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Right now I won't talk about steemit, @rok-sivante! Because perhaps it is not at this time the platform that helps the smallest. I'll talk about you! I have just read your previous publication and you have left me with a cheerful heart. I saw a person translate your post and told you that he does it to earn money because his mother is sick. You voted for him twice! That gesture, perhaps unnoticed by others, is not so for God, who sees the good you do. Perhaps many people take advantage of our good hearts and good deeds, but sin is not in you but in the other who does evil. The world is full of angels! There will always be people who will help you on your way, who will give you their wings so that you can fly or protect yourself. Some angels are anonymous, perhaps like you, who in a simple gesture, not only helped, you also taught that he who gives, has no memory. The one who receives always remembers! Thank you infinitely.

It’s interesting, seeing how Steemit does kinda link into this charity/giving theme...

How the rewards model formed the backbone of an entirely different kind of ecosystem, wherein such opportunities have been made possible.

I mean, it doesn’t reall “cost” me anything to give votes - (well, perhaps there is an opportunity cost, as I could be delegating my SP to some bid bot and earning a return on it, but nonetheless - yet, choosing to keep funds invested here and exercise such voting power, it actually can/does make a significant difference. And, the model really aligns with my personal philosophy, as it’s not just “giving away,” but a show of gratitude where I acknowledge and appreciate value.

Without question, Steemit was a huge blessing for me that came at such a perfect time. As much as I might feel like I wanna fuck off sometimes, I do truly cherish the opportunity I’ve been gifted to pay forward the blessing - focusing my votes towards those in “developing” countries, given a little goes a lot further there. (As I’m sure you can relate to, being in Venezuela).

So yeah, quite interesting to loop back from this post made 9 years ago, connecting the dots with how this platform is a vehicle for making a difference... it never even occurred to me until I had finished writing “your welcome.” Haha! 😇

Your welcome. 🙏

I applaud your gesture! Even if it sounds a little trite: the world would be different if there were more people like you. Surely if I wore a hat, I would take it off in front of you. Thank you.

I've heard about people giving clothing to be donated to needy people in Africa, but what I didn't realize for many years is that when clothes are donated, it can drive local clothing businesses out of business. The businesses can't compete with FREE clothing, so they have nothing to sell.

That or the donated clothes are sold by the bundle for a low price. The bundles are bought by people who want to have a clothing stand and can get inventory inexpensively from the wholesaler. This still can put clothing businesses out of business because it's tough to compete with a business model that gets their goods subsidized by the donation method. In that way, people can be doing more harm by donating clothes than they would be if they didn't donate clothes. Strange, right?

I was really excited when I heard about Kiva because I was envisioning a site where people could get a loan to buy chickens and then raise them to sell the eggs. Maybe they didn't have the capital to start it, but if they were able to start, they'd be able to pay the loan off with the proceeds from their business. There are still some good options that follow that type of model, but there are a significant number that are things like loans to remodel their house. Those frustrate me because we're encouraging them to become debt takers, rather than entrepreneurs. They could be saddled with that debt until default.

It's not all bad though. There are some organizations out there that do focus on equipping people. Some of the well-drilling organizations help get access to clean water for the villages which can allow the people (often women and children) to have a much safer and time-efficient way to get the most basic of resources. This opens up more time for them to go to school, start a business, plant crops. Like you said though, it needs to be focused on equipping, not just giving handouts.

Tough challenges, when we think about how to “help” others in distant countries. I had read some article a while ago about the phenomenon of white men wanting to “help” in Africa, yet it sometimes turns out to be a whole weird dynamic, sometimes not so different than the whole colonist stuff or some saviour-complex, as our help isn’t always wanted or suitably-fit to the actual needs of the people.

As per the other comment above - it’s kinda cool seeing how Steemit plays a role in transferring wealth across borders, opening opportunities for those in developing countries access to these new crypto-based income streams and services. Shall be quite interesting seeing how things evolve in the years ahead as the economic models adapt to the new technology and consciousness...

it’s kinda cool seeing how Steemit plays a role in transferring wealth across borders

Yes! There's on guy in particular that I follow who lives in Venezuela where they're dealing with crippling hyper-inflation. (That's something that most of us in the world who deal with fiat currency will likely experience soon.) He actually makes enough by doing small posts to help his family. Even with the price of Steem down to where it is, it's still a meaningful amount of money to him. And it's not like it's being given to him for free. He's providing a service by giving on-the-ground reporting from inside Venezuela from the perspective of someone who lives there. There's someone who helps facilitate him getting currency in exchange for his Steem, but it's awesome to see Steemit actually adding to his life that way.

He hasn't posted in a little while, but his account is @jjuuaanchoo if you're interested.

This is a success story. 👌🙏

You made an excellent summary of what happens in my country and how steemit helps me @themanwithnoname One of the problems of living in Venezuela is the lack of a quality internet service, in my house there has not been for a few months so I must take advantage of my free time in my work to review steemit.
I did not know @rok-sivante but from now on I start to follow it I see that it has very interesting content

Thanks, I'm glad it was a good summary. Sorry your internet has been so spotty. I'm glad you're still around. :)

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