“Generosity is not foreign to Africa; it is part of our culture. And we know that one does not need to be rich to be generous. We share what little we have. There is even a proverb, ‘In friendship, even a crust of bread is shared.’
The African Christian should be the most generous of all Africans, for our generosity should not merely be cultural but should also be rooted in a heartfelt response to God’s generosity to us. We should model our generosity on the generosity of the Heavenly Father, who promises to provide our daily bread (Matt 6:11).
But this bread He supplies does not normally drop from heaven, as the manna did in the wilderness (Exod 16:4). Nor is His generosity limited to sharing a crust of bread, which merely staves off hunger. He created a world that would meet our needs for food (Gen 1:30).
Following His example, we must not just provide emergency food supplies, but must act to change the situation. We must empower the person who receives help to help others (2 Cor 1:4). And we must not insist on our own preconceived ideas as to how help is to be offered. Rather we must support the poor in the use of their own creativity and imagination to find a way out of poverty.”
Solomon Andria in “Generosity and Solidarity” in Africa Bible Commentary ed. by Tokunboh Adeyemo (AEA, 2006) 231.