Thursday, 20th November 2014
Theravada Buddhism in countries like Myanmar and Sri Lanka had influenced and encouraged charity among its people. Nine out of ten people in Myanmar follow Theravada Buddhism.The Sangha are supported by dana (alms giving) by lay followers of the religion. Sri Lanka is also another country with a strong Theravada Buddhist community
Sri Lanka has been ranked ninth in the 2014 World Giving Index (WGI) compiled by the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) which looks at the charitable behaviour of countries and their tendency to help strangers, donating money and volunteering. The British-based Foundation’s Giving Index had covered 135 countries in more than a million interviews conducted by Gallup since 2005/06, as part of their World Poll survey.
The United States and Myanmar were ranked the most generous countries in the world with Canada in third place, Ireland in fourth and New Zealand in fifth.
The next five most generous countries areAustralia, Malaysia and Britain, Sri Lanka and Trinidad and Tobago.
The Index ranked Sri Lanka’s neighbours like India at 69, Pakistan at 61, Bangladesh at 72, Afghanistan at 79 and Nepal at 44.
The index report highlighted that Theravada Buddhism in countries like Myanmar and Sri Lanka had influenced and encouraged charity among its people. “Nine out of ten people in Myanmar follow Theravada Buddhism.TheSanghaaresupported by dana (alms giving) by lay followers of the religion. Sri Lanka is also another country with a strong Theravada Buddhist community,” the report states. Sri Lanka is also ranked third in the sub index of participation at volunteering, 7th at donating money and 40th at helping strangers.
WGI data collected over the period 2006 to 2013 in Sri Lanka reflects that the end of the civil war had made an impact on giving and had increased by at least eight per cent.
Yemen was ranked as the least generous country in the index. Venezuela ranked at 134, Palestine at 133 and Ecuador at 132.
The CAF’s mission is to motivate society to give ever more effectively, helping to transform lives and communities around the world.
It had connected donors to the causes that matter to them and to get the funds across to where it’s needed most.
From : http://sundaytimes.newspaperdirect.com/epaper/viewer.aspx
