In fact, I probably would have died as a toddler. I never would have gone to school, never would have become a stronger person from overcoming whatever difficulties, never would have become a Christian or taught anyone else about the bible, or anything else except being a lesson for my parents on how to let go. I never would have made the friends I have made except one, or traveled, wrote poetry, or organized any events or played games with my friends or learned any songs or started any campfires.
As a fundraiser when people would ask "why" I do this it was almost difficult to sum it up in one sentence, especially when I couldn't tell for sure if they were coming from the angle of "because it's not going to end poverty overall", or just a general "what motivates you?" Other times it was a prequel to a more specific question like I chose this charity, or occasionally if I am religious, but those ones are easy.
Sometimes I'd go with the starfish story. If that felt too long for the situation, then the best I might come up with is because even if it won't change the whole world, it will change somebody's world. I did nothing to earn the situation I was born into, and if I were born into theirs I'd really hope someone would help me this way.
Sometimes people would criticize us for helping people who live in other countries. It does not invalidate the plight of people who live in ours or mean we should not help them too to decide to help a stranger from another place with their basic needs for survival.
Who cares what side of an imaginary line on a map we were born on? Let's just help whoever we can, whoever is in reach. It is truly sad that sometimes people in need within our our country of residence are actually harder to help than someone from another, but that doesn't make it wrong to help the person from somewhere else.
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