A BLOG WRITTEN BY JAPHETH MONZON
On the 17th of December 2012, the United Nations General Assembly announced the 5th of September as the International Day of Charity – motivated by the need to commemorate the anniversary of Mother Teresa of Calcutta’s passing. As per Resolution A/RES/67/105, the General Assembly:
“Recognising the efforts of charitable organizations and individuals, including the work of Mother Teresa, decides to designate 5 September as the International Day of Charity…””
Photo taken in December 1980, shows Mother Teresa with a group of children who she looked after in Kolkata, India.
Core to the commemoration of philanthropic pursuits such as charitable enterprises is the idea of solidarity: a force of unity (within a given class or group of persons) that is predicated upon a community’s common interests and wellness. The intent of charitable pursuits is, partly, to alleviate the detrimental effects of humanitarian crises by advocating for the rights of the marginalised and the underprivileged. It is thus of no surprise that the United Nations has shown great interest in the commemoration of Charity through a dedicated annual celebration – particularly as the United Nations is similarly committed to the maintenance of international peace and security, promoting social progress, and improving living standards and human rights protections. The United Nations invites its member states, private businesses, and citizens to utilise the International Day of Charity to contribute directly to charitable efforts in any way they see fit.
But the need for a day dedicated to charity does not negate the United Kingdom’s actual commitment to charitable projects. Indeed, the people of the United Kingdom donated an estimated amount of £11.3 billion to charities in 2020. This is an increase from the figure provided in 2019 which saw donations in the sum of £10.6 billion. Not even the COVID-19 pandemic hindered the people’s efforts to raise money for charity, especially with the impact of the pandemic shining a light on the disparities in living standards throughout the nation.
Despite the great progress made on the donations front, there is certainly a disparity between the practice of donation and the ideal of supporting the systemically marginalised and underprivileged.
The Dark Side of Charity
The commemoration of the global charitable efforts of Mother Teresa of Calcutta is something to be celebrated, but one would be bereft in their full perspective if one fails to consider the controversies that accompany charities. Indeed, maintaining a critical eye on the practices of charities – and the donating practices of ordinary citizens – should be of paramount importance in today’s era of growing social, environmental, and economic uncertainty. Even since 2013, the University of Ottawa worked to dispel the “myth of altruism and generosity” that surrounds seemingly infallible philanthropists such as Mother Teresa. From unsanitary conditions, inadequate provisions, and the fetishization of suffering, global charitable efforts often work to perpetuate coloniality:
“There is something beautiful in seeing the poor accept their lot, to suffer it like Christ’s Passion. The world gains much from their suffering.””
Notable historian Vijay Prashad denounces the “quintessential image of the white woman in the colonies, working to save the dark bodies from their own temptations and failures.” Whilst one must be aware of Mother Teresa’s lived experience as a Kosovan Albanian (an ethnic subgroup that inhabits parts of Macedonia, Albania and Serbia), it must be stated that the need to convert the ‘vulnerable and sick’ to Catholicism has insidious connotations of missionary colonialism.
Chase DiBenedetto shrewdly argues that “the process of giving away…wealth – choosing who is fit to receive charity – upholds vestiges of colonization.” Even looking at the statistics of charitable organisations most commonly donated to, one is able to identify this theme of upholding the current global status quo – with animal welfare being the most popular cause to support, holding 27% of donors in the United Kingdom.
During his tenure as Chancellor, Rishi Sunak announced a three-year cut to foreign aid. This action reduces overseas aid from the already minuscule 0.7% to 0.5% of the UK’s gross national income, cutting £4 billion in spending per year. This prompted warnings from the World Health Organisation, which stated that “millions could be left at risk of death and disability as a result.” More contemporaneously, the Conservative government deployed a new strategy of cutting down their aid given to multilateral organisations (such as the United Nations) by 25 percent by 2025, with then-Foreign Secretary (and now-Prime Minister) Liz Truss stating: “In an increasingly geopolitical world, we must use development as a key part of our foreign policy.” Touted as a reliable investment that allows the taxpayers’ money to be controlled in a more precise manner, global charity organisations have criticised this strategy as counter-intuitive to the goal of ending extreme poverty, as it relies upon the condition that nations desiring aid must partner with the United Kingdom through trade deals and investment partnerships. This, of course, runs contrary to the altruistic ambitions that underpin charitable pursuits.
Similarly, conflicting motivations are also experienced by young people and recent graduates who often have to compromise on their values and vocational callings in exchange for higher base salaries in corporate employment. This is further exacerbated by the current Cost of Living Crisis, whereby higher salaries can mean not having to choose between food, healthcare, transport, and other essentials.
Moving Forward
Edgar Villanueva – the founder of the Decolonizing Wealth Project – states that the decolonization of donations involves “taking an intersectional, historical look at how wealth has been generated and how it is being redistributed currently” – as a report by the D5 Coalition finds that 92 percent of foundation presidents are white as of 2020.
“I know as an indigenous person that my healing is contingent on the oppressor also part of that healing process. I can heal on my own. But, so far, we can’t heal as a community at large until we are all engaged in [decolonisation].””
The International Day of Charity logo
Indeed, historically, less than 10 percent of charitable giving goes to Black and Racialised communities. Black-led organisations receive, on average, 24 percent less than white-led organisations. Villanueva – and organisations such as BSWN – encourage individuals to survey the distribution of wealth by charitable organisations. Ideally, charities should trust in the opinions and demands of their recipients. Stepping back from making executive decisions, notable philanthropists should allow Black and Minoritised people to lead the charge on how charitable funds should be utilised, as white perspectives often overlook the nuanced needs of racialised bodies. Perhaps, this year’s International Day of Charity can be the day we begin to practice due diligence towards the activities of charities. For some perhaps even the day we begin to interrogate our own donating practices.
“Who have you decided to trust, and why?... Don’t demand more labor from smaller organizations, especially organizations run by and for people of color, than you do from larger ones.”
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