Myanmar was once ruled by a military junta but changed after returning to democratic ways. The Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) has just stated the country has the world's most generous people. It is the third successive year it has got this accolade. The CAF "World Giving Index" found that 91 per cent of Myanmar residents gave to charity in the past year, 62% helped a stranger, and 55% volunteered. A government spokesman said: "The results demonstrate very sharply how a 'poor' country can be a 'rich' one through its generosity, by focusing on giving rather than getting."
The report also found that people in Iraq are the kindest to strangers. Eight in 10 Iraqis helped someone they don't know in the past year. The BBC commented on the significance of this, given the turmoil Iraq has been in for years. It stated that: "It is the kindness of Iraqis…to complete strangers in the face of years of conflict and terrible violence which stands out in the list." The CAF said: "The generosity of people, even in countries suffering from disaster and turmoil, is truly humbling." It added: "Unconditional gifts of time and money are a life-changing force for good in the world."
