Wonderful challenge!

It's great to hear about how other people do selfless acts, and the small things that make a big difference to someone else!

On my days off, I work to implement a non-verbal speech program for Autistic children in an out of city orphanage. I've had to learn to do it in Chinese, but the struggle is well worth it.

Last Christmas I went to a market and bought 2000 big fluffly teddy bears ( the real cuddly kind! ) and took them to a different orphanage dressed up as Santa's helper. It was so much fun! They were so surprised! And everytime I go to visit and play, every single bed has a big worn out teddy bear!

Rather than give money or nothing to beggars on the street, I try to give them food. Yes, often it is rejected and they scream about how I'm a rich selfish foreigner. Too bad for them, and now they get nothing.

Once, I came out of Pizza Hut with a takeout box of hot pizza in search of a beggar kid. Of course, he found me before I found him. I gave him the pizza. He didn't know what it was, so I opened it ( it was a very cold day and you could see the steam coming off of the food...) and told him that it was very good to eat. He took it and jumped on it! Then he made a HUGE scene about how the rich foreigner won't give him any money! Yeesh!

So I've completely given up on beggars. But if someone comes to my taxi window selling maps in a language I don't understand, or window cleaning squeegies - I buy three!

You're right about coming to another country and seeing people in some sort of need every day - why not take a second to do something? It doesn't hurt!