My first reaction on seeing the top ranking countries of the World Giving Index recently was “tell us something we don’t know”. That is because Sri Lanka has moved up three notches and ranked fifth in the 2016 World Giving Index (WGI) compiled by the UK based Charities Aid Foundation (CAF). Sri Lanka was ranked eight last year and ninth, the year before.
Helping others is virtually in our genes, so this comes as no surprise. Moreover, helping others and volunteering comes naturally to us due to the Buddhist influence and cultural nuances which pervade all communities in Sri Lanka.
About 148,000 people in 140 countries were surveyed as part of the Gallup World Poll by the CAF to compile this year’s index, which looked at sub categories of number of people donating money, participation in helping a stranger and participation in volunteering time. Myanmar tops the list as the most generous country in the world followed by the US, Australia, New Zealand and Sri Lanka. Again, Myanmar’s position can be explained in terms of its Buddhist backdrop.
“Myanmar maintains its number one ranking seen in 2015 but its position has grown stronger as the 2016 score is now five percentage points higher than its five year average. Other countries with strong upward trends this year are Sri Lanka, Indonesia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Kenya,” the index report said.
Survey
Our South Asian neighbours did not fare all that well in the survey, with only Bhutan managing to come within the top 20 at 18. India ranked at 91, Pakistan at 92, Afghanistan at 78, Nepal at 39, and Bangladesh at 94 in the index.
John Low, Chief Executive of the CAF said the generosity of people, even in countries suffering from disaster and turmoil, was truly humbling. This we know from experience – even at the height of the conflict, our streak of generosity did not wane.
“It’s amazing that more than half the people in the world said they helped a stranger. In every country, people have this in-built desire to give and help others. Governments should encourage that spirit of generosity and create the environment in which a strong civil society can flourish allowing people to reach out to those less fortunate than themselves,” he said.
The report added: “We continue to be humbled by signs of generosity across the globe in times of adversity, with people rallying when there is a greater need within the population. Iraq, for the second year, occupies the number one position on helping a stranger despite the ongoing civil war whilst Libya, interviewed for the first time since 2012 has increased on this measure despite their bloody civil war.
It appears that their increasingly fragile civil societies, coupled with greater need amongst the population, is encouraging more people to be responsive out of sheer necessity.” Iraq and Libya, both of which are affected by terrorism and violence, have topped the CAF’s Top Countries for helping a Stranger ranking with Somalia ranked fourth.
The CAF ranking is a positive endorsement of the friendliness and generosity of the Sri Lankan people, who often go out of their way to help others, even total strangers. Open any tourist guidebook and you will see the sentence that “Sri Lankans are among the friendliest people on Earth”. Even the poorest person will flash a smile for a tourist or visitor. Even the poorest family will invite a weary traveller in to share a meal – there are many who will gladly forego their own meal to help someone in need. Rich or poor, our generosity knows no bounds. Indeed, Lankans believe that even if an enemy comes to your home, he or she should be well treated.
This streak of generosity was amply seen at two events in living memory - one was the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami, when virtually the entire country got together to help the victims. The same phenomenon was repeated after the recent massive floods. In both instances people eager to help their compatriots virtually emptied supermarket and store shelves overnight. Many people volunteered their time, money and vehicles for distributing the relief materials to all affected areas.
Misunderstood
This brings us to the much misunderstood question – does helping others only mean donating money ? While donating money is still the “number one” way of helping others, one does not have to spend a cent to help other people. If you help an elderly person to cross a busy road, it does not cost anything. The best example for volunteerism in our country is the concept of “Shramadana” (literally donating labour) where a group of people get together to complete a project – be it clearing a land, renovating a road or harvesting a crop field. There is no money involved at all – the only reward for the time and energy spent is the spirit of brotherhood and some delicious food partaken in a communal sitting.
There are, of course, occasions when swindlers make use of Sri Lankans’ innate desire to help others. People often fall for various scams whereby the perpetrators initiate a bogus project to “help the needy”. In the end, they only help themselves and get away with the funds collected. This is why it is important to probe a little further if someone seeks a donation from you, especially online. Entrance tickets to various events proclaim that the “proceeds will go to charity” without clearly mentioning any or all of the charities concerned. Buyers have every right to inquire from the organisers as to what these charities and good causes are.
Beggars at traffic lights also exploit the generosity of motorists, but this can lead to serious accidents. The beggars themselves are at risk of being knocked over by passing vehicles. Police have recently taken action to evict some of these beggars from busy intersections. There is a humanitarian side to this story, but the authorities have to take action for the greatest good of the greatest number.
Disposable
Sri Lankans must strive to improve on this ranking in the coming years. We are already a Middle Income country and many people have a good disposable income used for travel and leisure. If you set aside even one tenth of that budget for a worthy cause e.g. to buy a pair of shoes for a child attending a remote school, you will gain far more satisfaction than say, going to a movie. One does not have to be rich to help others – all you ought to have is a good heart, the determination to help and a desire to spread happiness. Then, altruism truly becomes second nature.