Unique Ways to Give

Here are the innovative ways people are helping those in need-even when money is tight

- Penny Caldwell

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

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

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

RICE BUCKET CHALLENGE, INDIA

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

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