When we hear the word donation, most of us think of giving money or emptying our wardrobes. Don’t get me wrong! These unused goods might be more useful for someone else who is in much more need of them. Money can help build schools, provide medical supplies and sponsor a family. However, donating goes beyond this.
There are different forms of how one can donate. As mentioned above, monetary donation is always helpful yet offering one’s time is another type of donation. Offering one’s time to listen to someone’s troubles, giving a helping hand at a local voluntary organisation, chatting with abandoned people and befriending a person with mental illness are all forms of donating one’s time. There are multiple ways of how we can donate our time but these are some that came across my mind. Other popular types of donations are blood donations and hair donations to be manufactured into wigs.
Giving something without expecting anything in return is said to be one of life’s greatest gifts. Whilst we are donating or volunteering, we explore and find our inner strengths thus nourishing self-growth and development. It is said to increase life satisfaction as well (Willigen, 2000). My aim behind this blog is to encourage the readers to donate and help others. So I urge you to detach from the hectic world we live in for a couple of minutes and write down a checklist of ways you can donate and help. Then start ticking one by one. The more you tick, the greater difference you are making in people’s life. I encourage you to embark on this mission!
Danica Cassar is a third year psychology student at the University of Malta. She is the Triage Manager at Willingness.com.mt. You can visit her profile on: https://zme.tec.mybluehost.me/willingnessmt/team/danica-cassar/
Marieke Van Willigen; Differential Benefits of Volunteering Across the Life Course, The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, Volume 55, Issue 5, 1 September 2000, Pages S308–S318, https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/55.5.S308