I'm going to try and pull together a paper on these ideas at some point, but for now I'll just give a few of my thoughts on giving over the last week.

we need to try and embrace grassroots projects
by this I mean projects which are able to take most of the money which is given and applies it directly to the problems. I was chatting with Matt the other day and he told me that one of his friends out in India is able to carry out cataract operations for £15. This means that every £15 that was sent would give someone their sight. When compared with giving to Oxfam, which uses most of its donations to fund its staff, this is a far wiser way to invest.

In order to do this we should take advantage of our faith links
There are followers of Jesus all over the world who are working day in, day out in the poorest of people. We should network with these people and find routes of giving which will make most use our money.

Learning to live simple lives
We are told day in day out what we "need." I was struck recently when hearing about Zoe's experience visiting Thai Hill tribes. She slept on a hard floor in a wooden hut and was woken up by a rooster at 3am. It's incredible that most of the world live in these conditions. On the particular outreach she was on they were building a well, laying piping etc. Isn't it shocking that we take for granted having large sheltered accomodation, internet, coffee, tea, extravagant food etc. when there are people for whom a good supply of water is a luxury?

By living simply we can free up 'spare money' which would enable us to give more.

But how do we define simplicity in the midst of such a complex society? Where do we start?