One way I enjoy looking at charities is to consider Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. The concept is relatively simple: all humans have basic, essential needs (depicted at the bottom of Maslow's pyramid of needs) such as food, shelter, and safety. Between the bottom and the top of the pyramid, there are other personal needs, including friendship, family, and self-esteem. Finally, at the very top, there is self-actualization, including morality, creativity, lack of prejudice, etc. I believe that each charity generally serves a component of the hierarchy - some provide food and shelter, and others work to eliminate prejudicies, or enhance creativity and the arts. Overall, the world of charity works to give access to these fundamental components of human needs, ideally so that individuals can eventually each become fully self-actualized. If things were to go according to plan, someday we might solve all the problems that lie at the bottom of the pyramid (homelessness, hunger), and move to developing the needs higher on the pyramid.
Unfortunately, we're about to take a giant step backwards, perhaps halting our global progress in serving the needs at the higher levels of Maslow's pyramid.
We're in a global food crisis. The price of rice and grains in some countries has doubled in the last year. On top of this, the price of oil - which is the predominant cost in transporting food to where it is needed - has shot to record highs. Fingers are being pointed in all directions - ironically, some are saying that the demand for biofuels for environmentally-friendly transportation has shifted grain production outputs from food to fuel, and increased cost for the grains as a result. The UN World Food Agency has raised the alarm, and at the same time, is being accused of bureaucratic fumbling and inefficiency. Factories in the developing world are subsidizing food purchases for their employees, which itself is troubling: isn't the basic premise of working for a salary supposed to mean that a worker can afford to at least put food on the table for their family?
Governments around the world are being called on to provide food aid, and Canada is being criticized heavily for not doing enough. Canada's a food producer - we've also got a role to play beyond simply providing aid. And let's not kid ourselves, this problem is not one that exists only in developing countries. So far, we've been lucky - food prices have remained relatively stable, but that will change soon enough. When it does, food banks will be hit hard. They struggle already to keep up with increasing demand, and food donations are never enough.
Think about this: removing an essential item from the bottom of Maslow's hierarchy (in this case, food) - upsets the entire balance. When people are looking for food, very little else is of interest. Solving other world problems - let alone domestic issues - becomes a distant dream when the pain in your stomach keeps you up all night. In fact, new issues crop up - there is the very real possibility of violent disputes over arable land and property. As personal income is increasingly consumed on food purchases, families will creep closer to, or tip over into poverty. Those living in poverty will face increasing hardships. Political rhetoric also tends to become more inflammatory, as leaders try to place blame and scramble for solutions. For a de-stabilized region, these pressures can have disastrous results, beyond the immediate effects of famine and malnutrition.
So, what to do? Charities will do what they always have - dig in. Appeals will grow for help in directing dollars and resources to those who are hardest hit, whether abroad or at home. More will call for real solutions from our government and from world agencies, and hopefully we will see a real response, not empty promises of aid that don't always materialize. And I hope that these solutions won't be short-sighted, but will deal with both immediate needs and the ways that we can provide for the food needs of growing populations on a sustainable basis.
We've already been told what we can do as individuals: eat and buy local. Donate to your chosen causes. Give to your local food bank - both money and non-perishables.
And finally, I hope and wish that we will also be able to sustain our charitable endeavours at all levels of Maslow's pyramid. Ultimately, societies should be able to serve and provide for the needs at every level of the hierarchy of needs. Winston Churchill demonstrated this balanced approach when, according to anecdotes, his finance minister came to him during the war, asking him to authorize budget cuts for the arts so that more could be directed to defense funding. Churchill's response: "No, God no. What do you think we're fighting for?!"
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