Uncultured Project and more

((Skip to "Too Long; Didn't Read?" if you just want a summary))

Let's face it: most human beings are essentially selfish creatures. Heck, I can be pretty selfish at times, I accept that. I can be pretty thoughtless, too, just like everyone else. And lord knows at times I lack perspective on just how great my life is in comparison to those of others on the planet.

The whole "survival of the fittest" attitude isn't something that goes away just because you're a sentient, "civilised" creature, in fact I'd argue it's worse the more mentally advanced a species you are, because understanding that you can help someone else and ignoring it is more selfish than having no concept of altruistic behaviour.

Anyway, this post had a point and it wasn't anything to do with Darwin, so let's get to that.

My point is this: it feels good to do good things, and even though we are selfish creatures by nature, we know this; it's just hard for some people to get motivated, and sometimes you can't see a way that you personally could help.

Well, good news, because I'm going to attempt, in a disjointed and rambling fashion, to show you some ways that you can do some good, and the best part is that you get to feel good about yourself, for a good reason instead of a self-involved one! (Not that you personally are self-involved, but you see my point)

Hank and John Green, two of my favouritest-favourite people in the universe head a worldwide group-that-is-and-isn't-a-group, Nerdfighters, an enormous gathering of nerdy folks who would like ultimately to decrease World Suck and increase World Awesome levels through various media. Some readers may have seen John and Hank on YouTube. Anyway.

Hank and John are advocates of doing good deeds for the reduction of poverty, the improvement of the environment, the curing of diseases, and for better and more readily available education, among other things.

You can find out lots about their various projects by visiting the links above. They frequently arrange donation drives in aid of something worthy, usually sponsoring one or both of them doing something ridiculous. Also their non-aid-related videos are extremely funny and worth watching if you're anywhere near as nerdy as I am.

Through Hank and John I discovered the Uncultured Project, created by Shawn Ahmed. He explains his motivations for starting the project thus:

"In 2006, I was a grad student at Notre Dame. Then I heard Dr. Jeffrey Sachs (author of the book "The End of Poverty") talk about how it's our generation's responsibility to end poverty. I withdrew from grad school, packed my bags, grabbed my laptop and bought a camcorder and then flew to Bangladesh to see how I could make a difference among some of the world's poorest."

Shawn visits impoverished areas, giving out mosquito nets, water filters, and other useful stuff, and helping people to improve their own lives. He works with companies and organisations in order to contribute as best he can. Shawn stresses that his project is not a charity, but just his attempt to make the world a better place, and at the same time show others that they CAN make a difference. The Uncultured Project now accepts donations, and through Shawn's YouTube videos you can see exactly how your money is being spent, and who is benefiting (it really is inspiring stuff).

Vestergaard Frandsen, whom I learned about through Shawn, is a company that manufactures disease control textiles. They produce incredibly useful technologies like LifeStraw water purifiers, PermaNet mosquito nets, ZeroFly sheeting, and CarePack boxes for HIV sufferers. You can help by taking advantage of their donate option, where you can buy water filters and mosquito nets, and they'll be distributed to the people who need them.

Here's some frightening perspective: for £100, you could buy a brand new DS Lite, or you could pay for 16 personal or 4 family-sized water filters, which filter out particles (read as: mud and other things too disgusting to bear thinking about) and harmful bacteria, and could, no, WILL, save lives. For an amazing example of how effective these filters are, see Shawn's video here.

This video, I think, sums up my feelings pretty well and shows Hank leading by example.


Too Long; Didn't Read? (not a summary of what's above, please keep reading)

Okay, so here's a run-down of what you can do to help:

- Ask friends and relatives to make a donation to an organisation in your honour instead of buying you a Christmas/ birthday/ wedding (etc.) present. List of suggested charities and projects below.

- Count up the pennies you've got lying around, and donate them to a worthy cause. They'll only sit around in various bowls and jars in your house otherwise.

- If you have a lot of disposable income, donate the £10 instead of buying that third DVD. It feels good, trust me.

- Arrange a bake/ boot sale or charity event to raise money for a cause, or get sponsored to eat Peeps, if you like (I have never eaten a Peep. Am I missing out? Maybe I should get sponsored to eat Peeps).

- Get personally involved in one of the many great projects out there!

- There are a million more things you could do, I'm just not patient enough to write them all down.

Some Amazing People, and How You Can Help:

Vestergaard Frandsen - donate LifeStraws or PermaNets.

Shawn Ahmed's Uncultured Project - donate and see what the money is being spent on.

Nerdfighters - find out about projects to decrease World Suck.

Oxfam - make a donation; buy someone animals, seeds or tools; donate to a specific project; donate shares; buy from the Ethical Collection.

Save the Children - donate, or sponsor a child.

Heifer International - buy an animal to help an impoverished family support themselves.


I hope this has been informative. :)

The part that relates to my Facebook status of earlier today: On a personal note to friends and family reading this, if you were to donate to one of these fantastic groups on my behalf instead of a gift, that would be the best gift you could give me. Yeah, I'm a sap. Shut up :P

Free hugs for all!
Harri