Henry Howard is halfway through his first year of full-time work at GV Health, and has so far distributed $29,328.53 between 32 charities — a mix of international, national and local organisations — as part of what he calls a ‘workathon'.
“I’m doing it because I think it’s the right thing to do,” he said.
“And I think in the future when people look back on this time in history they’ll probably think it was the right thing to do.”
Dr Howard said he spent a lot of time thinking about how quality of life depended so significantly on where a person was born in the world, and who their parents were.
“It’s such an enormous discrepancy between countries and I think about it all the time, I think about it as I’m going to sleep and as I wake up,” he said.
Dr Howard feels lucky to have been born in Australia to loving and supportive parents.
He adheres to the philosophy of ‘effective altruism’, developed by Melbourne-born moral philosopher Peter Singer, which advocates the use of evidence and reasoning to determine the most effective ways to benefit others.
In short, Dr Howard thinks carefully about where he gives money.
As part of a self-devised ‘pyramid scheme’, the junior doctor donates more money to the most effective charities, and smaller sums to charities that have less of an impact but do good work.
“The common thread with all of these organisations is that they’re all doing better work than I would probably do with the money if I just kept it to myself,” he said.
Of the nearly $30,000 Dr Howard has donated so far, more than $6000 was to charities doing practical work to stop the spread of malaria.
About 400,000 people die of malaria each year — mostly children, because they are most susceptible.
A $10 mosquito net can do a lot to curb the spread of the deadly disease.
Dr Howard said it was a simple, evidence-based, cost-effective solution to a huge problem, which was why the Against Malaria Foundation and the Malaria Consortium were two charities he strongly supported.
He acknowledged people on low incomes couldn't possibly donate half their salary, and effective altruism was about "giving what you can".
In his case, earning a good salary as a doctor allowed him to fundraise by showing up to work each day.
“Doing your job, what you’re trained to do, is probably one of the best ways to raise money,” he said.
Dr Howard said the ‘workathon’ felt like a fitting way to begin his career.
“I'm spending a bit of time giving back to a country and a world that's given me so much,” he said.
Having lived on a student budget for years, Dr Howard is no stranger to scrimping and saving.
“It's a cliché to say the best things in life are free, but they actually are — and the second best things are really cheap,” he said.
“Having a loving family and supportive people around you — that's the best stuff.
“And then the next best stuff is hot chips, chocolate biscuits, a warm bath.
“I think I have a fantastic life . . . would it be significantly improved if I hoarded my money and bought myself a new BMW next year?
“No, it really wouldn't, and the world also wouldn't be made a much better place.”
While he doubts he'll donate such a high percentage of his income every year, Dr Howard will keep giving back.
“It’s really hard to figure out how to make the world a better place, but I think just because it’s hard, we shouldn’t give up on doing it.”
Every donation Dr Howard makes is livestreamed on his website, henryach.com/workathon, alongside a full list of the charities he supports.
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