The popstar-come-snazzy dresser has already raised over half a million dollars for victims of Haiti’s earthquake, through donating a day of merchandise and concert ticket sales, and now she’s turned her hand to accessory design to raise funds for Japan.

The result is this special charity bracelet, or rubber prayer band, similar to the one Prince William was spotted wearing in New Zealand yesterday.

Gaga’s is white and has “We pray for Japan” written on it in Japanese and English, as well as her famous monster claw, a symbol her ‘little monster’ fans (as she calls them) use to show their devotion.

The bracelet costs $5, or £3, and is on sale now, with shipping from March 25. On her website and Twitter page Gaga writes that all proceeds will go to the Japan Tsunami relief fund, and in the first 48 hours on sale $250,000 has been raised

If you would simply like to donate money to Japan, the British Red Cross has a fund you can contribute to. It’s the Japan Tsunami Appeal and you can donate online or pop a cheque in the post. Alternatively you can donate to the American Red Cross Japan Tsunami appeal.

At the time of writing Japan’s National Police Agency has reported 5,457 people are confirmed dead; 9,508 have been reported missing and 2,409 were injured. In addition, the Red Cross reports that more than 440,000 people have had to leave their homes.

The Japanese Red Cross has 115 response teams working on the ground now, as they have been since the disaster began, providing first aid and emergency healthcare, as well as distributing relief items.

Buy Lady Gaga’s We Pray For Japan wristband

You don’t need me to tell you that there’s and economic slump going on at the moment. You can’t switch a TV on or open a newspaper without being told to tighten belts and darn socks.

But with Cameron’s Big Society looking set to join Big Fun, Big Fish and the Battle of the Little Bighorn on the top 10 list of all-time Big failures, we’ve come up with some alternative ways to do your bit for charity without having to spend money you don’t have.

Give to charity for free

Give away your old car

Giveacar is a social enterprise that organises the donation of cars to charity. According to Giveacar, the charity expects to raise £1,000,000 for good causes next year. They raised almost £250,000 last year. If you have a car that’s ready for scrap or salvage, the Giveacar people will come and pick it up. Once they have collected the money from auction or scrappage, they will donate the money to your chosen charity.

Donate your glasses

Vision Aid Overseas has been giving out donated spectacles and free eye-tests to people in developing companies for 25 years. If you want to donate your old glasses, pop into nearly any local optician and you’ll find a donation bin.

Change your search engine

Every Click makes money from every search you make on their site, allowing them to donate straight to charity. Download the Give as You Live app onto your computer and they’ll make money via affiliates on a lot of the purchases you make. You can choose to donate to your local school or your favourite charity without spending a penny.

Don’t get a credit card

Charity credit cards don’t exactly chime with current austerity measures. But you don’t have to build debt in order to get your card making money for charities.

Simply Fundraising works via a debit card (produced in conjunction with MasterCard) that you load money onto and spend at participating stores such as Argos, Boots, Debenhams, House of Fraser and Marks & Spencer. Retailers donate an average of around 3.25% of the amount you spend to your chosen charity.

If you want to shop online, you just need to access the stores via the Simply Fundraising website.

Give Blood

You may not have any money, but you’ve got pure red gold pumping through your veins. Get that warm fuzzy feeling inside — and a slightly woozy feeling in the brain — and give your blood. The American Red Cross has a big appeal on at the moment, and the NHS organises blood donations in the UK.

Got any other good ideas for giving to charity without spending money? Let us know in the comments!

As its name suggests, microphilanthropy is all about developing a love of humanity, but in a more immediate and personal sense to philanthropy, which has more to do with charity and monetary donations. So how can you, as a tourist, show your love for humanity while discovering foreign parts?

At the most basic level, it’s about being courteous, respecting the customs of the place you’re visiting and not letting your holiday spoil anyone else’s day. If you live in an area that’s a popular destination for tourists, you’ll already have a pretty good idea of what constitutes ‘respectful’ behaviour — and also what doesn’t!

You might want to start by learning a bit of the language, even if it’s just the basic words you’ll need to be polite, and try to use it wherever possible. Try to learn a bit about every small area you visit – is it a lively location or one where you’ll need to keep quiet? Are there any dress codes to be observed?

On another level, microphilanthropy is about supporting local industry and understanding the economic setup of the place you’re visiting well enough to spend money ethically and wisely. By supporting local artisan businesses, musicians, small producers and those struggling to make a living, you could play a huge role in another person or family’s livelihood.

As we benefit from our rich lifestyles in the West, we’re well placed to make a difference when we travel. Just remember to be courteous and as generous as you can be, and your holiday will promote happiness that goes a long way beyond the walls of your villa or hotel.

Image: Robert Swier

The response to the recent tragedy in Haiti could be seen as a perfect example of how life in a ‘global village’ can be positive. Within minutes of the news reports appearing on the world’s media channels, thousands of people had rushed to send help in the form of charitable donations – many of which were handled online. Entire websites appeared overnight detailing ways to donate, while ‘help Haiti’ became a ‘trending’ topic on Twitter. In one particularly touching example, seven-year-old Charlie Simpson raised over £150,000 on his Just Giving page after being shocked by the plight of children his own age who’d been affected by the quake.

On the face of it, it’s hard to deny that an increasingly global culture brings people together in many positive ways that simply weren’t available in our parents’ generation. Our collective consciousness of world events has never been higher, but aside from large-scale, global disasters, does this constant influx of information tend to call us to action, or are we reaching saturation point? With so much need and poverty in the world, and so much each individual could do, it’s easy to feel paralysed in the face of information overload.

It’s also important to remember that in a global village, we are often at the mercy of those who are feeding us the information. We’re fortunate to live in a society with relatively little censorship or media bias, but we still cannot guarantee that what is important to us will be reflected in news reports and other public information sources.

That’s why it’s crucial to have a strong sense of our own beliefs, priorities and principles, and to team up with others – joining organisations where possible that will fight on our behalf. And to witness as much of life as possible for ourselves, allowing us to draw our own conclusions without relying on what someone else saw. Only then can we hope to make a difference, to know when to react and how we can help: whether the cause is on our doorstep or on the other side of the earth.

Image: United Nations Development Programme