Charity by rooting entrepreneurship

Did you try skipping a meal deliberately someday? Many of us fast at least once a week/month/year for various reasons... I find it not easy to fast, unless I feed myself with fruits & juices to stay out of hunger. Can you imagine how hard would it be for those misfortune ones living in poverty.

The whole world is on a mission to eradicate poverty... Several non-government organizations (NGOs) strive hard to pluck poverty out of its roots, and burn it into ash. Many still wonder what that means? Eradicating poverty does not mean providing a hungry child with a day's meal. It only means showing a way for the hungry souls to get a day's meal everyday.

I usually keep aside a fraction of the money I earn for the purpose of charity. So, I've been looking for a reputed charity organization that can do maximum good for the given money. Luckily, I came across a couple of good organizations that Ben Casnocha recommends. They are Ashoka, and Acumen Fund. Both of these try to enliven the lives of people by rooting entrepreurship, and thus enabling self-sustained growth. This, I feel is the way to go... A revolutionary approach that instigates the power of self.

Acumen Fund is a non-profit global venture fund that uses entrepreneurial approaches to solve the problems of global poverty. Ashoka is the global association of the world’s leading social entrepreneurs. Social entrepreneurs are individuals with innovative solutions to society’s most pressing social problems.

Interestingly, I also found a contest (advertised by Ashoka) for innovative solutions that can enhance the transparency and accountability of societies throughout the world. Submit your entries by May 16, 2007 3:00 pm EST.