Like many of your correspondents, I was also taught that charity begins at home.

But I was taught a different version. For us it was charitable giving, or generosity, that began at home, while the target of the charity varied from inside the home to the poorest people in the world.

When I give money, I want my donations to make the biggest possible difference to help people who need the most.

These people are rarely in the UK (lucky us) and my favourite charities support projects in the poorest parts of the world where my money can have the biggest impact.

Many people manage to give a lot more time and money than I do, and I am always impressed at how many charities have been set up in Oxford.

I am also pleased that our Government recognises and responds to crises like the current East Africa famine or the floods in Pakistan.

They have my support.

PETER HENNESSY, Hugh Allen Crescent, Oxford