Charity values are core to Dharmic cultures and society. We understand the importance of caring and sharing and have a long tradition of kindness and compassion. My guess is that 20 per cent of India’s economy is run by charities and faiths, and there are hundreds of millions of people who earn a living by supporting these charities or benefit from their services. Have you ever seen the local economy around a Temple or Gurudwara? There are flower sellers, cloth merchants, fruit and sweet stalls, and food providers in the immediate vicinity doing a roaring trade from visitors to the temple. Hotels and Dharamshalas provide affordable accommodation and hospitality. Schools, hospitals and health clinics are often funded and managed by charities. We have inherited a deep culture of giving which daily contributes to a peaceful and cohesive India.
The UK also has a large and vibrant charity sector with over 200,000 registered charities. Most of our community organisations are charities run for the public good. They help us to serve and build lasting social and cultural relationships and teach us about the importance of sharing and belonging. Along the way we build vital social and trust capital and learn from helping one another. There are also many large professional charities in the UK like Oxfam, Save the Children, Christian Aid, Greenpeace and Amnesty International all of whom operate globally.
In the UK we can actively engage with the wider professional charity sector in a win-win way. For example, Sense International works actively to support deaf-blind children and their families in India, East Africa and many other countries. Families are often confused and devastated by this illness and Sense International helps them cope. These nations also form the roots of many British Asian migrants, helping them reach the children and parents who are debilitated by this illness. Sunil Shah has been a passionate volunteer and fund raiser for decades.
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Through volunteering we can come to learn more about the professional skills and methods applied, and also help them with our contacts and networks to make their work impactful. We could even apply for jobs in such charities when they come up. There are many charity services which require experts and cannot simply be run by volunteers alone. Also, we are becoming increasingly time poor as a society so professionally staffed charities play a critical role.
Organisations like BAPS, Nishkam or Khalsa Aid are already doing this with transformative results. We can widen that reach through more participation and promoting educational events and outreach during our festivals or fundraising charity walks which help reinvigorate our community spirit too. Let us work to remove the barriers and proactively engage with such organisations in a win-win manner.
We care so that they can better serve.
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Professor Atul K. Shah [@atulkshah] teaches and writes about Indian wisdom on business, culture and community at various UK universities and is a renowned international author, speaker and broadcaster.
