International Day of Charity

Every year, charities all over the world help to save and improve people’s lives, fighting disease, protecting children, and giving hope to many thousands of people.

Learn about International Day of Charity

Charity is vital, as it enables us to reach out to wider parts of society, assisting those who need our help the most. This is why the International Day of Charity is so important. It raises awareness about charity and why it is important to help those who are in need.

International Day of Charity serves to increase and enhance social responsibility across the entire world, increasing our support for charitable causes and bringing everyone together in solidarity. This day presents you with a great opportunity to get involved in the charity events that are going on around the world.

As we will explain more in the next section, the United Nations created this date, and so they have a very big role to play when it comes to the charitable efforts that are going on around the world, especially on this date. The UN invites all member states, as well as various companies and organizations and individuals to celebrate this date by doing anything they can to contribute their charity efforts. The UN encourages activities that raise awareness, driving education, and charity donations in a way of pushing just how critical charity is.

History of International Day of Charity

To honor the important work that these many charities do, in 2012 the United Nations decided to nominate an annual International Day of Charity as an official day of recognition and celebration. The reason the date was chosen is because it is the anniversary of the death of Mother Teresa of Calcutta.

This choice commemorates the tireless work that Mother Teresa did by devoting her whole life to charity work. To celebrate this special day every year, the work of different charities all over the word is publicised and celebrated, and people are encouraged to donate money and time, to carry out charitable works, and also to educate people and raise awareness about the many charitable issues worldwide. Education and giving are the essence of this special day.

As the day commemorates the work of Mother Teresa, it is important that we tell you a bit more about her. Mother Teresa was born on the 26th of August 1910 as Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu. She is honored as Saint Teresa of Calcutta in the Catholic Church. She founded a Roman Catholic religious congregation, the Missionaries of Charity, in 1950. The Missionaries of Charity is active all over the world, with thousands of nuns all around the world. The congregation manages homes for those who are dying of tuberculosis, leprosy, and HIV/AIDs. It also runs schools, orphanages, family counseling programmes, children’s counseling programmes, mobile clinics, dispensaries, and soup kitchens. Members take vows of obedience, poverty, and chastity. They also profess a fourth vow, which is to give a “wholehearted free service to the poorest of the poor.” Over the years, Mother Teresa has been awarded with many different honors. This includes being given the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979, as well as the Tamon Magsaysay Peace Prize in 1962.

How to celebrate International Day of Charity

There are various ways that you can get involved with the International Day of Charity. It does not matter how much money you have to spare or how much time you are available; charitable donations are welcomed in any form, big or small. It is all about doing what is manageable for you. After all, there is no point in getting yourself in financial trouble. If you cannot afford to donate any money, why not donate a bit of your time instead?

On International Day of Charity, it is worth taking a look at the different charities in your local area, as well as your preferred worldwide charities to see if they have any events that are going on. If they don’t, you could take it upon yourself to organize a charity event. Fundraising events are always welcomed. All you need is an idea that everyone can get involved in. It does not need to be complicated. This is why bake sales and fun runs work so well. Of course, you don’t need to organize an event to fundraise; there are plenty of other ways to do this. For example, you could decide to take on a challenge, such as a skydive, and raise donations for this, or you may decide to sell a certain craft or product and donate some of the proceeds to charity. The options are endless, so we are sure you will be able to find something that works for you.

You can also spend the day learning more about Mother Teresa in order to pay honor to the International Day of Charity. There have been a number of films and books that Mother Teresa has been the subject of. Her authorized biography was published in 1992 as well, so you could read this. It is very interesting and gives you a great insight into Mother Teresa’s work. The Letters is a film that is based on Mother Teresa’s letters to Celeste van Exem, a Vatican priest. This film was released in 2014, and Teresa was played by Juliet Stevenson. This is one movie that you could watch on the International Day of Charity. Another great film is Mother Teresa: In the Name of God’s Poor. Geraldine Chaplin played Teresa in the film, which received an Art Film Festival award in 1997. You may also want to look into Malcolm Muggeridge’s Something Beautiful for God, which is a 1972 book and 1969 documentary film. The film has been created with drawing the Western world’s attention to the work of Mother Teresa.

You can also spend International Day of Charity learning about different charities. There are lots of charities around the world, with various causes. This includes charities for mental health, animal shelters, charities for seniors, organizations for those with specific health problems, charities for the homeless, and so on and so forth. You are bound to find a charity that touches your heart and appeals to you. Spend some time doing research online to learn about the different charities and organizations. Not all of the charities out there today have big budgets to spend on advertising campaigns and such like, and so you may not be aware of the hard work that is being done. This is why we recommend taking the time to read up on the different charities that are out there, as you are bound to find one that you can relate to and that matters to you. You can make a donation to them, or you can get in touch and find out what sort of help they need. It could be that they would really value your time. Don’t forget to raise awareness on social media and such like.