It doesn't cost a lot to change a life. After travelling to a remote Haitian village, Shane O'Rourke discovered that all it took was five dollars. “I met a kid who was kicked out of school because he couldn't afford a pair of shoes,” he says. “This kid was not only lacking his one chance at free education, but he was also missing out on all of his food because they were feeding him lunch every single day.” For the same price as a cup of coffee, O'Rourke bought the boy a pair of shoes, enabling him to return to class for an entire school year. Witnessing the monumental impact a few dollars could make, O'Rourke embarked on a mission to show the world that every cent counts.
The trip propelled O’Rourke to make a tangible difference in impoverished communities. He returned to Haiti four more times where he watched small acts of kindness transform the lives of locals. Driven to develop a digital platform that shared the true value of charity with others, O’Rourke founded Lift Up in 2018. The non-profit organisation connects donors directly to disadvantaged communities, enabling them to see the change they personally make through the website. “We link photos, videos, GPS coordinates, and the exact amount of people impacted to every single project,” O’Rourke says.
Today, the organisation has uplifted more than 40 000 people in over 16 countries with just 800 donors. Along with his dedicated team, O’Rourke ensures basic needs are met, from sponsoring education for children in the Congo to supplying meals for homeless people in New York. Their award-winning website allows donors, or ‘lifters’, to closely follow the projects from start to finish. “I realised that by creating visibility, the response was overwhelming,” O’Rourke says. Lift Up also hires people in the affected areas, empowering multiple families and strengthening local economies. By revealing how far compassion and a couple of dollars can go, O’Rourke is creating a world of givers.
Footage by Lift Up was used in the creation of this film.
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