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Dylan Reynolds
Nathan Cole
English 2010-075
6 April 2015
Proposal
We Can Help The World
While researching recently about the Philippines and having experienced living in this
poverty-stricken country I have come to realize that countries like this could really use more of
our help. Obviously we have plenty of resources to spare in helping these people with their
everyday struggles and difficulties. Of course we may not be capable of giving support in every
aspects of their lives, but we for sure could do something to make an impact. I have thought to
myself of three possible programs we could do to serve our fellow man in these places that are
unfortunately less fortunate than us here in the United States. Not a lot of us are involved in
supporting foreign aid projects and would like to become more involved. This could create an
opportunity for that to happen. I would like to focus specifically on what the student body at Salt
Lake Community College along with the professors and other faculty could do to give hope to
others. I will be suggesting ideas with the confidence that something can be done, even in the
simplest of ways, and still make a noticeable difference. Since we are not all able to travel to
these far away places and do first-hand service, most of these ideas will be in the form of
donations.
The United States does support foreign countries and hopefully always will. In fact, says
Beckett Adams of The Blaze, a web site used to inform Americans about current issues, The
United States spends billions of dollars each year on foreign aid. The U.S. sent approximately

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$37,680,000,000 in 2012 for foreign aid no other country comes even close in terms of
providing other countries with monetary aid. This means that we are generous and care about
our human friends around the globe. I do not intend to implement a charity system because I
think we are not charitable, I wish to do it in order to do our part as a student body and as U.S.
citizens. This is in order to continue to help others in need and to always maintain that
awareness.
The first proposition is to do a donation that would involve only one day of a month.
All able and willing students and faculty (you will not be forced to do it) sacrifice the
money they might have used for some lunch that day, so maybe five bucks, and put it towards a
"Help the World" fund. It would not need to be called that, just whatever is most fitting and what
the school body and officers decides on. Just one day a month for a year could put together a
pretty big pot. If at least 1,000 students and faculty donated each month for a year and lets say
they give an average of five bucks per donation that could round in an estimated 60,000 dollars.
That is in just one year. These donations would only be intended for countries similar to the
Philippines, and would be targeted towards the areas with the most poverty, hunger and
devastation. Places affected by natural disasters and disease would be the ones to receive aid.
The funds would be entrusted to a reliable service organization like the Red Cross, and would be
used for disbursement of food, clothes, medicine, building materials, and other needed resources.
If everyone came together and was willing to sacrifice a little, this would be a very impactful
event. And while giving some money that would have been for food, we could feel for just a bit
what it would be like to be hungry and not have the money for it. It would give a tiny taste of
what it would be like to constantly live in poverty, although it is nowhere close. Those who

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donate would also receive a small wristband (with logo written on it) as well to remind them
each month to try and donate if they can.
The second idea is for those who do not think donating money is the most effective or
that there are other ways that are more efficient. It would involve giving old clothes and canned
food. Two bins would be placed at each campus of the college for three or four months,
probably during the winter months when people are feeling extra generous. One bin is labeled
"Food" and the other "Clothes". Of course only dry goods and canned food could be put in the
food bin, but in the clothes bin, anything could be put there. Hats, shoes, shirts, pants, jackets,
and other items of necessity can be donated. Over the course of three or four months, and with
bins placed at each campus, enough food and clothing would be gathered by a student/faculty
committee to help hundreds and possibly thousands around the world in need of food and
clothing. Again, a reliable service group like the Peace Corp would be given responsibility to
disburse the care packages to the most needful areas.
The third thing we could do is a social media campaign. These are very useful in this
digital age and could really create a stir in how we help needy countries like the Philippines. Erin
Skarda of Nation Swell, a digital media company focused on innovation and renewal, spoke of
the success of campaigns like The Ice Bucket Challenge, It Gets Better Project and Movember.
The first mentioned gained 3 million participants and attained $110 million in donations, the
second has had more than 50,000 video uploads on the campaigns website bringing in over 50
million views. The third got 4 million participants and $556 million in donations. This shows
that, if done right, social media works well for good causes and could work for this one too.
It could possibly called be called "Students for Change." It would be a Facebook page
and Instagram account as well. Students would be challenged to donate all the change they have

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in their couches, pants, cars, and homes, anywhere! Then they would take that change to the
bank or credit union wherever the fund is created and they would Instagram and/or Facebook
themselves gathering, bringing in and giving the donation. They would hold up a sign with the
words "change for the Philippines" or "change for Africa" or other countries that would be listed
on the social media pages that the individual would like to shout out to. Next to the sign they
could hold a bag of change that they were able to muster up. In the caption they would mention
#StudentsforChange and challenge ten other friends and/or acquaintances to do the same, thus
creating a giant web of donations of change. The word "change" is intentional. To show that a
little can change the world and at the same time change the hearts of the students. The Facebook
page and Instagram account would be following these activities and posting things to encourage
all to be involved. This would go on until a certain goal is reached, lets say 50,000 dollars for
example. Once it is reached the money will be used for the same purpose as the propositions
spoken of earlier. The fun social media aspect of this project could certainly be key in creating
change in the third world countries in dire need of consistent help. It would also create great
awareness in the student body, which will be a positive influence on them to always be
charitable.
According to Valentina Pasquali of the Global Finance Magazine, some of the poorest
countries (2009-2013) are Afghanistan, Zimbabwe, Niger, Nepal and Congo-Kinshasa ranking at
number one. These are just a few examples within the top 20 while the Philippines are at number
58. And I thought it was the worst! Just imagining how bad the above ones are makes me cringe
a bit. With the implementation of an effective program, we could have an impact on their lives
for the better, relieving some of their burdens. They cannot all be helped at once, but a little sure
does surpass nothing at all.

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I truly have the full intention of one of these possibilities being instituted into our
college and community someday in the future. They are not too difficult to implement and would
be a good experience for all (including myself) to feel what charity is like and create some
positive change in the world. This will fill voids that need to be filled in aiding a world that is in
desperate need of assistance. I hope these ideas can be considered and adapted. In the end it
would be such a benefit to society here in Salt Lake and around the world.

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Works Cited
Adams, Becket. "$37,680,000,000: Thats How Much the U.S. Spent on Foreign Aid in 2012
Heres a Chart That Helps Explain It." The Blaze. 19 Dec. 2013. Web. 14 Apr. 2015.
Pasquali, Valentina. "Global Finance Magazine - The Poorest Countries in the World." Recent
GFM Updates RSS. 14 Apr. 2015. Web. 14 Apr. 2015.
Skarda, Erin. "What You Need to Know About the 5 Most Successful Social Media Campaigns
for Social Change." NationSwell. 16 Sept. 2014. Web. 14 Apr. 2015.