The United Nations General Assembly formally established the International Day of Charity on December 17, 2012, through Resolution A/RES/67/105 , adopted without a vote. The document designated September 5 as the annual date for the event and invited States, the United Nations system, and civil society to promote charitable and awareness-raising initiatives.

The choice of September 5th corresponds to the anniversary of the death of Mother Teresa, who passed away in 1997. The resolution recognizes the contribution of charity to alleviating humanitarian crises and human suffering, as well as the work of organizations and individuals. The UN framework values ​​solidarity without presenting voluntary assistance as a substitute for public responsibilities towards permanent social needs.

In emergencies, this distinction is clear. A meal after a flood, shelter during war, or medicine provided by an organization can separate life from death. The problem begins when a response intended for an exceptional situation is prolonged indefinitely, and citizens become dependent on the availability of donors to meet essential needs.

Social rights depend on laws, budgets, and institutions capable of guaranteeing them. Charity can respond where the state fails or where a crisis disrupts services. However, it should not replace public responsibility for hospitals, schools, water, and social protection.

In Africa, community solidarity far predates the modern state. Extended families, religious associations, neighborhoods, and local networks support people in the face of illness, bereavement, unemployment, or displacement. This social capital is a strength. Making it a permanent solution to institutional failures means transferring burdens that also belong to the public sector to communities with limited resources.

The fragility of public systems becomes evident when welfare replaces state functions. According to the International Labour Organization, only 19,1 percent of the African population receives any social protection benefits. More than four out of five people remain without this coverage, a reality also highlighted by the International Day of Charity.

In healthcare, the vulnerability becomes even more apparent. The WHO reported in August 2026 that direct household payments account for, on average, 35 percent of current health expenditure in the African Region. Around 385 million people are pushed into poverty or deeper poverty every year due to the costs they directly bear.

When money is tight, inequality weighs heavily on access to healthcare. A family with a stable income can afford medication, transportation, or seek another facility. A poor family may postpone appointments, reduce food consumption, or incur debt. Lack of coverage thus transforms a health problem into an economic risk for the entire household.

The school reveals another dimension of the same fragility. External support can finance meals, textbooks, teacher training, and classrooms in poor areas. The system becomes vulnerable when essential expenses are not incorporated into public funding. UNICEF has warned that international cuts to education could leave an additional six million children out of school worldwide by the end of 2026.

The state and civil society have different responsibilities. When a grandmother supports grandchildren without a pension, a church feeds families without income, or an association pays for treatments, solidarity responds to real needs. It also reveals public failures that end up being transferred to people and institutions with limited resources.

The need for assistance increases when international funding decreases. The OECD recorded a real drop of 23,1 percent in official development aid in 2025. For 2026, it forecasts a further reduction of 6,9 percent, a decline that reinforces the pressure on assistance on International Charity Day.

Sub-Saharan Africa is at the heart of this decline. Projections indicate an 11,6 percent drop in bilateral aid in 2026, following a 26,3 percent reduction in 2025. Including both bilateral and multilateral channels, support to the region is expected to fall by 9,8 percent this year, hitting countries with limited budgetary resources and high social needs.

In healthcare, cuts in external funding can have immediate effects. Vaccination programs, the fight against HIV, malaria, and tuberculosis, as well as maternal health services, depend on international support in many countries. A rapid reduction in these resources can compromise services that require continuity, regular supplies, and qualified professionals.

Donor countries' budgets change with elections, wars, economic crises, and new foreign policy priorities. For recipient countries, these decisions can translate into fewer medicines, fewer professionals, fewer school meals, or less assistance for displaced persons. The greater the dependence on a few external funders, the greater the exposure of national services to decisions made outside the country.

International cooperation continues to fund vital services, but it must also strengthen local capacity. External programs need to train personnel, ensure continuity, and leave behind structures capable of maintaining services. When a project ends without resources or prepared institutions, the progress achieved becomes vulnerable to further funding cuts.

In the face of drought, war, or epidemic, the priority is to save lives. Charity, humanitarian aid, and international cooperation then become essential. Refusing assistance in the name of abstract sovereignty would only worsen the suffering. International Charity Day also reminds us of this immediate function of solidarity.

The problem arises when the emergency drags on without a solution. Displacement camps become permanent, food programs last for years, and temporary clinics replace public services. Assistance then ceases to be exceptional and becomes a condition of survival dependent on external funds and decisions.

The duration of several African crises increases this risk. From Sudan to the Sahel, conflicts, displacement, and climate shocks extend for years. Humanitarian organizations keep populations alive, but the longer the crisis, the greater the need to rebuild public services capable of reducing dependence on aid.

Funding can fail when priorities are set without local participation. A community may need a permanent water supply and receive only a short-term intervention, or require healthcare professionals and receive equipment without maintenance. Aid becomes more effective when it involves national institutions, municipalities, and local organizations capable of ensuring continuity.

Overcoming an emergency requires leaving structures capable of functioning after the aid ends. This includes well-stocked health centers, paid teachers, maintained water systems, and social protection mechanisms. Without this continuity, humanitarian relief saves lives in the present, but the community may again become dependent on assistance in the face of the next crisis.

Dependency cannot be resolved through absolute self-sufficiency. Countries with lower incomes will continue to need external cooperation in various areas. The essential point is to ensure that funding also strengthens institutions and services capable of continuing after the programs end. This relationship between aid and public capacity is at the heart of International Charity Day.

This requires internal choices. Governments need to increase revenue, combat tax evasion, and secure funding for health, education, water, and social protection. Transparency is equally essential. Calling for international solidarity while public resources protect privileged interests weakens the legitimacy of these appeals.

Social sovereignty also depends on reliable information about the needs of the population. Without knowing how many children are out of school, how many patients abandon treatment, or how many elderly people live without income, the State can hardly respond fairly. Good data allows individual problems to be transformed into policies tailored to reality.

Community organizations can help without replacing the state. Because they know the territories better, they can identify needs and reach excluded groups. Their work becomes more effective when they receive adequate resources and work with public institutions capable of ensuring continuity, rather than depending on temporary projects.

International Charity Day thus allows us to ask a question that goes beyond the act of giving: why does someone need to ask? The answer may lie in war, catastrophe, displacement, or unexpected loss. It may also reveal a weak institution, an insufficient budget, or a policy that excludes part of the population. Distinguishing these causes allows us to direct solidarity without erasing responsibilities.

Celebrating charity continues to make sense because suffering doesn't wait for institutional reform. There are people who need to eat today, receive medicine tonight, or find shelter before the next rain. Solidarity saves lives when services arrive late, fail, or are destroyed by a crisis.

This human duty should not become a permanent model of governance. Food, education, health, water, and social protection require predictable funding, stable services, and public accountability. When welfare takes the place of institutions for years, a need that began as an emergency exposes a structural failure.

The best tribute to International Charity Day is to preserve the ability to help those in need now while building conditions so that, tomorrow, basic rights do not depend on the existence of an available donor.