Philanthropy

Philanthropy for Social Development

By Tuti Alawiyah

Many people now live in bad conditions because of many factors, such as poverty, unhealthy areas, disaster, and war. They cannot afford their basic needs such as food, clean water, education, and health services. Looking at this condition, do we feel something; do we want to help them? As humans, we should show our compassion to others. This kind of human benevolence, the vocation to help the needy, is called philanthropy. Philanthropy, according to Payton (1988) is public actions for public goods. It can be in the form of voluntary giving, actions, and associations. The philanthropic traditions have developed in every culture and society in order to help less well-off people. Over time, philanthropic activities move from one phase to another, from charity to social change. Therefore, these three kinds of philanthropy (voluntary giving, services and associations) play a significant role in enhancing social development or social change.

Philanthropy is rooted in every religion, culture and society in the world as Ilchman (2003) pointed out. His study on philanthropy in the world’s traditions proved that idea. In many religions, such as Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, and Buddhism, the philanthropic tradition exists. In cultures as well, it exists in many tribes such as in indigenous communities. Philanthropic traditions also live both in developed countries such as the United States, England, and France, and in developing countries such as Indonesia and Egypt.

In these philanthropic traditions, voluntary giving is related to giving money as well as time. People probably will give their money or time intentionally (of their own volition) or after someone asks them. People who are rich will donate their money to causes or foundations. According to one study on philanthropy in Indonesia, it is mentioned that every household in Indonesia donated approximately $ 40.00 (Rp. 400.000.00) every year for many causes such as school, mosques, orphanage, and community organizations. (Abubakar & Bamualim, 2006). In the United States, one of the richest people donated $29 billion to Bill and Melinda Gates foundation in order to reduce “infectious disease (hepatitis B, AIDS, malaria) and improving high schools” (Forbes.com).

In the past, as noted by Luddy (2000), Irish women in the nineteenth century contributed significant donations to charitable organizations that concerned on women and children. She mentioned that Catherine McAuley, in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, the founder of the Sister of Mercy, for example, gave a fortune of £25,000 to her foundation. Another example in Ireland, the House of Refuge, established in 1802, had 78 percent women contributors in their total income in that year.

To help other people, besides by giving money, people also can give their time to work voluntarily by doing certain services or becoming involved in some voluntary associations. In the nineteenth century, as mentioned by Luddy (2001), many nuns and Protestant women did voluntary works such as visiting poor families and serving nurses in the hospital. From 1838 to 1844, for example, The Sisters of Mercy in Limerick visited 3,161 individuals.

In recent years, many people in Indonesia voluntarily came to disaster areas such as Aceh, where a tsunami attacked this province in December 2005 and Yogyakarta, the area that was attacked by an earthquake in 2006. These people worked hand in hand to help Aceh and Yogyakarta’s people by giving foods, shelter, and health services.

Voluntary giving of money and time will support social services and association activities. McCarthy (2000), in her book Women, Philanthropy, and Civil Society, for example, pointed out that women’s tradition of giving money and time has shaped women’s political culture --where women can be actively involved in social and political arenas. She also asserted that these women’s philanthropic activities in many parts of the world have helped to build women’s associations such as women NGOs and foundations. Luddy (2000) described how women in Ireland in the nineteenth century built women’s associations. Catholic nuns and Protestant women in Ireland became agents of social change through their work in helping orphanages and the destitute. Their activities range from building a school for poor children, home visiting and nursing in hospitals and suffrage campaigns for women. One of the big impacts of women’s philanthropy in Ireland is the growth of the Irish suffrage campaign through some organizations such as the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (1889), the Philanthropic Reform Association (1896), and the Irish Workhouse Association (1896).

Second, voluntary services means any action to provide services such as giving food, shelter, clean water, and health services to needy people. These areas of services are related to humans’ basic needs. Many philanthropic organizations focus on giving social services to societies. Dompet Dhuafa (DD), one of the largest philanthropic organizations in Indonesia, for example, mostly allocated its funds for social services such as health, education, and emergency needs. However, philanthropy can also provide social change activities, such as advocacy and community development. Davidson (n.d), for example, showed that philanthropic activities can go beyond social services. She mentioned that Teresa Heinz, Chairman of the Heinz Family Philanthropies, made efforts to help female elderly poor by giving some valuable, both quantitative and qualitative, information on the poor conditions of those elderly women to members of government. Besides, she tried to convince the public sector to have a concern for this elderly female poor issue.

Furthermore, Scott (1990) stated that over time, women’s philanthropy in the United States has moved from charity (social services) to reform issues. She gave examples of women’s voluntary associations that concern on social services and reform issues. The Society for the Relief of Poor Widows with Small Children established in New York City in 1797 was one of organizations that focused on giving services for women and children. Yet, the American Woman Suffrage Association established in the 1860s was concerned with women’s political rights.

The third philanthropic activities are voluntary association. As asserted by Payton (n.d) in his article Two Kinds of Associations, voluntary association has a vital role in philanthropic actions. Through associations, people can bring together all human resources to do something that addresses some problems. For example, if someone wants to build a school for poor people, he/she cannot easily realize it alone. This project would need funds, materials, and human resources to come together to realize this action. Therefore, the association becomes an instrument for philanthropic actions. Some examples of voluntary associations that exist in Indonesia are Dompet Dhuafa, Pos Keadilan Peduli Umat, and LAZIS Muhammadiyah. DD, for example, not only serves basic needs such as giving foods, educations, and health services, but also provides social and economic development such as organizing community, developing economic life, and giving advocacy for women workers.

In Egypt, according to Baron (2000) there was a women’s philanthropic organization, the Society of Egyptian Ladies’ Awakening, founded by Labiba Ahmad (1870s-1951). This foundation helped orphaned and abandoned girls by teaching them Islamic values, giving them education, and training them in skills in order to become more independent women in the future. Besides that, as mentioned by Baron, this foundation had a significant role in propagating the idea of amalgamating Islam and nationalism in Egypt’s society.

In general, philanthropic activities through voluntary giving, services, and associations support social development or social change. Social development in this context is defined as qualitative changes in “the structure and functioning of society that help society to better realize its aims and objectives” (Wikipedia, the Free Dictionary). By philanthropy, Bill Gates, for example, develops communities through giving more opportunities and a better future for children in the world. Women’s voluntary associations in many places such as Ireland, the United States, and Egypt have provided welfare services and brought societies to the awareness of women’s rights, such as economic and political rights. Through several efforts made by women’s associations in enhancing women’s engagement in public life in the past, women, nowadays, can easily come to political arenas by becoming senators, ministers, and presidential candidates.

In conclusion, helping less well-off people is expressing humans’ benevolence to others. In terms of voluntary giving, services, and associations, philanthropy plays an important role in enhancing social development. Through several programs, ranging from social services (charity) to social change, philanthropy enables societies, especially women and children, to get better life conditions.

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References

Abubakar, I. & Bamualim, Ch. S. (Eds.). (2006). Filantropy Islam dan Keadilan Sosial.Center for the Study of Religion and Culture UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta and the Ford Foundation Jakarta.

Baron, B. (2001). An Islamic activist in interwar Egypt. In K. D. McCarthy (Ed.),Women, philanthropy, and civil society ( pp. 225-244). Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press.

Davidson, E.M. (n.d.). Report on: women’s philanthropy in the United States: trends and development. Retrieved on June 23, 2007, from http://www.philanthropy.org/publications/online_publications/women_paper.pdf.

Luddy, M. (2001). Women and philanthropy in nineteenth-century Ireland. . In K. D. McCarthy (Ed.),Women, philanthropy, and civil society ( pp. 9-28). Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press.

McCarthy, K. D. (Ed.). (2001). Women, philanthropy, and civil society. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.

Payton, R. L. (1988) Philanthropy voluntary action for the public good. New York: American Council on Education and Macmillan Publishing Company.

Payton, R. L. (n.d). Two Kinds of Association. Retrieved 7 July, 2007, from http://www.paytonpapers.org/output/ESS0061_1.shtm.

Scott, A.F. (1990). Women’s voluntary associations: from charity to reform. In K. D. McCarthy (Ed.), Lady bountiful revisited: women, philanthropy, and power (pp. 35-54). New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press.

Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved on August 2, 2007 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_development_theory.