Tithing is an ancient Christian practice of giving 10 percent of income to help and bless others. Most Americans aren’t that generous, but our country has a tradition of giving just one percent of our federal budget to help and bless those who are sick, hungry and suffering in other countries. It’s sort of a national tithe, and it’s called foreign aid.

Our national generosity makes me proud to be an American. When visiting some of the poorest places on Earth, I’ve seen the people whose lives have been saved by U.S. foreign assistance. They are children with HIV/AIDS who are healthy due to antiretroviral drugs. They are widows who have been brutalized by war who have safe places to live. They are families in regions with parched earth, failed crops and heartbreaking famine who are fed with grain that comes in sacks with USA logos.

Read the full article at Newsweek.