The Art of Non-Conformity: Unconventional Strategies for Life, Work, and Travel

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Skeptical about giving to charity? You should be.

In a world where the CEO of the American Red Cross makes $400,000 a year, and groups you’ve never heard of regularly hit you up for donations without any attempt at accountability, it’s no wonder that many people decide to respond by simply closing their online checkbooks.

Except for one problem: deciding not to help doesn’t make life any easier for the 25% of people in the world who live on less than $1 a day.

Most of them are in Africa, more of them are women than men, and when you find ways to create a better environment for them, you can make an amazing difference for very little money by Western standards.

My Experience in Post-Conflict Africa:

In 2002, my wife and I moved to West Africa, where we lived for four years. I didn’t know much about development work when I started– in fact, I probably made every mistake possible while learning about how to help and how not to. In the process of working with people in the poorest countries in the world, I learned that most foreign aid does not go to people. Instead, it goes to governments, which aren’t usually the best institutions to create positive economic and social change.

The better option is to use money to support local projects managed by local communities, which is what most credible non-governmental organizations (NGOs) now focus on.

How You Can Help:

If you enjoy the wealth of free writing on the site or have been inspired by the 3×5 Project, consider making a donation to our Charity Fund. 100% of donations go directly to reducing poverty in sub-Saharan Africa.

We focus on community-centered organizations that have specific, measurable plans to improve education and access to healthcare. These two areas are the most important to improving livelihoods in impoverished countries.

Through my business activities, three of the projects we have supported over the past 15 months are listed here:

• Fistula Reduction in Ethiopia - This project provided operating support for the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital. The hospital provides direct care to women suffering from fistulas as well as capacity-building in the local health sector.
• Water for Mali - This project provided funding for two borehole wells and four latrines in the regions of Segou and Mopti, effectively bringing access to clean water for 500-600 people in the region.
• Ghana School Project - This project improved access to primary education for 300 girls in Ghana’s northern province.

We distribute grants from the fund twice a year. In the future, I hope to allow this site’s readers the chance to vote on which projects to support – but for now, rest assured that your donation will go to a project in Africa comparable to one of the above.

The fund is managed by World Vision, a global charity that focuses on improving the lives of children all over the world. Donations are fully tax-deductible for U.S citizens.

Donate Now: