “Humane Societies and SPCAs in Canada: A Comprehensive Look at the Sector”. CFHS, 2017. Web.

HSI Canada. “Canada Bans Lifelong Confinement for Pigs in Controversial Gestation Crates.” HSI, 2014. Web.

McSheffrey, Elizabeth. “Behind Bars: Canada’s Fur-Farmed Mink and Fox.” National Observer. 2015. Web.

Meat Inspection Act. 2015. Web.

Minister of Justice. Criminal Code. 2017. Web.

World Animal Protection (WAP). “Comparison of Countries in the Index.” WAP Global Index, 2017. Web.

Chinese American community has grown to a large population of the United States after three waves of immigration (Fan par. 3). As the number of people coming from China and settling down in the US was increasing, the need for organizing appropriate community activities arose. Among numerous organizations aimed at organizing different kind of activities for the members of Chinese American community, Chinese American Community Foundation is the one that stands out of the rest.

This organization is dedicated to guiding philanthropy activities and creating a donor community “that advance innovative solutions to challenging problems” and promote donorship among the population (“Engaging Chinese Americans through Community Grantmaking” par. 3). Analysis of the events organized by this foundation helps to explore the specifics of the functioning of Chinese American Community.

The Bay Area has become a home for a huge number of members of Chinese American community, as San Francisco alone has a population of nearly 161.000 Chinese Americans (Zhou par. 11). Chinese American Community Foundation was founded to be “the leading platform for sustained philanthropy” within the Bay Area community (“Engaging Chinese Americans through Community Grantmaking” par. 1). It has become the first of its kind in the country (Semple par. 27).

The organization guides many events related to providing effective interaction between donors and community organizations. The main aim of such events is to expand the donors’ focus “beyond short-term results” (Chinese American Community Foundation 30). Most events organized by the foundation can be divided into two main groups. The first group of events has educational objectives. Such events are aimed at presenting valuable information about donorship activities and educating the potential donors about existing opportunities. Such events help to overcome the lack of relevant information about donorship spread among the members of Chinese American Community.

Community events educate people about the possible improvements that can be done and parts of the community that appear to be underserved (Yamamoto par. 4). Such educational activities are of vital importance for providing the proper functioning of the community. Giving the access to important information is one of the keys to reaching the major goals. The second group of activities includes providing well-organized collecting of investments able to boost the nonprofit sector of community events.

Though the number of financially-situated Chinese Americans willing to donate to organizations aimed at helping those who are in need is constantly growing, lack of information about the existing opportunities in this sector often lead to lack of actions. Therefore, seeding the nonprofits with additional money is one of the commitments of the organization, as such activity helps to raise the sustainability of philanthropy in Chinese American community.

Besides the activities mentioned above, the members of the community volunteer in many special events. For example, the members of Chinese American Community Foundation, together with Asian Chefs Association, have already participated several times in the annual event at GLIDE Memorial Church. The event is aimed at presenting lunch and dinner for disadvantaged people. This event brings together many members of Chinese American community and professionals in cookery with Chinese origin. The event serves as an example of a successful philanthropy activity of Chinese American community and a proof of rising interest to charitable actions among Chinese American population.

Chinese American Community Foundation is one of the numerous organizations encouraging Chinese American population to participate in special activities. The events organized by the community benefit the society by contributing to the promotion of donorship and philanthropy among the population.

Works Cited

Chinese American Community Foundation. For Generations to Come: Chinese American Philanthropy in the Bay Area. 2014. Web.

Engaging Chinese Americans through Community Grantmaking. n.d. Web.

Fan, Wang. U.S., Canada favored by China’s third wave of emigrants. 2012. Web.

Semple, Kirk. Asian-Americans Gain Influence in Philanthropy. 2013. Web.

Yamamoto, Marta. East Bay: New Chinese- American Advocacy Group Launched. 2013. Web.

Zhou, Min. Chinese Americans. n.d. Web.

There is a myriad of acts which social scientists have failed to answer. Participation in elections and charity acts are examples of those negligible acts. Every time the elections are called in a country, the populace will always queue to cast their votes. The justification is that, when a candidate is voted, some of their quests will be answered. The reason voters act in consort is supported by the voter model. Camerer, et al (2005 p.50) this theory is supported by other studies and is used to explain some social and economic phenomena. (Hereford & Shuetrim 2000)

For instance, the relevance of material respects in regional based organizations that believes in a particular opinion. (Feddersen & Sandroni 2009) Other scholars measured this in the laboratory to gauge the relevance of the warm glow theory in voter opinion. Gul & Pesendorfer (2005 p.67) the warm glow theory effect has not attracted students interest as compared to the opinion movers and voters theory. (Green& Hojman, 2007)

Despite the acceptance of the latter, other scholars still argue that the succinct acceptance approach to treat the issues is still lacking. (Kalai & Rubinstein, 2002)

This paper will discuss how the warm glow theory relates to the charitable acts among the students. The research will adopt descriptive design for easy documentation and presentation of results. Manzini & Mariotti (2007 p. 1835) study will benefit a myriad of players in education sector, especially those who are interested in understanding the behavior of students. (Wenar & Pogge 2011) The research question will be ‘Interrogating the place that the warm glow theory has in the charitable initiatives of university students?’

The understanding of some social acts has been whopping trepidation to a number of professionals globally. Warm glow theory for instance, has been related to a number of acts. This paper will focus its discussion on how it relates to charitable initiatives amongst university students (Andreoni 1995)

The study will be more gender based, i.e. why female students may be more charitable than female students in school context. In analysing and understanding the study, the paper will adopt the following hypotheses;

Women are more likely to donate and participate in charitable activities than men because of warm glow theory. (Ok & Ortoleva, 2008)

Students who donate and participate in charitable activities are not affected by the warm glow theory.

Warm glow theory partially affects the donation ability amongst students.

Research Plan, Methods and Techniques

Study design

The paper will adopt quantitative technique to get information from the participants. A structured questionnaire will be presented to them with twenty questions. A quantitative research technique is defined as the application of mathematical or computational techniques to investigate social phenomena. It gives vivid information in addressing research questions. (Creswell 2009)

Advantages of Quantitative research

It reduces personal biases which is associated with the qualitative technique.

The ability to apply mean, variance and standard deviation makes it possible for the replication of data.

Accuracy and objectivity is enhanced.

Disadvantages

The data only provides numerical information, therefore an in depth understanding is not taken into consideration.

Participants and sampling

The paper applied structured questionnaire to help probe participants. Simple random sampling technique was applied. Sample can be defined as the elected unit of respondents in the survey. The paper projected about 20 participants to participate in the survey. This was supposedly enough censuses to represent the entire population. Sample is the subset of the participants who are picked from the entire population to participate in the study.

The structured questionnaire was used to collect the primary data from the public. Besides, secondary data was collected to build on the literature. Information was collected from the historical data and findings which have been published in various academic journals. The paper also applied discourse and content analysis to ensure that the information that was presented was in line with current theories. Finally, structural analysis was applied to ensure that the biometric information provided is related with the qualitative information. (Manzini & Mariotti, 2007)

Data collection

Data was collected using a structured questionnaire as presented above. The questionnaire contained questions on the demographics and the survey proper which intended to address questions in the survey. Each and every participant was given between 5-7 minutes to answer the questions. Data was then collected and presented for analysis. Before the researcher gathers information from the participant, all the ethical documents was presented to the respondent to ensure that he/ she understands the nature of study and approves his/ her participation. The data will then be analysed and recommendations will be presented to the university research committee.

Ethical Implications

The paper appreciates that the rights of respondents should be upheld. Some of the drafted ethical documents that will be presented includes; letter of introduction, verbal script and the consent letters. It is important that respondents are made aware of their freedom to withdraw from the study. The researcher will also been informed that their personal information will not be used during the publication of the documents. At the same time, they were informed that, their will be no direct benefit after participation. Finally, the participants must be made aware that their withdrawal from the study will not affect the results.

References

Andreoni,J 1995 Warm-glow versus cold prickle: the effects of positive and negative framing on cooperation in experiments, Social Systems Research Institute, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wis.

Camerer, et al 2005, ‘Neuroeconomics: How Neuroscience Can Inform Economics’, Journal of Economic Literature, Vol. XLIII, p 50.

Creswell, J 2009 Research design: qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches, Los Angeles, Sage.

Feddersen T & Sandroni, A 2009, The Foundations of Warm-Glow Theory. Web.

Green, J & Hojman, D 2007, Choice, Rationality and Welfare Measurement, Harvard University, Harvard.

Gul, F. and W. Pesendorfer, M 2005, The Case for Mindless Economics, University of London, Queen Mary.

Hereford, N & Shuetrim, G 2000 Using simple and stratified sampling methods to improve percentile estimates in the context of risk measurement, Australian Prudential Regulation Authority, Sydney.

Kalai, G., A. Rubinstein, & Spiegler, R 2002, ‘Rationalizing Choice Functions by Multiple Rationales,” Econometrica, Vol 70 (6), pp. 2481-2488.

Manzini, P & Mariotti,M 2007, Boundedly Rational Choice, Cycles, and Menu Effects: Theory and Experimental Evidence, University of London. Queen Mary.

Manzini, P & Mariotti, M 2007 ‘Sequentially Rationalizable Choice’, American Economic Review, Vol 97-5, pp. 1824-1839.

Ok, E., P. Ortoleva, S and Riella, G 2008, Rational Choice with Endogenous Reference Points, University of London. Queen Mary.

Wenar, L Pogge T, Illingworth, T 2011. Giving well: the ethics of philanthropy. Oxford University Press, Oxford.

The concept of a charity appeal is traditionally viewed as one of the opportunities that must be provided to vulnerable groups in a democratic state as the means of providing them with the opportunity to enjoy the same freedoms and rights as other members of the population. However, a charitable appeal is not devoid of controversies, which is why considering the arguments against is also necessary. Nonetheless, after examining the arguments in favor of a charitable appeal and against it, one must acknowledge its necessity due to the imperfections in the justice system and the necessity to provide a possibly innocent person with an opportunity to defend themselves in court.

The significance of a charitable appeal as the tool for seeking justice for those that belong to disadvantaged communities and do not have resources for supporting themselves in a difficult situation cannot possibly be underestimated. The very premise on which the concept of a charitable appeal is based is rooted in the foundational ideas of democracy, namely, the provision of equal opportunities for all people, no matter their social background. Without the existence of a charity appeal, people from underfunded communities would not be able to fight for their rights in court, which would have led to detrimental outcomes in multiple cases. Thus, the application of a charitable appeal as the means of assisting people that require additional social and economic support is central to maintaining the principles of equality and democracy within the social and legal system.

Arguably, the concept of charitable appeal is not safe from being abused by the people who are not entitled to it. Indeed, it is comparatively easy to imagine the scenario in which a rich person would use a charitable appeal to bypass the law and gain more resources for working their way out of a situation for which they are partially responsible (Nilsson et al., 2016). Indeed, several scholars define the specified option as the appeal to pity and, therefore, deem it to be a manipulation of the jury’s feelings, particularly, their sympathy for the person in need (Nilsson et al., 2016). Therefore, charitable appeal can be easily represented and used as a vehicle for locating loopholes in the existing legal system and the means of manipulating people’s emotions (Nilsson et al., 2016). Thus, the framework under analysis could be interpreted as ethically and legally questionable.

However, at the same time, charitable appeal allows addressing the cases in which the person in need could have an opportunity to win the case, yet the lack of financial resources prevents them from doing so. Therefore, apart from assisting people on an individual level, the existence of a charity appeal contributes to bringing justice to the community, in general, since it helps to create precedents that would, later on, provide the basis for achieving justice in similar cases.

Since the power structures by which modern society is represented allow for significant inequalities to be observed across different population groups and classes, it is essential to provide people with an opportunity to file a charity appeal. Charitable appeals serve as the beacon of democracy and the chance to give a voice to those that may be underrepresented in the modern community due to the lack of financial resources, the presence of prejudices, or the existence of any other social or socioeconomic hindrances. Therefore, the existence of a charitable appeal as the means of legally supporting those in need is fully justified.

References

Nilsson, A., Erlandsson, A., & Västfjäll, D. (2016). The congruency between moral foundations and intentions to donate, self-reported donations, and actual donations to charity. Journal of Research in Personality, 65, 22-29.

Welfare

Ever since the promoters of neo-Liberalism had taken over the designing of social policies in Western countries, their preoccupation with popularizing the concept of the “welfare state” assumed pathological qualities. Nowadays, the majority of people in these countries are made to believe that society’s proper functioning cannot be assured, without citizens becoming automatically eligible for various social assistance programs; every time they find themselves unemployed. However, under closer look, the very essence of this seemingly progressive idea appears to be utterly counterproductive; because, whatever illogical it might sound – modern social assistance programs do facilitate poverty. In this paper, we will aim at substantiating the validity of this suggestion and also at revealing the very concept of charity as not only metaphysically senseless but even socially dangerous, when applied practically.

In their book “Social Welfare: Politics and Public Policy”, Diana DiNitto and Linda K. Cummins provide us with the insight on historical origins of social assistance programs in America: “Originally, the Social Security program covered only retirement benefits for workers in about half of the labor force; many farm and domestic workers and self-employed people were exempted, as were state and local government employees” (DiNitto, Cummings 127). In other words, what initially used to qualify American citizens for welfare in the thirties was their previous extensive work record, because only people, who had proven their willingness to work hard in the past, were assumed as eligible to receive monetary assistance from the government, in order to be able to get back on their feet. This can be explained by the fact that ever since the founding of the United States in 1776, the designing of socio-political policies in this country was firmly based on Protestant existential ethics, which derive out of principle: “if you cannot help yourself – no one can”. Therefore, it is important to understand that originally, America’s social assistance programs were being conceived as “stimulus” rather than “help”. Nowadays, this is no longer the case, because the government considers welfare as simply a practical tool of building a “fair and tolerant society”, with American citizens being expected to “celebrate diversity” as their foremost priority. Whereas, before the outbreak of WW2, the issue of poverty has been viewed through the lenses of both: sociology and biology; today, the causes for poverty are assumed to be strict of environmental nature. In their book, DiNitto and Cummings make a perfectly good point when they state: “Although inadequate income has always been a concern during economic depressions, poverty has been a political issue only for the last 45 years” (DiNitto, Cummings 81). Even though that there is plenty of evidence as to the fact that biological factors play a very important role, within a context of defining people’s social status, the very thought that citizens’ racial affiliation affects the particularities of their lifestyle, is now considered taboo – it is namely this that results in modern social assistance programs being utterly ineffective. People are not being forced into poverty, as promoters of the neo-Liberal agenda want us to believe – very often, living in the state of poverty simply corresponds to their mentality. For example, the drop out-rate among Hispanic students in high schools accounts for 45%, and as practice shows, these students consciously choose in favor of dropping out of schools, simply because they want to pursue a career as drug dealers while understanding perfectly well the consequences of such their decision. They know that in America, only people with university diplomas have a chance of obtaining steady and well-paid jobs, yet the prospects of fast and illegal enrichment cause many Hispanic students to be willing to sacrifice their future. In its turn, this explains why Hispanics are being affected by poverty to a significantly higher degree, as compared to representatives of other ethnic minorities.

Today, it is being commonly assumed that it is practically impossible for an individual to meet ends while relying on welfare as the only source of income. However, as practice shows, many welfare recipients have a different perspective on this issue. They are quite satisfied to be getting $500-$600 worth in welfare checks on a monthly basis, without having to work, because it is more than enough to satisfy their primitive needs. And, in case they run out of money, they simply conceive more children, whose birth will automatically qualify parents for a substantial increase in welfare payments. It is not a secret that many Hispanic families have turned “child-making” into a full-scale commercial enterprise while thinking about the idea of looking for work as ridiculous. Therefore, even though that the concept of providing citizens with social assistance, while they are in need, is absolutely appropriate, the realities of multicultural living in today’s America and in other Western countries had deprived it of its beneficial effects on a nation-wide level. Nowadays, citizens are not being made eligible for welfare payments because they actually deserve it, but because their existence is believed to represent an objective value. Thus, the very concept of social assistance as monetary stimulus has now been replaced with the concept of welfare as charity. In its turn, this resulted in the welfare system becoming the agent of social entropy in Western countries. In their article “Work and Economic Outcomes after Welfare”, Thomas Vartanian and Justine McNamara argue that the negative effects of social assistance programs on society’s integrity are proportionate to these programs’ extensiveness: “There are many indications as to the fact that the likelihood of poverty and welfare use increases as welfare benefits increase. Moreover – the likelihood of employment decreases as welfare benefits rise” (Vartanian, McNamara 43). People that are being instilled with the idea that it is society’s responsibility to assure their well-being, become psychologically disarmed while facing life challenges. In its turn, this decreases their chances of attaining prosperity. This is why it is important to understand that the welfare system cannot be thought of as a “thing in itself” – social assistance programs can only benefit people for as long as these programs do not undermine society’s structural wholesomeness. However, the very neo-Liberal concept of “welfare state”, which is now being advertised as utterly progressive, can only be practiced at the expense of society’s members becoming “existentially atomized”. The only reason why, up until recently, Western societies have been strongly associated with the notion of cultural and scientific progress, is because these societies’ existential energy was being utilized for reaching external goals. Today, it is no longer the case – this energy is now serving the purpose of increasing the levels of equality among citizens. However, according to the Second Law of Thermodynamics, the complete dissipation of energy within a system causes this system to collapse. Therefore, the existence of the state of inequality among people is vital, within a context of these people pursuing their evolutionary destiny – White people’s ability to put a man on the Moon is innately interconnected with the inability of members of many indigenous tribes, throughout the world, to evolve beyond a Stone Age, over the course of millennia. This is the reason why the concept of social assistance programs as the tool of facilitating equality among people is not only utterly unscientific but also potentially dangerous, as it increases the amount of energetic entropy, within a society. It is not by pure accident that the apparent slowing down of the pace of scientific progress in Western countries (with exception of the invention of the Internet, not a single scientific breakthrough of universal magnitude has been achieved, over the course of the last 30 years), coincided with the rapid increase of welfare’s popularity among citizens. In his article “Is Welfare Redeemable”, Randy Frame is making a good point when he states: “One clear failing of the present welfare system is its inability to provide assistance without creating harmful dependencies, diminishing individual responsibility, and eroding family cohesiveness and accountability… We are destroying human spirits and souls when we create a system which is focused totally on the elimination of deprivation, instead of a system which encourages autonomy, encourages people to develop their skills, encourages people to live lives of disciplined virtue” (Frame 45). Thus, it will not be much of an exaggeration, on our part, to suggest that the modern concept of social assistance programs actually facilitate poverty in Western countries, because politicians in charge of designing them, do not seem to be concerned with anything else but increasing their chances of getting reelected. In fact, turning America into a welfare state has become an official agenda of this country’s new Presidential Administration. However, given the fact that this agenda does not incorporate a scientific understanding of people’s biological nature, as its essential element, it will fail, just as it happened to numerous neo-Liberal social initiatives in the past.

Charity

As we have mentioned earlier, today’s concept of welfare programs is charitable in its very essence. Many people think of such a state of affairs as absolutely appropriate, without understanding that they could not possibly be more wrong. This is because the notion of charitable activities as such that is capable of providing qualitative help to people in need is scientifically fallacious, which is why people who practice these activities only add to the amount of pain and suffering in the world. In his book “The Death of the West”, Patrick J. Buchanan rightly suggests: “Great folly of

Christian doctrine was probably never as glaringly revealed as by the insane policies the Christian churches implemented in the Third.

World. The churches oppose contraception, sterilization, and abortion among their members. This results in exploding population growth which is further abetted by the medical care and food provided by the same churches” (Buchanan 125). Whenever we like it or not – people are subjected to the laws of evolution as much as plants and animals. Therefore, just as trilobites, which can still be found at the ocean’s depths, represent the “dead end “of aquatic evolution, people associated with primitive cultures; represent the “dead end” of human evolution. In its turn, this allows us to conclude that religious and political doctrines that promote the principle of egalitarianism are counterproductive, as they prevent the course of evolution from remaining on its natural track. Nowadays, the notions of conventional morality (sanctity of human life, equality, tolerance, etc.) serve as agents of social entropy, because it is due to the fact that such notions are being forcibly jammed down people’s throats in Western countries, which result in these countries being gradually turned into Third World slums themselves. Therefore, it is important to understand that, contrary to a popular belief, charity is not a virtue – it actually represents a transgression against the laws of nature. This is why we cannot agree with “professional moralists” as Jenifer Delton, who in her article “Charity State” insists that people must be willing to “give”, in order to make this world a better place: “Charity is valuable because it fosters social cohesion, contentment, and wealth. It is thus valuable to individual givers, their communities, and the nation” (Delton 25). The sheer ineffectiveness of charity, as a metaphysical concept, which implies the possibility that poor people can really be helped, by becoming the subjects of charitable activities, is best illustrated by U.N. inability to eliminate “world’s hunger”. For the duration of the last 30 years, not a single U.N. Session has been conducted, without delegates spending a great amount of time while discussing what can be done to eliminate hunger in developing countries. Yet, despite milliards of dollars being poured into these countries’ economies, over the course of decades, people in Africa did not become less hungry. The reason for this is simple – “developing countries” are not really developing, they are rapidly descending into primeval savagery. There can be no doubt as to the fact that citizens in Western countries have the right to “give”, in order to feel better about themselves, but only utterly naïve people can believe that charitable activities represent an objective value – only those who can help themselves deserve to be helped, but they do not require any help. It is a well-known fact that banks prefer giving credits to those who do not really need any money, as opposed to those who claim that, without being given a monetary credit, their lives would be destroyed. The same applies to “people in need” – the more they seem to require assistance, the less likely they would be able to benefit from it. This is why people that are chronically dependent on social security programs, as the way to make living, represent such a heavy social burden. Nevertheless, given the fact that Earth is already being three times overpopulated, only the countries that would be able to adjust their social policies to the notion of sanity (elimination welfare system altogether), are going to have a competitive chance in the future. Therefore, the hordes of welfare recipients in Western countries, 35% of which consist of newly arrived immigrants from the Third World, must be cut off from any monetary assistance altogether, if these countries continue to exist in the future.

References

Buchanan, P. (2001). The Death of the West: How Dying Populations and Immigrant Invasions Imperil Our Country and Civilization. NY: Thomas Dunne Books.

Delton, J. (2008) Charity State. Salmagundi.158 (159), 24-33.

DiNitto, D. and Cummins, L. 2007. Social Welfare: Politics and Public Policy. 6^th Edition. NY: Allyn & Bacon.

Frame, R. (1994) Is Welfare Redeemable?. Christianity Today, 38(12), 44-45.

Herrstein, R. and Murray, C. 1994. Bell Curve. New York: Harcourt, Brace & World, Inc.

Rubenstein, E. (2003) Hispanic High School Disaster – The Evidence Mounts. Vdare.Com. Web.

Vartanian, T and McNamara, J. (2000). Work and Economic Outcomes ffter Welfare. Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare. 27(2), 41-77.

Waller, B. 2005. Consider Ethics: Theory, Readings, and Contemporary Issues. London: Pearson.

Peter Singer has often been called one of the most influential philosophers of the present time. In his famous 1972 article, “Hunger, Abundance, and Morality” the researcher, referring to the famine that broke out in Bangladesh in 1971, argued for the moral obligation of people in the wealthy West to help those in developing countries suffering from hunger, poverty, and disease. The reprinting of this article in 2016 suggests that the author continues to hold these views and has not changed his position on this issue. Singer’s argument is built around the idea that if a person can prevent something wrong from happening without sacrificing something of comparable moral importance to him, then morally, he should do so.

The philosopher argues that giving is a moral duty if not equal or comparable to sacrifice. In this article, Singer appears as a moral reformer. Charity, from a moral point of view, is an action whose commission is morally approved and encouraged but whose failure to do so is not morally condemned. In contrast, acts of moral duty are precepts whose violation is condemned and entails moral guilt. In other words, what used to be regarded as acts of goodwill, that is, non-binding but merely desirable, Singer suggests that they are obligatory acts derived from moral requirements (Singer 769).

Scientists tend to think more about how to improve amenities than how to prevent great suffering. The harm is eliminated as a result of the assistance must be greater than the harm people may cause to themselves or others in the process. It means that benefit that is ezpected to be the result of helping others must not be less than the benefit will have to be sacrificed in doing so. In other words, the total amount of good or benefit must increase as a result of people’s actions, and thus the total amount of evil, or harm, must decrease.

Helping someone far away is as much a moral obligation as helping someone close to us. As can be seen from this thesis, it already assumes that helping is a moral obligation and extends this principle to all people in general, regardless of the distance at which they are (Singer 769). This rejects the common notion that the moral scope of helping is limited to those closest to us, or at least that those closest to us have priority in getting help.

Death as a means and death as a foreseeable side effect of inaction is, in Singer’s view, morally equivalent, and almost all the distinctions can be made. Morally relevant Singer recognizes the differences in whether people know definitely what happened and what their motive is, but they only matter in condemning or praising the action of not helping the poor should not be condemned in the same way as murder. it can, however, be equated with the murder of a person by reckless driving, which is serious enough.

The philosopher’s persuasion may seem purely intuitive and is largely based on the example of the drowning child that Singer cites as an illustration. The immediate threat to the life of a child that could be easily saved involves powerful mechanisms of intuitive moral choice that do not require rational justification, especially since the situation requires a quick decision and does not involve time for reflection. However, if sientists reduce the emotional intensity of the moral choice situation, it is evident that this principle no longer seems so convincing.

Another common objection to Singer’s argument is to point out the excessiveness of the demands he makes, even in a moderate formulation of the principle. This excessiveness is felt especially acutely in an environment where most people ignore these demands, and those who would be willing to seriously recognize and act on them would be overly burdened. (Singer 768). This argument is also related to the problem of iterative help: if one were to draw the analogy of a pond to fit a real situation, one would have to imagine not a pond but a lake or sea overflowing with drowning children who appear there over and over again (Ogbujah 459). Demandingness is thus a hallmark not specifically of Singer’s principles but utilitarianism as a whole since every inaction becomes a positive or negative contribution to the most optimal state of affairs in the world.

At the global level, individual benefactors and intermediary organizations maintain the existing world order, which involves structural discrimination and allows prosperous countries to profit from unfair relations with those being helped. At the local level, intermediary organizations have a negative impact on states, replacing and discrediting local government structures, imposing certain ideological attitudes, and provoking a brain drain, not to mention specific cases of exploitation, harassment, and abusive treatment by the staff of these organizations themselves.

Accordingly, the problem is not only that Singer’s approach needs some moral theory to explain the concept of moral relevance but also that it requires a developed theory of justice to put it into practice. For example, Benedict suggests that the utilitarian benevolence approach and the justice approach should be seen as complementary (Ogbujah 458). He emphasizes the importance of conceptualizing persistent poverty as a massive injustice that questions the legitimacy of existing legal, economic and political structures (Ogbujah 459). The effective altruism approach, she argues, eliminates the manifestations of poverty but not its causes, and eliminating extreme poverty is impossible without identifying its roots and eradicating them. Helping the poor is thus both a duty of benevolence and a duty of justice.

The second implication of this principle needs more justification: the fact that there are millions of other people in a similar situation to mine in relation to O’Neil refugees does not make this situation significantly different from one in which I am the only person capable of preventing something very bad from happening (212). Again, I recognize that these cases are psychologically perceived differently: one feels less guilt for one’s own inaction if one can point out that other people in a similar situation are also doing nothing. However, this detail can have no real bearing on different moral obligations.

Thus, despite the criticisms to which Singer’s approach has been subjected in its nearly fifty years of existence, his basic argument has highlighted the important fact that helping those in extreme poverty is indeed an integral part of living a morally decent life in the current state of the world. But this obligation to help, which can no longer be called charity in the usual sense of the word, will be refined depending on the particular normative approach and picture of the world one holds.

Works Cited

O’Neill, O. “A Kantian Approach to Famine Relief”. Philosophy, vol. 72, no 2, 1998, pp. 211–228.

Ogbujah, C. N. “Benedict de Spinoza’s Virtue.” Dialogue and Universalism, vol. 31, no 2, 2021, pp. 456–459. Web.

Singer, P. “Famine, Affluence, and Morality”. Ethics: Essential Readings in Moral Theory, vol. 3, no. 10, 2012, pp. 768–776.

Controlling and monitoring projects to raise funds for charities involve dealing with various hindrances, especially when the team is tasked with collecting a large sum of money within a short period. The first issue in the assigned scenario refers to the risks of undetected stealing from the raised funds if the company uses traditional rather than virtual fundraising. The goal of collecting $100,000 within a six-month frame makes the project effort-intensive and might require resorting to any type of advertising, including visiting public places with donation boxes. In these circumstances, volunteers raising donations may develop agreements and sophisticated plans to remove some part of the funds. This can be challenging to detect since physical donations are not documented as carefully as virtual financial transactions.

To continue, the second problem pertains to the team’s suboptimal performance resulting from poor motivation. Participating in fundraising as volunteers or donors exerts extra pressure on the company’s existing workforce of 1,000 people. In fact, despite the charity project’s possible importance for the city or even the state, the employees may have too little motivation to spend time and invest due effort in it. Taking part in the project only due to moral pressure to contribute to the common good is fraught with ineffective advertising and poor coordination of events.

Finally, the third hypothetical problem while controlling/monitoring involves the spread of unreliable or unintentionally distorted information regarding the fundraising project among the workforce. Given the project’s relatively unrealistic goals, project leaders can be pressed for time when communicating information and appropriate advertising strategies to the workforce. Any misconceptions may, therefore, result in the communication of incorrect or misrepresented details about the charity, its purposes, or the use of funds. Capturing each volunteer-donor interaction on video is time-consuming and challenging, so minor misconceptions affecting donors’ decisions can be challenging to control. Taking the aforementioned three hindrances into consideration, the organization should plan project monitoring carefully and with due attention to information quality and the careful selection of volunteers.