Below are some guidelines and explanations to make your generosity and kindness most welcome.

• Cash offers can offend a lot of adults. Most people in poverty still have high levels of dignity and morality. It’s more likely they want opportunity and not your money, pity or patronage.   It can come across as flaunting your wealth and being superior so please resist.
• If you give a poor child money you are disempowering their future by teaching them the way to get what you want is to beg. You may inadvertently be teaching a child to leave school and their development for a life of begging.
• Handing out cash or gifts advertises that you are carrying cash to unscrupulous characters nearby and opening up yourself to theft.
• Don’t forget that whilst some people are poor in money they may be richer in other attributes such as family cohesion, work ethic, resilience, creativity, unpaid community service, taking care of their parents. Money doesn’t always = happiness.
• For some the help required might be psychological so handing them money isn’t the solution.

• Take a COOP tour experience (See our Social Partners above for choices)
• Sponsor a child or make a donation (See our Charities of choice above)
• Do some volunteer work.
• Share some professional skills or advice (if asked).
• Put together a fundraiser at home.

…and you can always ask us or your guide what would be the best way to help or give in a way that’s meaningful to you and what you care about.

• Publicly handing out cash.
• Giving begging children cash or things.
• Giving children gifts without parental permission.
• Giving one person or child a benefit in view of other hopeful recipients that you don’t or can’t help.