INTRODUCTION: THE TRASH PICKER, THE SLAVE, AND THE GARMENT MAKER (THE WORLD, 2001-2018) xiii PART I Why Give (When I Have Problems of My Own)? CHAPTER 1 Life After College (Nepal, 2001) The mission / The responsibility of privilege 3 CHAPTER 2 One Night in a Slum Showed Me How Poor I Was (Kenya, 2010) Why should we care when we have our own problems? / My problem with missionaries / Giving thoughts and prayers 11 CHAPTER 3 We Aren''t the Heroes (Kenya, 2010) Toxic charity / Fair trade travel 19 CHAPTER 4 Confessions of a Volunteer Addict (Indiana, 2010) Benefits of volunteering / 100-hour rule /Make where you live interesting 25 CHAPTER 5 What Can One Person Do? (Cambodia, 2017) Leaving Hollywood for a dump in Cambodia / The White Savior Industrial Complex 37 CHAPTER 6 Happiness Isn''t Having a Lot; It''s Giving a Lot (Cambodia, 2017) The Hero''s journey / What The Matrix teaches us about happiness and purpose / Four pillars of meaning 47 CHAPTER 7 Giving Is Complicated: Ethnic Cleansing in the Most Generous Nation on Earth (Myanmar, 2017) Change starts with students / Problem with empathy / World Giving Index / Problem with orphanages 63 CHAPTER 8 Seeing Differently to Make a Difference (Myanmar, 2017) A not-so-noble Nobel Peace Prize winner / Problem with karma / Intent matters 75 CHAPTER 9 Giving on Purpose (Myanmar, 2017) Giving alms / Meditating on giving 83 CHAPTER 10 The Gift of Tasting Ice Cream (Myanmar, 2017) A former monk on giving / Solitude / Thoreau''s three chairs 89 PART II What Can I Give? CHAPTER 11 Science of Do-gooding (Kenya, 2017) Effective altruism / The cost to save a life / Should you give your kidney? / Extreme givers 99 CHAPTER 12 Money for Nothing (Kenya, 2017) Universal basic income / Proximity to need / The poor are better givers 115 CHAPTER 13 No Justice, No Peace (Kenya, 2017) Election chaos / Freedom versus aid / Legacy of colonialism / Human rights / Maslow''s Hierarchy of Needs 123 CHAPTER 14 Giving Is Immeasurable: Change One, Change 100 (Kenya, 2017) Waging peace on warriors / Stepping-stones in the river of life / Education as a path out of poverty 137 PART III Start Local CHAPTER 15 Growing Up Gandhi (India, 2017) Mandated giving / The Mother Teresa controversy / Gandhi on giving 149 CHAPTER 16 Start with Your Local (India, 2017) Crossing caste lines / Towers and slums / Untouchables 157 CHAPTER 17 Start Small (India, 2017) Locals challenging societal norms / Creating leaders / The girl effect 169 PART IV The Gift of Travel CHAPTER 18 Should You Go on a Slum Tour? (India, 2017) Poverty porn? / History of "slumming it" / Impact of slum tours 177 CHAPTER 19 Joy in a Hopeless Place (Kenya, 2017) Safari Doctors / Following the locals'' lead / Go make a difference / Investing in people 185 CHAPTER 20 See Yourself in the Lives of Others (Kenya, 2017) It''s a wonderful life? / Our struggles connect us / Wisdom of traditional societies 197 CHAPTER 21 Travel If You Can - It''s Fatal to Prejudice (Kenya, 2017) How travel makes you a better human / Travel creates philanthropists / Responsible tourism / Reverse culture shock 207 PART V Is Helping Helping? CHAPTER 22 The Kiva Controversy (Cambodia, 2017) The problem with microlending / Meeting Kiva borrowers / Giving fads 221 CHAPTER 23 Sponsor a Child, Save theWorld? (Zambia, 2017) The realities of child sponsorship / Stories versus stats / Psychic numbing / Aid and dependency 231 CHAPTER 24 Marine Wages War on Poverty Through Locally-Led Change (Kenya, 2010) Fighting terrorism by fighting poverty / Starting with the end in mind 247 CHAPTER 25 The Little Village That Was Supposed to Change the World (Kenya, 2017) UN''s Millennium Development Goals / Can unlimited resources end poverty? / Do we need more or less id? 255 PART VI Our Gifts Connect Us to the World CHAPTER 26 The Strength in Your Story (US, 2011-2018) The art of listening / The gift of your story 265 CHAPTER 27 The X Factor in the Good Person Equation 271 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 275 ABOUT THE AUTHOR 279 APPENDIX A Giving Appendix 281.