Giving Compass' Take:

• Beth Kirkbride at Medium writes upon her own experiences visiting India and how it taught her that to see real, tangible action everyone must roll our sleeves up, be prepared to get dirty and share your time. 

• Philanthropy in India has changed a great deal over the years and now would be a good time for investors to look into programs and organizations there. 

• Here's an article on building bolder philanthropy in India. 

In 2017 I spent a month interning with The Telegraph in Kolkata, India. I learnt a lot on this trip and developed significantly as a person and as a writer, but rather than tell my ‘gap-yah’ tale, I want to focus on what the West can learn from Indian charity models.

Without a doubt, the most important piece of writing I did whilst I was there was reporting on the Robin Hood Army’s efforts to tackle poverty and hunger. The RHA is a volunteer based, zero-funds organisation that works to get surplus food from restaurants and the community to serve the less fortunate.

The organisation regularly aims to deliver food packages to those in need, with volunteers giving up their evenings and weekends to do food drops. In addition, every Independence Day (which is on 15 August in India) they challenge their team of dedicated volunteers to deliver food to a staggering number of people across India and Pakistan.

Read the full article about what the West can learn from India by Beth Kirkbride at Medium.