5th September International Day of Charity; Feast Day St 'Mother' Teresa

What is charity?

Charity is the voluntary provision of assistance to those in need. It serves as a humanitarian act, and is unmotivated by self-interest. 

In most general situations, people define charity as giving resources like money and time to a greater cause without expecting anything in return. The purpose of charity, or selfless giving, is aimed to serve the most vulnerable groups in society, helping them ensure that their basic needs and human rights are met.

In Christian theology, charity (Latin: caritas) is considered one of the seven virtues.

Charity is a hard concept to explain to the young students I teach. They do not think about giving money unless they get something in return and unfortunately quite a few of the charitable things that schools engage in like Jump Rope for Heart, Jellybeans for Diabetes, or Jeans for Genes Day do provide things in exchange for raising or giving money and therefore really do not constitute selfless giving.

The International Day of Charity is celebrated every year on  5th September. It honours the anniversary of Mother Teresa's passing. It was declared by the United Nations General Assembly in 2012. The day serves to increase and enhance social responsibility across the entire world, increasing our support for charitable causes and bringing everyone together in solidarity. 

Reading about people such as Mother Teresa who was involved in giving selflessly to vulnerable people will help children to understand what this day is about. Mother Teresa, the renowned nun and missionary, was born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu in 1910 in   In 1928 she went to India, where she devoted herself to helping the destitute.  In 1948 she became an Indian citizen and founded the order of Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta in 1950, which became noted for its work among the poor and the dying in that city. Mother Teresa received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 “for work undertaken in the struggle to overcome poverty and distress, which also constitute a threat to peace.”

With very young children it might be easier to talk about giving and generosity rather than charity and books can help with this too.

These two biographies highlight two people who have given so much to help others

• Jose Feeds the World  by Marta Álvarez Miguéns 

The true story of Jose Andres, an award-winning chef, food activist, and founder of World Central Kitchen, a disaster-relief organization that uses the power of food to nourish communities after catastrophe strikes.

•  Food is Hope  by Jeff Gottesfeld

Hunger continues to be an international problem. This true story of how one ordinary person did something extraordinary shows how everyone can do something to make a difference.  John van Hengel's ingenious, yet obvious solution to both food waste and widespread hunger.

These will also help you start a conversation about giving: