Paul: Hi, this is Paul from England speaking with Katia from Mexico. First question is do you give money to charity?

Katia: Well, Paul, it's a difficult question because you really want to help people, but I always question myself where if the money really gets to where it's supposed to go, so personally I rarely do give money to charities. I'd rather give my time, so I know if it's actually something happening. What about you?

 

Paul: Yeah, I guess that makes sense. If it's a registered charity then I don't see there's a problem really with giving a donation.

 

Katia: Yeah, I guess so, but really I wonder. There are so many charities in the world, and you wonder really how much money do the people actually get, so it's difficult to really know.

 

Paul: How about if you're walking down the street and you see a homeless person asking for money?

 

Katia: Homeless people! That's also difficult because you can see they need money or they need food. Sometimes I feel if you give money, you are supporting their way of life so I would rather give some food so they can eat, but maybe if it's a disabled person, I am more willing to give, rather than just the homeless.

 

Paul: Yeah, I'd agree with you. It's difficult to know what they're gonna use the money for, so usually I never give money to men but if it's like an elderly woman, I'm happy to give a small donation.

 

Katia: Why not men and only women?

 

Paul: Well, going back to what you said about supporting their way of life, I mean, not in every case, but I think that often it can just be man's choice to be homeless on the street and he does have a chance to get a job I think.

 

Katia: So you think the woman really doesn't have a choice, and the man...

 

Paul: I think it's more difficult for a woman.

 

Katia: Possibly. Possibly. That's a difficult question.

 

Paul: For sure. Do you give money if you see children on the street?

 

Katia: Well, it depends, because that's also giving money to children so they can continue asking for money, so I avoid it. I also avoid it. What about you?

 

Paul: I'm a little bit reluctant to give money. I heard in a lot of poor countries that it can actually even be a business, like a parents will send their children onto the street.

 

Katia: Unfortunately, that's true.

 

Paul: OK, so maybe you like what you said before: it's better to donate your time than to donate money.

 

Katia: Possibly. And hopefully things will change.