Should I not hope?

I'm not the Mother Teresa type. My idea of helping the society is capitalistic. In India, there are more people who need jobs than there are. India needs more people who can provide jobs.

The best way to serve the needy is to equip them to be self sufficient, to be ready for tomorrow and to make their lives sustainable beyond a generation. We are educated. We are equipped. We are smart & capable. If 1 in 10 of us become entrepreneurs, the ripple effect will generate livelihood and sustenance for generations that we won't live to see. That's transformation.

It's for this reason I dont resort to any kind of charity - feeding beggars, sponsoring food or providing medical help. I instead work and equip myself, so that one day I can create jobs. For this same reason, I do come forward to helping students with fees once in a while. I derive immense pleasure in teaching and mentoring. But am appalled at the lack of accountability of the receivers of acts of charity.

Money that isn't theirs, money that comes with no toil and help that comes without a rider, though born out of deep desire to transform is often wasted and misused.

I learnt a hard lesson this week. I had a vegetable seller at my door at 6 15 am in the morning. He was in tears and woke me up to say that he needs to pay exam fees of 615 Rs. I don't know him. But not believing him would have costed him his studies. So I gave him a cheque, without asking for any proof.

The boy came back yesterday, saying inspite of giving the fee he could not attend the exams becuase he has the term fees not yet paid. He needed 1115 Rs. Then again my loss if he was unreal will be lesser than his loss if he was true and I din't pay him. So I wrote another cheque. But he did say that he has got the money from a charitable trust and the money would reach him in the evening and he would return the money back to me the same evening. I was ready to gather help for him to continue his help.

The guy has not called me since then. He has not returned the money, nor has he come to say that he has not got the money from the trust and hence using my money. Where's accountability?

I have lost a bit of money, but lot of hope! It's just hard to find deserving people who are accountable also. I could have done well to go with him to his college or ask him to bring some elders with him or so many other things, than give in to false sense of fulfillment.

More than a loss, its my lack of insistence on accountability which has mde me sit up and think!

Watch where you put your charity and better, make the receiver know you mean business even when it is charity!