Adopting a kindergarden

There are two good tools for eliminating poverty

  • education
  • progressive taxation

I as an individual cannot do much about reforming the taxation system. But I may be able to do something about education!

In the past few weeks I was researching the shortcomings of the education system in Hungary. A lot has been said about how the teachers are underpaid, and how the material is outdated. As I was getting deeper and deeper into my research, I got more and more interested in the situation of kids in poverty. On how they drop out of schools. On how they are disproportionately affected by the current coronavirus pandemic. On how fast they give up hope that life offers them a chance to make their own situation better by learning and working hard.

Schools and kindergardens in poor communities are struggling. I was baffled by how little attention they get from those in power. There is simply not enough political coolness about improving schools and kindergardens in poor communities.

So I started looking at ways to help. And I discovered an amazing foundation: Adopt a kindergarden! In Hungarian:  Örökbe fogadok egy ovit! Here is an article about in in the Forbes Hungary magazine: magazin.forbes.hu/2020-julius/az-egesz-evem-libaboros

And I got so inspired by it that I joined them immediately.

The way it works:

  • you register online
  • in a few days you get assigned a kindergarden
  • they give you the contact details of the kindergarden and a short list of what they need
  • you get in touch with the contact person
  • you get to know them
  • you help them with what you can

I went through this process, and it was like opening my eyes to another world. I had no idea how much difference one can make by donating five second hand fairy tale books. Some of these children never ever had a fairy tale book.

Imagine how it would be to grow up without fairy tales.  That’s what poverty does.

Overcoming poverty is not a task of charity; it is an act of justice

— Nelson Mandela

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