THERE IS AN EXPLOSION IN THE WORLD TODAY FROM GIVERS AND DOERS

Former President Bill Clinton is leading many of them, because he can. Clinton has done charitable work most of his life, as he tells us in his recent book called “Giving.” But now he is in it big-time. Through his Clinton Foundation, and others that he is affiliated with, he carries on wonderful work around the globe. As he says there’s plenty to do. About half the world’s population survives on $2 a day. So putting his Foundation to work they are in 25 countries and forty more other countries to diagnose and treat HIV/AIDS. Right now they have seen 750,000 each year  treated. This represents a third of all those in the developing world receiving treatment today.

We have watched so many get involved in a serious way, whether it’s down the street from you or in another city or state or around the other side of our planet. These efforts are being lauded too as we see from Jimmy Carter’s Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 and in 2006 the awarding of the Prize for Muhammad Yunus of Bangladesh for his formation of the wonderful micro-loan program and the Grameen Bank. They make loans of up to a few hundred dollars to women and young entrepreneurs for boosting their businesses. They ask for no collateral and the loans get paid back promptly. This builds businesses and whole neighborhood economies. This idea has spread to dozens of countries, including our own. What a simple and great idea.

Martin Luther King said it simply and best with: “Everyone can be great because everyone can serve.” Service to our fellow man in every way is growing. It often may have the effect of healing old battles and rivalries. It certainly can save lives, as the Gates Foundation is finding with their wonderful research work in malaria vaccines.  They know that they may be able to save 5 million African babies every year if this help proves viable. Bill Clinton is not the first former President to do this and even write a simple tribute to giving. But here you will find a wonderful portrait of some of the efforts, both giant and small, being carried on to help our fellow man.