September 5 — Promoting Compassion, Solidarity and Service
Every year on September 5, the world observes the International Day of Charity, a United Nations international observance dedicated to encouraging charitable action, volunteering, philanthropy and solidarity with people in need.
The day reminds us that charity is much more than giving money. It can mean giving time, sharing food, offering professional skills, caring for the sick, supporting children, helping disaster victims, visiting the lonely, protecting vulnerable people, or simply showing kindness to someone who is suffering.
The United Nations established September 5 as the International Day of Charity in 2012, choosing the date to commemorate the death of Mother Teresa of Calcutta, whose life was devoted to serving poor and vulnerable people. (United Nations)
🌍 What Is the International Day of Charity?
The International Day of Charity seeks to:
- Raise awareness about the importance of charitable work.
- Encourage people to volunteer their time and talents.
- Promote philanthropy and responsible giving.
- Support humanitarian organizations.
- Encourage solidarity with people experiencing poverty, illness, disaster and displacement.
- Inspire communities to work together for human dignity and social well-being.
- Highlight the contribution of charitable and volunteer organizations around the world.
The UN resolution specifically encourages governments, UN organizations, civil society, NGOs and individuals to commemorate the day through charity, education and public-awareness activities. (Digital Library)
📜 History of the International Day of Charity
The idea originated as a Hungarian civil-society initiative, supported by the Hungarian Parliament and Government. The initiative sought to increase the visibility of charitable activities and strengthen solidarity and social responsibility.
On 17 December 2012, the United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution A/RES/67/105, designating September 5 as the International Day of Charity. The resolution was adopted without a vote. (UN Press)
The first UN observance took place on September 5, 2013. (United Nations)
The date was deliberately selected because September 5 is the anniversary of the death of Mother Teresa, who died in Kolkata on September 5, 1997. (United Nations)
❤️ Why September 5?
The choice of September 5 connects the international observance with the life and legacy of Mother Teresa.
Born Agnes Gonxhe Bojaxhiu in 1910, she came to India in 1929 and eventually devoted her life to serving people living in poverty. She founded the Missionaries of Charity in Kolkata in 1950.
For more than four decades, she and the members of her congregation worked among poor, sick, abandoned and dying people. The Missionaries of Charity later expanded their work to numerous countries. (United Nations)
In 1979, Mother Teresa received the Nobel Peace Prize for her work among people suffering from poverty and distress. (United Nations)
She died on September 5, 1997, at the age of 87. Her death anniversary became the date chosen by the UN for the International Day of Charity. (United Nations)
👩🦳 Mother Teresa and the Meaning of Charity
Mother Teresa’s life became closely associated with the idea that charity begins with recognizing the dignity of every human being.
Her work focused particularly on people who were often neglected by society: the destitute, abandoned children, the sick, homeless people and those approaching the end of life.
The UN emphasizes that charity should not be understood merely as financial donations. It can include time, expertise, volunteering, compassion and personal commitment. Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon described charity as including donations of time or money, volunteer engagement and acts of caring and kindness. (United Nations)
🤝 Charity Is More Than Money
One of the most important lessons of the International Day of Charity is that anyone can be charitable.
A person does not have to be wealthy to help another person.
Charity can take many forms:
1. Giving money
Donating to a trustworthy organization can help provide food, shelter, education, healthcare and emergency assistance.
2. Giving food
Sharing meals or donating food to food banks and community kitchens can make an immediate difference.
3. Giving clothing and essential items
Good-quality clothing, blankets, school supplies and other necessities can be donated to people who need them.
4. Giving time
Volunteering at a shelter, hospital, school, food bank or community organization can be extremely valuable.
5. Giving skills
Doctors, teachers, lawyers, engineers, IT professionals, artists and other specialists can use their expertise to serve communities.
6. Giving companionship
Visiting an elderly person, comforting someone who is grieving or spending time with someone who is lonely can be an important act of charity.
7. Helping during disasters
Charitable organizations and volunteers often provide food, shelter, medical care and other assistance following floods, earthquakes, cyclones, wars and other emergencies.
8. Protecting vulnerable people
Supporting children, persons with disabilities, refugees, displaced people and marginalized communities is another expression of solidarity.
🌎 Charity and Humanitarian Action
Charitable organizations have an important role in responding to humanitarian crises.
Natural disasters, armed conflicts, displacement, poverty and other emergencies can leave people without food, shelter, healthcare or basic necessities. International and local humanitarian organizations frequently work alongside governments and communities to provide assistance.
The United Nations notes that its humanitarian and development agencies also depend on donations and generosity to support responses to disasters, conflicts and other emergencies. (United Nations)
However, charity should complement—not replace—the responsibility of governments and public institutions to protect human rights, provide essential services and address structural causes of poverty. The UN has explicitly noted that charity is valuable but should not be considered a substitute for public spending. (United Nations)
🕊️ Charity, Peace and Human Dignity
Charity has a connection with peace.
When people care about the suffering of others, they build relationships based on compassion rather than indifference. Helping another person can create trust between individuals and communities.
The UN resolution establishing the International Day of Charity recognizes charity’s potential to promote dialogue among people of different civilizations, cultures and religions, as well as solidarity and mutual understanding. (Digital Library)
Thus, charity can become a bridge between people.
It says:
Your suffering matters to me.
That simple attitude can become the beginning of solidarity, friendship and peace.
🏠 Charity Begins in the Community
International Day of Charity does not require everyone to undertake a huge humanitarian project.
Charity can begin in:
- The family
- The neighborhood
- The school
- The workplace
- The parish or religious community
- The local hospital
- The village or town
- The online community
A person who notices an elderly neighbor struggling with groceries and offers help is practicing charity.
A student who shares books with a classmate is practicing charity.
A family that regularly donates food is practicing charity.
A professional who volunteers expertise for people who cannot afford it is practicing charity.
A person who listens patiently to someone experiencing loneliness is practicing charity.
👨👩👧👦 Charity and Children
The International Day of Charity is also an opportunity to teach children the value of sharing and compassion.
Parents and teachers can encourage children to:
- Share toys and books.
- Donate usable clothes.
- Participate in food drives.
- Help classmates.
- Visit elderly people with appropriate supervision.
- Raise funds for legitimate charitable causes.
- Volunteer in age-appropriate community activities.
- Avoid wasting food.
- Care for animals and the environment.
- Treat every person with dignity.
The objective should not simply be to teach children to “give things away,” but to develop empathy and responsibility.
🧑🎓 Charity Among Young People
Young people can make an enormous contribution through volunteering and community service.
Schools and colleges can organize:
- Food collection drives
- Book donation programs
- Blood-donation awareness campaigns
- Visits to care homes
- Educational assistance programs
- Environmental clean-up activities
- Fundraising for disaster relief
- Digital literacy programs
- Community kitchens
- Clothing collection drives
Such activities teach students that citizenship involves more than academic achievement—it also involves responsibility toward society.
💻 Charity in the Digital Age
Technology has transformed charitable giving.
People can now support humanitarian causes across geographical boundaries through online donations, crowdfunding, digital volunteering and awareness campaigns.
But digital charity requires responsibility.
Before donating online, people should verify:
- The identity of the organization.
- Whether it is legally registered where appropriate.
- How donations are used.
- Whether its website and payment channels are genuine.
- Whether independent information supports its claims.
People should be cautious about emotional messages demanding immediate money, suspicious links and unverified fundraising appeals.
Good charity should be generous—but also informed and responsible.
🇮🇳 Charity in the Indian Context
India has a long tradition of charitable and community service rooted in religious, cultural and social traditions.
Charitable work in India takes many forms, including:
- Free or subsidized healthcare
- Education for disadvantaged children
- Orphan and child-care services
- Homes for elderly people
- Community kitchens
- Disaster relief
- Rural development
- Women’s empowerment
- Support for persons with disabilities
- Assistance to homeless people
- Blood and organ donation awareness
- Environmental initiatives
India’s extensive network of voluntary organizations, religious institutions, community groups and individual volunteers contributes significantly to social welfare.
The legacy of Mother Teresa is particularly relevant to India because much of her best-known humanitarian work was carried out in Kolkata.
✝️ Charity and Religious Traditions
Charity is a central value in many religious and philosophical traditions.
Christianity emphasizes love of neighbor, compassion, mercy and service to those in need.
Judaism has the concept of tzedakah, associated with justice and charitable giving.
Islam emphasizes zakat and voluntary charity, including sadaqah.
Hindu traditions include concepts such as dāna, or giving.
Buddhist traditions emphasize generosity (dāna) and compassion.
Sikhism strongly emphasizes seva, or selfless service.
Although traditions differ in their practices and theological foundations, they share an important human message: people have responsibilities toward one another.
🌱 Charity and Sustainable Development
Charity can contribute to broader development goals when it addresses underlying needs rather than merely providing temporary relief.
For example:
Food donation → immediate hunger relief
Education → long-term opportunity
Healthcare → healthier communities
Skills training → economic independence
Microenterprise support → livelihood opportunities
Clean water → better health and dignity
Environmental projects → stronger community resilience
The most effective charitable initiatives often combine immediate assistance with efforts that enable people to become more self-reliant.
⚠️ Responsible Charity
Good intentions alone are not always enough.
Charitable organizations and donors should consider:
Transparency
Organizations should explain how resources are obtained and used.
Accountability
Charitable projects should be accountable to donors and, more importantly, to the people they serve.
Dignity
People receiving assistance should never be humiliated or treated as inferior.
Sustainability
Where possible, assistance should contribute to long-term solutions.
Local participation
Communities should have a voice in determining what they need.
Do no harm
Well-intentioned interventions should not create dependency, discrimination or unintended negative consequences.
Charity should therefore be based on compassion combined with wisdom.
🌟 Simple Ways to Celebrate International Day of Charity
Anyone can observe September 5 in a meaningful way.
❤️ Individually
- Help someone in need.
- Donate food or essential items.
- Volunteer a few hours.
- Support a legitimate charitable organization.
- Visit someone who is lonely.
- Teach a skill free of charge.
- Give blood if eligible.
- Reduce unnecessary waste and share what you can.
🏫 Schools
- Organize a charity collection.
- Conduct an essay or poster competition.
- Arrange a student volunteer program.
- Collect books for disadvantaged children.
🏢 Offices
- Organize employee volunteering.
- Conduct a responsible donation campaign.
- Support a local community project.
⛪ Religious communities
- Organize food distribution.
- Support poor families.
- Visit elderly and sick people.
- Provide educational assistance.
- Encourage parishioners to volunteer.
🌍 Communities
- Organize a neighborhood clean-up.
- Establish a community food bank.
- Help vulnerable residents.
- Create a local volunteer network.
💭 The Deeper Meaning of Charity
Charity is sometimes misunderstood as simply giving something to someone who has less.
At its deepest level, however, charity is about recognizing another person’s humanity.
It asks us to see the person rather than merely the problem.
A hungry person is not simply a recipient of food.
A homeless person is not simply someone without a house.
A refugee is not merely a statistic.
An elderly person is not merely someone needing assistance.
A poor child is not merely a beneficiary.
Every person possesses dignity, hopes, fears, talents and dreams.
True charity therefore seeks not only to give—but also to respect, listen, accompany and empower.
📜 A Message for International Day of Charity
The world does not lack opportunities to help.
Every community has people who need encouragement. Every city has people experiencing poverty. Every society has lonely elderly people, vulnerable children, families facing hardship and individuals affected by illness or disaster.
The International Day of Charity challenges us to move from indifference to compassion, from compassion to action, and from action to lasting solidarity.
We may not be able to help everyone.
But each of us can help someone.
And sometimes, the smallest act of kindness can become the brightest moment in another person’s day.
🌹 A Simple Message for September 5
“Charity begins when we notice another person’s need and choose not to walk away.”
September 5 reminds the world that generosity is not measured only by the amount we give. It is also measured by the love, dignity, time and compassion with which we give.
As the United Nations has emphasized, charity can take the form of money, time, volunteering, expertise and simple acts of caring. (United Nations)
On International Day of Charity, let us give what we can, serve where we are needed, and make compassion a habit—not merely a once-a-year activity.
📌 International Day of Charity — Quick Facts
| Fact | Details |
|---|---|
| Name | International Day of Charity |
| Date | September 5 |
| Established by | United Nations General Assembly |
| Resolution | A/RES/67/105 |
| Established | 2012 |
| First UN observance | 2013 |
| Why September 5? | Anniversary of Mother Teresa’s death |
| Mother Teresa died | September 5, 1997 |
| Main themes | Charity, volunteering, philanthropy, solidarity and humanitarian service |
| Purpose | Encourage charitable action and public awareness |
| Observed worldwide | Yes |
The official UN resolution specifically calls for encouraging charity through education and public-awareness activities, while recognizing the contribution of charitable organizations and individuals. (Digital Library)
International Day of Charity — September 5
Give with compassion. Serve with humility. Share with dignity. Build a kinder world.
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