The United Nations has appealed for charitable aid in the millions for Pakistan, devastated by roiling floods and heavy rain. More than 1,600 people have died, 14 million or 10 percent of the population of Pakistan have been displaced.

Six million of the displaced are children. Dams and bridges in the Indus Valley river basin have collapsed. Thousands of acres of farm lands have been destroyed. The President was holidaying in Europe as the tragedy escalated.

The UN is appealing for global aid to purchase tents, food and medicines. The appeal is charitable for aid to provide immediate relief for victims of the worst floods in the history of Pakistan.

NONE Governments will pledge aid, individual philanthropists and ordinary citizens driven by compassion for fellow human beings are certain to contribute.

The pictures on TV screens of hungry children, dead bodies, the displaced clinging on to anything to save their lives will trigger the emotions of most people to give towards relief efforts. Of course, on the other hand, some businesses will see such disasters as opportunities.

Businesses in India, Pakistan's neighbour, are seeing the tragedy as an opportunity to export sugar and cotton to the grief-stricken nation.

Like during the 2004 Asian Tsunami, the Haiti floods of 2010, the 2005 earthquake in Kashmir, many will contribute towards charitable giving. Should givers look beyond charity?

I believe so as charity only provides for immediate relief, it does not resolve the social, political and environmental causes of most disasters.

People before power

The scale and dimensions of the impact of most disasters on human lives and the environment would have been many times less if governments are not corrupt, put people before power first and practice good governance.

The causes we contribute to can make big differences not only to the lives of people but to the scale of disasters and tragedies whether natural or otherwise. If we were to harness all charitable giving towards contributions for social justice, many countries would see more economic prosperity, strengthening of pluralism and the promotion of religious tolerance and peace.

martin luther king crowd 170105 Martin Luther King Jr ( left ) once said, "Philanthropy is commendable, but it must not cause the philanthropist to overlook the circumstances of economic injustice which makes philanthropy necessary."

But it is often a challenge for organisations involved in social justice causes such as human rights, democracy, social transformation, policy changes to seek support for their work.

Social justice philanthropy or giving is a concept that has only recently gained interest in public discourses.

The goal of social justice philanthropy is the creation of social justice through addressing basic needs, redistribution of power, transformation of values in favour of diversity such as race, gender, strong community participation and participation in decision-making, amongst others.

Charity cannot eradicate poverty and corruption, transform race based values, redistribute power, enhance protection of children and women, stop environmental degradation etc. Provision of social services cannot eradicate the root causes of social injustice. We need sustained forms of philanthropic giving for political and social changes.

Organised religious giving

The emergence of social justice philanthropy can be traced to religious forms of giving in many countries. Organised religious giving was used to build schools, hospitals and orphanages.

hindraf kamunting prayer 161207 donation For example, in Indonesia, both the Christian and Islamic expressions of religious giving have responded to the causes of poverty and alienation.

But they have focussed primarily on education and health activities. Most religious and ethical teachings have largely focussed on charitable giving. Religious institutions have always been reluctant to contribute to social justice advocacy.

It has been the development of civil society groups or non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in the 1970s that brought a shift from charitable forms of giving to social justice philanthropy. Issues such as poverty, marginalisation, environmental destruction, violation of labour, consumer and human rights, gender discrimination, human trafficking, limited democracy and corruption created the space for advocacy.

However, charitable giving has not supported advocacy work for these causes.

A new spirit of philanthropy is needed to reduce the magnitude of social, political and environmental problems globally, regionally and nationally. Media headlines pour praise on billionaires giving away their millions but at the same time investing across borders. I do not have a problem with that.

However, most of the targets of their giving are in the traditional realm of giving such as education. Advocacy for social justice causes such as the fight against corruption, human rights violations etc rarely appear in their portfolio of giving.

NONE It is the advocacy for pro- people policies, such as eradication of poverty and corruption, for democracy and free and fair elections, human rights etc that can reduce the magnitude of the effects of natural disasters.

Philanthropic giving to these causes can make a difference to peoples lives particularly in countries prone to natural and political disasters.

Charitable giving will not transform lives. We need to stimulate new thinking and action on philanthropy as an agent for social justice.

JOSIE M FERNANDEZ is currently an Asian Public Intellectual Fellow, director of Philanthropy Asia, researcher and engages with Transparency International Malaysia in anti-corruption measures. She holds a masters degree in development management from the Asian Institute of Management, Philippines. Working on sustainability, philanthropy and anti-corruption actions are some of her current passions besides writing.