Martin Luther King Jr once said, “If you want to change the world, pick up your pen and write.”

But, I feel, to change the world with one’s writings is one of the greatest challenges. Today is the International Day for Volunteers, a day which urges most of us to contribute something that is capable of changing the world.

It would look like an impossible task to change the world on your own might. Indeed, it would be. Having  a pen along with a thinking process is considered by writers as something powerful than the sharpest of all swords. Then get up and enter a pledge online by visiting pledgebank.com.

There you can find some best examples including successful pledges like Jeff edited 100 pages for Project Gutenberg, Andy installed low-energy long-life bulbs throughout his house, Mathew bought only fair-trade tea and Ellie did all her shopping locally.

World over, multi-nationals do a lot of campaigns as part of their ‘social responsibility’. But, needless to say that most of them are aimed to brand their corporate image. Even many states spend millions of dollars every year campaigning for social causes. If you attempt thinking out-of-the-box, you can easily arrive at more viable, feasible and tangible solutions, especially for the governments to carry out their campaigns, something that reaches straight to the common man. I am not talking rocket science, but about the currency notes!

A day before, one of the local newspapers published that four GCC countries including Bahrain have decided to go for a uniform currency. Though the news was later refuted by Government sources, I was wondering as to how such a common currency could make an impact to a common man like me other than saving some charges paid to the exchange houses while travelling across GCC? More than the economic impact, a keen observation would reveal that sentimental issues are attached with currencies, in the form of pictures, images and signature.

Hailing from an advertising background, I can undoubtedly say that currencies can be a good vehicle for social causes. For instance, we can carry some messages like ‘keep city clean’, ‘keep city green’, ‘do not litter’, ‘do not burn tyres’ and ‘save water’ on currencies with lower denominations such as 500fils. A currency has got a long life and it keeps moving from hand to hand. Hence it is hard to miss conveying such messages.

Countries like Philippines or Haiti which faced natural disasters and looking for aid to rebuild the nation can even think of giving one side of the currency for multi-national companies to advertise and the money thus earned can be used for rebuilding the nation. In brief, a country running short of funds can make more money through money! Do you buy my idea? If yes, support my cause in pledgebank.com.