Bobby Sager’s hands-on approach to changing the world

BOBBY Sager doesn't believe in charity the way most people do. To him, real impact comes from being present, on the ground, face-to-face, in some of the world’s most challenging places.

- LIESL VAN DER SCHYFF

For more than 25 years, the American philanthropist, photographer, and entrepreneur has embedded himself in war-torn zones, refugee camps, and remote villages. But he doesn’t hand out aids, he helps people rebuild their own lives.

“If you think you're too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito,” says Sager, quoting His Holiness the Dalai lama, one of his longtime collaborators.

His work spans Afghanistan, Rwanda, Palestine to name but a few. His philosophy is simple: real change happens when you show up, listen, and help people help themselves.

A different kind of philanthropy

Sager doesn’t subscribe to the traditional model of charity; writing cheques from a comfortable distance.

Instead, he lives in the communities he supports, getting to know the people, their struggles, and their strengths.

His Sager Family Travelling Foundation and Roadshow has taken his entire family across the world, embedding them in the heart of the work.

His children, now adults, grew up side by side with people who had lost everything, learning what it means to give in a way that preserves dignity.

“I never give people a handout,’ he says. “I help help themselves.”