Acumen Fund

I like what the Acumen Fund is doing. They seem to be using their money wisely--investing where it matters most like drip-irrigation, solar-powered ambulances, and even public restrooms in Mumbai where sanitation is an issue and where people don't have much dignity.

At first, I wasn't sure about Seth Godin's speech about encouraging poor people to be consumers because it will help buisnesses make a profit which will trickle down through goods and jobs etc. It seemed like we were thrusting the American ideal of consumerism on people who barely have enough to eat, which is foolhearty. And this would be true if we were encouraging them to buy Nike's. But if we encourage them to buy something valuable--like soap--then both parties win (as Seth Godin pointed out). People who can spend less energy on surviving can spend more energy on something to make the world a little better.

But this leads me to another question. Is it possible to create a perfectly balanced, closed system for goods and services? If all these people are now living and producing more than is required to survive, where will all that extra go (especially, if Americans stop consuming so much in order to save the environment)? I don't know the answer to that. But I do know, that we are called to relieve suffering wherever we can and this is what I plan to do.