A Path Appears
by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunnGenres: Nonfiction
Narrator: Olivia Wilde
Published on September 23rd 2014
Pages: 400
Format: Audiobook Source: Library
An essential, galvanizing narrative about making a difference here and abroad--a road map to becoming the most effective global citizens we can be. In their number one New York Times best seller Half the Sky, husband-and-wife team Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn brought to light struggles faced by women and girls around the globe, and showcased individuals and instituÂtions working to address oppression and expand opportunity. A Path Appears is even more ambiÂtious in scale: nothing less than a sweeping tapÂestry of people who are making the world a better place and a guide to the ways that we can do the same--whether with a donation of $5 or $5 milÂlion, with our time, by capitalizing on our skills as individuals, or by using the resources of our businesses. With scrupulous research and on-the-ground reporting, the authors assay the art and science of giving, identify successful local and global initiaÂtives, and share astonishing stories from the front lines of social progress. We see the compelling, inÂspiring truth of how real people have changed the world, upending the idea that one person can't make a difference. We meet people like Dr. Gary Slutkin, who develÂoped his landmark Cure Violence program to combat inner-city conflicts in the United States by applying principles of epidemiology; Lester Strong, who left a career as a high-powered television anchor to run an organization bringing in older Americans to tuÂtor students in public schools across the country; MIT development economist Esther Duflo, whose pioneering studies of aid effectiveness have revealed new truths about, among other things, the power of hope; and Jessica Posner and Kennedy Odede, who are transforming Kenya's most notorious slum by exÂpanding educational opportunities for girls. A Path Appears offers practical, results-driven advice on how best each of us can give and reveals the lasting benefits we gain in return. Kristof and WuDunn know better than most how many urgent challenges communities around the world face toÂday. Here they offer a timely beacon of hope for our collective future.
Don’t read this book if you don’t want to spend money.
The book takes a hard look at aid organizations around the world to see if they are doing what they set out to do. Then they look at the reasons for the successes and the failures.
I had not heard of most the organizations that are profiled here. I was looking for a new organization to support and I found one. Shining Hope for Communities uses their girls’ schools in Kenya as a hub for community services. It shows that the school for girls is an important place.
“From the school, SHOFCO extends holistic community services beyond the families of students to the entire community. We identify the services people value most, like clean water, quality health care, and economic empowerment opportunities.
SHOFCO raises the overall health of the community by providing access to free health care, clean water, sanitation education and toilet facilities. We empower the community through valuable public resources including computer and library access, adult education, and group savings and loans. We foster community fellowship though soccer teams, youth programs, and women’s empowerment groups. Today, these integrated services transform urban communities.”
from the website
The book also looks at why people give to charities and uses that research as a way to entice people to give more. It looks at the issue of whether charities should be run like businesses and whether charities that are run like that are punished. There was a 3 part PBS documentary featuring several of the organizations featured in the book that is available online.
