Hello again! Welcome back to another one of KinoSol’s blogs! I hope you have gotten a better idea of who KinoSol is through these past few posts. We’ve talked about Specific Benefit Corporations and who we are. Now, you may be wondering why one of KinoSol’s values is giving first, but we don’t believe in giving handouts. It seems a little counterintuitive, especially in our work with developing countries. Well, you are in luck! I’m about to share why KinoSol believes in giving a hand up, not handouts!
While free food, clothes, or housing seems like the way to reduce poverty, the idea is a bit misleading. According to Georgia’s Public Policy Foundation, providing goods or services to people without a price puts the donor in charge of the process. People or nations struggling with poverty need to get the chance to help themselves. By putting them in control, we give them the opportunity to learn skills to make their lives better. “It doesn’t matter if someone is dependent on government aid, or private charity; Either way, the result is bad.”
So let’s break this concept down a bit more. KinoSol could provide free dehydrated foods to our partners in developing countries. We would do the work for dehydrating mangoes, bananas, and tomatoes. The smallholder farmers would feed their families for the next month, and cross their fingers that KinoSol would bring another shipment in the following weeks. It requires the smallholder farmers to be dependent on someone bringing them supplies.
Instead, KinoSol charges a nominal fee of time and money for our participants. We help farmers implement and understand how to use a dehydrator. They gain the ability to dehydrate their own food from harvest. After attending our training sessions, farmers have the tools and understanding to be successful. “Give a man a fish, he’ll eat for a day. Teach a man to fish, he’ll eat for life” – Lao Tzu. Or in KinoSol’s case, teach a farmer to dehydrate, they’ll eat the fruits of their harvest all year long for years to come.
In the words of Edward Feulner, Ph.D., “A food stamp won’t find you a job,” and KinoSol strongly agrees. A solar-powered food dehydrator may have the chance to improve a farmer’s life, but only if it’s given in the right manner. So because of this, we believe giving a hand up, is much more beneficial than any handout. Here at Kinosol, we want the farmers to improve their own lives, and we provide the tools and teachings necessary to help them do that.
So there you have it, KinoSol’s thoughts on why we believe in giving a hand up, not handouts. We are on a mission to change the world, but that starts with helping individuals change first. If you have questions about our values or anything else, contact us! And as always, check back next week to see our newest blog post!
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