Something to think about

I greet you after an almost-week-long hiatus with… a plea for your money.

Well, sort of. It is really more a plea for your attention and consideration. (That’s not to say, of course, that I wouldn’t be delighted should you decide to contribute to a “new laptop or digitial camera for Erin” fund. You didn’t hear that, Phil!) Let’s be honest: I know that almost every day some non-profit organization or other tugs at your heartstrings and tries to guilt you into donating money. And I know that there are ten million worthy causes out there, all of them vying for your support. So I am naturally hesitant to add my voice to that cacophony, and I am only doing it now because 1) what I am about to tell you about is a cause near and dear to a friend’s heart and 2) it’s a cause that very few people know about. And although this cause needs money, what it needs even more than that is attention, so that is what I hope to provide.

A few weeks ago I was visiting Philip, a fellow web designer and long-time friend. He let me in on a project that his brother and a few friends were trying to set in motion. Phil told me how his brother Jonathan had taken a few trips to Mongolia in the last couple of years, and how he had discovered on his last visit that the government had decided to cut funding for Mongolian children’s schoolbooks (at least in the rural area that Jonathan was visiting; I’m not sure how widespread the problem is). This meant that families who were already struggling to put food on the table could no longer afford to send their children to school.

“Well, no wonder,” you might think, “textbooks are freakin’ expensive.” They are in the U.S., that is. But the amazing thing is, one of these textbooks, a book that a Mongolian child can use for a whole school year, costs only $20 U.S. So Jonathan and a friend have started a non-profit organization, EduRelief, in an effort to raise awareness about this problem and to help some of the children that Jonathan visited. As the poignant video that they put together reminds us, $20 does not go that far in the U.S., but it can send a child to school for a year in Mongolia.

Like I said, I know there are many valuable ways that you can be generous with your money. And this is not necessarily the one that would be best for you to invest in. But it is a worthwhile cause, and because Phil and Jonathan and their friends are currently making a phenomenal effort to get the word out about this problem and its easy solution, I thought that I would give them a hand.

In case you are interested, next week, the week of May 22-28, EduRelief is calling for a week-long coffee boycott. They have observed that many college students spend roughly twenty dollars a week on coffee (whoa), so for every person that decides to give up their coffee for a week and donate that money instead, that will be one more child going to school next year. They’re hoping to reach enough people with this challenge that Starbucks will actually see their sales appreciably decrease next week. (I am honestly a bit skeptical about that, but very willing to be proven wrong.) You can read more about this challenge here.

Now, personally, I think any organization that asks poor caffeine-addicted individuals to give up their sole source of energy for a week is off their rocker. Think how sorry they’ll feel a week from now when the reports of car accidents and failed classes are pouring in from students all over the country. I’m in a bit of a quandary since I have given up coffee for the most part anyway, but perhaps I will give up fast food for the week. I’m sure you fellow non-coffee-drinkers can think of a fitting way to participate.

In all seriousness, though, give EduRelief some thought. Don’t worry if you can’t give money right now—you know what your financial situation is better than I do. And I honestly don’t think this is a question of “right” or “wrong.” The simple fact is: there are some kids who want to go to school, but can’t because they are missing the price of a week’s worth of coffee. Sure, there are a lot of people in the world who need a lot of things, probably many of them more desperately than these children need their textbooks. But if you feel moved to help monetarily or by spreading the word, by all means do so. You know where to go.

I am not trying to pressure you or make you feel guilty. I won’t think less of you if you don’t help. But I do hope that you will at least give the matter some thought, and maybe mention it to a few of your friends in case they would be interested. I just want to help get the word out.

/Plea over. Return to regularly scheduled programming. (P.S. Let me know how those of you who have decided to give up coffee next week are doing! I would like to laugh in your un-caffeinated faces! )

Posted on Thursday, May 18th, 2006 at 10:48 pm.
Belongs with: Things to think about.
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