Armchair Critic,

<<Hey Spencer, Does your bible not say something about 'feeding a person fish every day' as opposed to 'teaching a person to fish for themselves'?>>

Please provide me with the biblical references to support your claim!!

How easy is it to help. This is not for everyone, but I and some friends have been involved for many years with 'Kiva Loans', and I can vouch for its honesty and effectiveness. As some say its a matter of a handup rather than a handout, 'Kiva Loans' is very much with that principle in mind. Well you be the judge.

p/s The repayment rate to me in the Oceania region for over 10 years, where I concentrate my lending, is better than 95%.

http://www.kiva.org/about

To OzSpen.

Thanks for the info for Australian foreign aid programs. And for the programs to donate to on our own. Glad to hear Both are alive and well.

To Paul1405,

From the link it looks like kiva is a good contribution site. Thanks for that, and I'll have to look into it a bit more.

To Armchair Critic.

Thanks for what you've said, but I didn't say anything to brag about. If that was my intent then I should have chosen something more then just a store bought breakfast bar. The truth is that this is an option for anyone to do, and requires no effort or anything to brag about. It's less then making a sandwich too. The truth is is I'm lazy in my efforts and need to find something more I can do outside of my work schedule.

As for the hand up idea. I like that idea quite a bit. Last I heard about it was in a church program to support development protects in other nations for access to water. That's the kind of think that I think should be sought after and encouraged is solutions so the community or the person can stand up on their own. Nonetheless most of that is still outside of the scope of what I have to offer, and I'm sure is outside the scope of what others can do too. Sometimes a handout is all we have the means to do when an opportunity shows itself. Something is better then nothing in my opinion, even if there are better options out there too.

To Josephes. Thanks for the encouragement throughout this topic. The employment opportunities through buying seed and farm animals is a good approach too. Along the lines of a hand up kind of thing. Thanks for all of it.

Well done Paul we need more like you unfortunately my repayment rate is not as good
But until death will believe we must help no matter how hard

To ttbn.

Be disappointed all you want. I'm no prize, so while it'll scuff up my pride and myself image, it really doesn't matter. I disagree with the idea to not pontificate good values. Jesus said once that the world hated him because he spoke out against their sins, and He warned the early disciples that the same would happen to them. The need for better actions, better values and turning from the crap we often readily accept is worth doing. Regardless if it's called pontificating, preaching or whatever else. As long as there's something more to it then just words to get credit for it then I'd call it all something better then just virtue signaling.

I am not trying to brag, as much as I was trying to redirect the focus of the conversation to actual actions people can do or support instead of swapping stories of horrible neighbors. The best example I had was based on my own life, as I'm sure the best examples anyone has in any topic are from their own lives. I doubt what I said is enough to brag about. If it is, that's something worse to consider. What audience am I confronting that a simple cheap (really cheap) act is counted as bragging?

As for the hypocrisy, your not wrong. However, I think as an individual there is only so much we can do, but as a group, people can cover each other's backs more. My weaknesses can be covered by someone else, or I can help cover their weaknesses. A community can do more with less hypocrisy, then an individual can with the standard that you have to do everything right on your own.

Hi Belly,

My wife believes in "charity through education". One of the problems in Fiji for example, is although education is supposedly free, it is often impossible for a family to keep a very bright child at school beyond the legal minimum age. They simply do not have the resources to do that. One program is where bright needy children are located through school headmasters (I think they are still using that term in Fiji) then a sponsor is found for that child to pay the cost of, for example boarding school in Suva (which offer the best of education), plus some family support. To go the whole hog with a child, on completing school its possible to sponsor the child into Australia for tertiary education. That is far more hands on, the child has to live with you, and you would need to provide much more financial support than is required for sponsorship back home.

Our "daughter" arrives in January, and our "Son" hopefully arrives in 2021, all thanks to the wife. "Daughter" wants to do a two year business studies course in Brisbane, which will boost her employment opportunities back home no end. While she is here, its not a free ride, find her part time work, she will be able to work up to 20 hour a week, depending on her education commitments. Its not easy for these kids, never being to Australia, they don't know us or Australians all that well, only seeing us maybe once a year, they see Aussie tourists, which they describe as funny people. The kids know nothing of big city life, and don't know what to expect, however they are adaptable. Fijian children are very much attached to their families, so homesickness becomes an issue with many, frequent trips back home are usually necessary as well.

p/s I don't know what "Daughter" will think, the first time she visits 'Westfields', the air trip will be something else, and a ride on a Brisbane train, said she is looking forward to that.