Parents of schoolchildren work to construct the foundation of new classrooms at Nuestra Senora de los Pobres in Zacatecoluca

When I tell others about The Least Among Us and its mission, I’m always sure to emphasize a very important fact about the poor in El Salvador. Poverty, especially in the third world, does not signify complacency. The Salvadoran people we help do not lack ambition or the desire to improve themselves or their lot in life. They simply lack capital. I know from experience that they share our desire to improve ourselves, grow in virtue and knowledge, provide for our families, etc.  Simply put, in a rapidly globalizing, technology-centered economy, the system works over their heads.

As I thought about the virtue of charity, especially as it relates to financial support of our mission, I found an interesting parallel. Just as the poor want to improve their situation but lack the resources and raw materials to do so, all of us in the USA are deeply aware of great, noble, pure ambitions within our hearts that we never realize for a variety of reasons.  For some it’s a lack of courage, and for others it’s the scarcity of time.  And yes, like our Salvadoran brethren, we have all struggled with a lack of money or resources.

So in some ways The Least Among Us serves both the poor and its donors. For the poor, it provides resources to allow them to improve themselves mentally, physically, and spiritually. For donors, it creates opportunities to realize those great, noble, pure desires we all have but worry will never be realized.  It’s a win-win situation. A candle burning at both ends emits twice the light, right?

I started this post hoping to draw attention to some of the easiest ways to support The Least Among Us financially, so I must emphasize that if it is scarcity of time or treasure keeping you from helping, please take a look at the online giving service we have partnered with, Network for Good. Several donors are making clever use of the site to make small monthly donations, as little as $10 or $15. This may seem an insignificant amount, but if every fan did the same, our impact on the lives of those we help would be greatly magnified.  It is also very convenient, since many of us are so busy that remembering to sit down and make a donation every month is a pie-in-the-sky.

Finally, remember that most banks have very useful and user-friendly online autopay tools, whereby a client may designate a payee and an amount and the bank will take care of the rest: a check will be issued and mailed on a one-time or monthly basis without further hassle or postage fees.  So ask your bank, and when you sit down to pay your electricity or gas bill, remember your brothers and sisters in El Salvador at the price of two or three coffees every month.