Everything you buy at the store or eat or drink at restaurants has political consequences when you consider how far flung the food and goods trade network extends around the globe. For instance, foods grown in the tropics like coffee or chocolate are usually a product of a monoculture system that does not provide living wages for the workers at best and uses slave labor or child labor at worst, and compromises the enviroment, either by cutting down rainforests to make new crop fields or other environmental degredation. These kinds of conditions are phenomenally harsh to live under and are not sustainable either in terms of human costs, economic survival, or enviromental conservation.

What can you do? Buy "Fair Trade" food whereever possible. Fair Trade coffee, tea, cocoa, fresh fruit, rice and sugar are now sold here in the US and in Europe. Fair Trade means that farmers and workers, typically in third world countries, are paid a living wage for their work, that the goods were NOT harvested by child or slave labor, that the working conditions are safe, that they have the right to unionize, the UN charter of human rights is followed, and the fair price covers the complete "cost" of the product--not just the cost of production but includes helping the social development of the region and the protection and conservation of the environment.

It obviously costs more, but once I found out about the grinding misery and exploitation of the people producing these goods I really lost my taste for anything but Fair Trade when possible. If you can afford only ONE Fair Trade purchase a month, or only one product, like sugar, that's still helping.

What else can be done to alieviate the desperate conditions of the poorest of the poor? Micro loans. Microcredit.

"Anyone who scoffs at the value of 62 cents should talk to Muhammad Yunus. In 1976, the Bangladeshi economics professor tried an experiment. From his pocket, he lent the equivalent of $26 to a group of 42 workers. With that 62 cents per person, they bought the materials for a day's work weaving chairs or making pots. At the end of their first day as independent business owners, they sold their work and soon paid back loan.

Thus began the microcredit movement." --From the New York Times (archive, February 16, 1997)

Kiva has made it possible for $25 and a paypal account to be all you need to give someone in Bulgaria, Ecuador, Kenya, Uganda, or Cambodia the capital to start their own business and support themselves and their families for the rest of their lives. And it's not charity. It's a loan. They pay you back.

Reading the testamonials about how these tiny loans "teach a man to fish" as the proverb says, you realize this is making a difference, a very very big difference.

And by all means, teaching your children by your example the values of tolerance, acceptance, and compassion for all people is another powerful way to help make the world a better place.

There's a great website for parents called Character Education that has a list of web resources for parents with ideas for teaching character development, citizenship, cooperation, courage, honesty, patience, etc. A good place to go when you start to run out of ideas or need some encouragement.

It's understandable that you'd not want to take on a worthy cause if it would mean neglecting your family's needs. But there are some worthwhile causes the whole family can participate in together. Habitat For Humanity will team up with churches and with community youth groups so entire families can work together to end "poverty housing". They even have a Vacation Bible School curriculum called "Under Construction" where children learn what HFH is and help out.

There are also resources like Another Path's webpage about Service Projects for Kids. They are a resource for homeschooling deaf or hard of hearing children, but the Service information applies to all.

If you take a deep breath, step back, and look for creative solutions you can dive in and find several somethings to do, alone or with your whole family, that will alieviate suffering and lift up your fellow brothers and sisters.

And kudos to you Jilsyt for asking the question.

Anhata
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