When you are 22 years old and trying to put your life together, you can try to get an internship in New York to prepare yourself to make globs of money, or you can decide to go to India for a year and try to start something new – micro charity. We’ve all heard of micro lending where small investors provide small sums of money to generate capital for third world entrepreneurs. Well, welcome to micro charity and Erin Schneider, a Portland Oregon young woman who is changing the way we help the poor.
Her strategy is simple. Eliminate the administrative overhead, keep it small and use all the money raised to buy essentials for the needy. In her own words, “It turned out to be a huge success. But it left me with the creepy sense that I only blanketed the needy versus teaching them to knit. Yes, yes, I know I’m only 22, naive, and all too idealistic, but the money to feed, clothe and hydrate the world exists! That’s been the hardest part for me to swallow. It’s just being incredibly mismanaged and squandered. Maybe my contribution could be making a transparent charity. Usually, people have no idea where the money they donate goes.”
I met Erin 3 years ago when I was Chair of the SCORE Chapter in Portland, Oregon and Erin managed the office over the summer. Within just a few days, at 19, she was on her own and making positive changes to the way our office was run. Back then, as a business counselor, it was clear that this young woman had what it takes to change the world.
And the stats so far:
–100 toys and 50 blankets were donated to Nashik’s Adharashram Orphanage, where the orphanage’s 145 children were formerly playing with sticks and tires.
–Over 125 blankets more were donated to rice paddy workers, a hospital, an orphanage and Kokanni tribal people in remote Harrsul.
–$355 was raised
–12 people donated
“Word at the tea stand is that this is one of Nashik’s coldest winters in decades. Please contribute anything you can ($2.05USD for a blanket that can warm an entire family) through paypal to [email protected]. The blanket and toy drive is going on through January and has paired with Learning and Ideas of Tibet organization to bring blankets to children and families in the coldest regions of the Himalaya Mountains. With an unprecedented ZERO administrative fees, every penny goes to bringing blankets and toys to the neediest castes of India.”
The money to feed, clothe and hydrate the world does exist as loose change in your pocket or purse, so just stick your hand in there and pull it out. This is after all micro charity and every little bit does get to them.
Through paypal to [email protected]