How important is spreading awareness in times of crisis?

In recent years, precisely since I started my undergraduate studies, I have been interested in raising awareness about the situation of the communities who face ongoing oppression and discrimination in Palestine, Syria, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, and many other parts of the world. At the same time, however, there have been many people who have come to me and said that what I and many others have been doing is counterproductive to mitigating the suffering of our brothers and sisters. They claim that the only way we can help is either through financial assistance, physical support or proposing changes to policy makers. Nevertheless, I tend to disagree with such ideas as my recent story demonstrates.

Last summer, I visited a farming family that lives in a small village in central Java in Indonesia. The farmer's name is Yusuf. He never went to school and spent most of his life on farms. Although his dedication and farming expertise have allowed him to become one of the wealthiest farmers in the province, his lack of education and his remote location prevents him from knowing and understanding what goes on in other parts of the country, let alone around the world. This has also limited the sphere of his kindness and generosity. In his community, Yusuf is known for his free-handedness toward those less unfortunate. He, for example, has established an orphanage and a small hospital nearby his house.

Yusuf was surprised when I narrated to him stories about Palestine and Syria, far-away lands that he only hears about from his daughter who is currently studying medicine in the capital. He shed more tears when I showed him pictures and videos of Syrian children who were suffocating as a result of Syrian President Bashar Assad's chemical weapons.

After almost a two-hour conversation with Yusuf, he asked for permission to go to his room for 10 minutes. I agreed of course. After a while, Yusuf returned with a small grey box. I was puzzled at first, not knowing what was inside the box and why he brought it to the living room. As it turned out, the box contained a massive amount of cash. Full of enthusiasm and passion, Yusuf said: "Give all of this to those people and send my regards to them." He decided to divide the money so that a portion goes to Syria, Palestine, and Myanmar.

Even though this story may sound mundane, it delivers a very vital message about the importance of spreading awareness. We tend to forget that many people do not have equal opportunity receiving and understanding information. In reality, there are many people out there who do not have access to newspapers, televisions or the Internet the same way we do. This could be due to their lack of knowledge, economic condition or even negligence.

It is also important to note that this phenomenon is not only widespread in less developed countries where poverty, illiteracy and lack access to information remain common problems. Many people in more developed countries often have limited knowledge about events occurring elsewhere in the world thanks to mainstream media that frequently overlooks stories that are not in their "interests." There are people who are actually eager and ready to offer assistance to those who are in dire need of help. Yet because of their lack of awareness, these people often lose the opportunity to help those in need. Despite seeming like a small gesture, the act of spreading awareness is a battle in itself. By doing it, we increase people's chance to help, which could improve the situation of our suffering brethren around the globe.