If you want to help, here's how

It’s quite clear that many people in South Africa actually want to make a difference but are not sure how. Most of us don’t have as much time as we’d like to but we do have some money, some of us have plenty of time but no money, some of us have a specialised skill and others are just happy to do some heavy lifting for others. So this blog is a starting point for those of you who want to do something but aren’t sure what you can do. Let’s call it action tips for dummies.

1. If you have money, but no time you can donate money. This is a) good for organisations and NGOs many of whom run on external funding that can at times be prescriptive and limiting and b) good for your taxes and c) good for your mental health. Money really doesn’t buy you happiness, but it can buy someone who’s hungry lunch or help a school to get computers for their kids. If you want to look for causes to donate to there are literally millions and this can be overwhelming. Two really great starting places are The Greater Good Campaign and the Prodder Directory. The Greater Good allows you to match your time/money to an organisation’s need. They list their needs, you fill them in any way that you can. It’s very simple to register and you’ll be surprised how many organisations in your area there are. The Prodder Directory is more like a telephone directory of all the NGOs in South Africa. If you have a particular area of interest, whether it is the environment, women’s rights, children’s needs etc, you can search using those fields by clicking on the “Advanced Search” tab at the top of the page. It will then take you to a list of NGOs and civil society organisations that you might be interested in funding and voila, you’ve taken action.

Individual NGOs also have donation pages on their websites. For example, The Rape Crisis Cape Town Trust has the 1 000 hearts campaign which you may have read about in Marie Claire. Resources Aimed at the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (RAPCAN) has a donate here button on its home page. The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (NSPCA) is always looking for donations and it’s very easy to do it. These are just organisations that are close to my heart, and there are many more that you can choose from. It’s really simple. You’ll be amazed what a little bit of money can do.

2. If you don’t have money, donate your time. This is the trickier of the two options because somehow getting up early on a Saturday to do “charity work” always seems like work the second time you do it. The first time you are always bubbling over with joy and excitement and afterwards you feel incredibly proud of yourself too. However, when the alarm goes early the following Saturday morning, that feeling can quickly ebb away. You need to be realistic with yourself about how much time you have to offer, and how often you’d like to offer it. What’s great about most organisations is that they ask you to be specific so that you don’t feel guilted into doing more than you’re able to.

Some great examples of places to donate your time include The Greater Good Campaign which allows you to specify where and when you’d like to work, The Upliftment Programme which basically just needs your time to play with kids and bring joy to their lives and the One Man Can Campaign led by Sonke Gender Justice which allows men who are committed to a South Africa without gender-based violence to speak out against it.

3. If you have a special skill and some free time, share that skill. You’ll be amazed what a little bit of skill sharing can do for both you and the person who learns something from you. Teaching another person to do something can be extremely fulfilling and often, we don’t realise the huge amount of skills that we have. For example, most of you got up this morning and turned on your computer, started working away (or checking your email/facebook/twitter) without even thinking about it. Most of us have known how to use a computer for ages, and you don’t realise how many people don’t share this skill. Ask your domestic worker if she’s ever used a computer and if she’d like to learn. If you have another skill like painting or crafting or something that you can share, share it. It may allow the person on the receiving end to earn a little more money, and may encourage them to share the skills they have with you.

Unfortunately an unequal society means that we’re in a great context at the moment for making change in other people’s lives. It’s not always as hard as we make it out to seem. It can be easy. Just give it a try.