Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat.
Please put a penny in the old man’s hat
If you haven’t got a penny, a half penny will do
If you haven’t got a half penny, God bless you!
There is a danger, when raising funds for charity, that the causes, budgets and appeals become overwhelming and alienating to an individual donor. The needs of the global community feel insurmountable to most of us when we look around for somewhere to donate the little extra money in our pockets. However, the power of civil society, collective conscience, or individual generosity cannot be overstated. It is the pennies that make the pounds that fill the food banks and provide the shelters.
Giving Tuesday is an online day of charitable giving, established in the USA to counterbalance the consumerism and materialism of Black Friday. Its message is clear- the value of the smallest, most modest, contribution from an individual person, can be seen directly in the dignity, comfort and support it offers another. It equates the small, daily donations made online, to the resulting life-changing charitable services made possible by the small sacrifices of members of the societies who will ultimately benefit from their existence.
Privilege is a sliding scale, but most of us have it to one degree or another, in at least one aspect of our lives. Giving Tuesday, and campaigns like it, challenge us all to ask ourselves; “what is my privilege and how can I leverage it in support of others”. In doing so we not only empower others, but also ourselves, as we learn that the actions of a community are much more than the sum of its parts, and therefore, that every individual within that community can have a disproportional impact on it, through the strength of collective action.
This year, MOAS is raising money to support our heroes on the front lines of the war in Ukraine. To date, our teams have rescued over 85,000 critically ill patients, working through bombardment and brutal winters in deadly conditions. When we speak with them, one clear theme is always there- the knowledge that the mission is made possible by the donations of private donors is a hugely motivating and comforting factor for them. The feel supported by an international community of donors who understand their efforts, respect their work and stand behind them as they wage war on the ravages of combat.
We are asking for donations to help us buy medications, repair our ambulances, pay our medics and drivers. Every day that MOAS operates lives are saved. The pennies make the pounds that send a father home to his children, who would otherwise have been orphaned by war.
We ask you to think of us tomorrow, amidst the noise and business of your own lives, to spare a donation of any size. It is a contribution to a budget that will reduce suffering and save lives, but it is also a message of solidarity and support to our teams and their patients who are struggling through their fourth bitter winter of this war.
If you have some extra time today on your commute, or in a quiet moment, we ask you to log on and read a few chapters of our book, Sirens of Hope, that allowed our Ukrainian staff to tell their own stories of the war through personal interview.
And perhaps, instead of scrolling through socials before bed, you might take just 45 minutes to watch Hope Under Fire, our documentary film lifting the curtain on our activities through the testimony of the people who are there.
To donate please visit www.moas.eu/donate