To be thinking twice about donating money to flood victims in Pakistan?

[Nancy66]

One of the most corrupt countries in the world - is there, realistically, any chance at all the money will get to the victims?

Infuriates me that 8 months after the Haiti earthquake most of the residents are still living in squalor and chaos, while tens of millions sits in bank accounts.

YANBU. We sponser a child through Action Aid. Hopefully this means he will get a good education and not have to worry throughout his entire childhood. We don't get bombarded with letters (like we do with Red Cross) but what we do get is the odd letter and update. It's lovely to see how he's developing.

YANBU

What few people realise about many parts of the world outside the OECD is that what we regard as basic human decency and compassion is regarded by people in many countres as purely an opportunity to get rich. A human life in many parts of the world is literally worthless. It consists of scraping together enough to live from day to day.

I used to buy and sell commodities in many of these countries for a living including the former Eastern Bloc. The political elite simply do not care an iota for their people and never have.

One day, I as in a meeting in one of these countries. The country had just suffered an earthquake, there was no food in the shops, the room I was sat in had an enormous crack in the wall that the wind blew through. A young woman came in to serve tea, she went back to her desk and dropped dead. I still think of her quite often even though it was 20 years ago. Everyone in the office just carried on as if it was normal.

Oh, Riven >.

I'd second (or third?) MSF. They are brilliant and they do a huge amount on the ground. There is no question of money not getting through or being waylaid by corrupt local officials. Medecins Sans Frontieres has been my charity of choice for years now.

We sponsor two children, one in Kenya (which was pretty awful during the trouble there as she lives right in the thick of it) and one in Bolivia. (we sponsored two after I wanted to give something back due to medical problems for the dc which got better).

But when soemthing like thsi happens there has to be more that I can do...just because the culture and beliefs in other parts of the world are different to mine, I can't look the other way. My beliefs are that we do what we can.

Should countries that can afford a nuclear weapons programme and a ballistic missile programme get international aid?

Just because their goverment might spend money on weapons rather than food and medical supplies, does that absolve me of my responsibility to help?

If I ignore their needs then I'm also ignoring my own. There's no separation here.

YABU. Somehow I reckon the charities have already considered what's best in countries with corrupt governments. If you don't donate then the money definitly won't reach them. Aid does reach people and save/change lives.

definitely

My ILs are involved with a charity that sends clean-water equipment directly to disaster zones (including Pakistan now). They don't send money out there, just water filters and other survival equipment directly to the places where it's needed. Having seen how it works I am pretty confident that that really does help the people it's meant for. So by all means check out the charities before donating, but please don't assume all donations will be wasted!

i must admit most money i give to charity goes to either the local childrens hospice or the local domestic violence help service (set up as my area has a very high domestic violence rate then most of its funding was cut by the council ). i trust them more than most of the international charities. If i do give money for relief causes like the pakistan floods i tend to give it through unicef.

Hecate - "The thing I have found about large charities is that they exist to exist - iyswim

So they raise money to fund themselves, keep paying the salaries, keep running the offices, and if they've got a bit spare, they might do a little something. But their primary function is to keep themselves running and the largest amount of money by far goes on that.

They may have started off with the idea of helping, but that soon changes.

Perhaps I am just cynical, maybe I am suspicious, but it seems to me that the very well paid directors and managers of these charities are doing very well indeed out of it all."

I think you are very cynical Hecate because that is just not the case with most big charities.For example Christian Aid spend 80% of their total income on funding partners fighting poverty overseas. These partners are rigorously audited to ensure they are spending donor's money wisely.

The other 20% - 19% went on fundraising - they raise £4 for every £1 spent on fundraising, so well worth it - and 1% on governance - the costs associated with the running of the charity.

www.christianaid.org.uk/aboutus/incomeandexpenditure/making-it-count/index.aspx

Your money DOES get through, but it's totally unrealistic to think that things will change quickly when aid agencies are coming up against poor local governance, corruption and red tape. If the aid agencies weren't in Haiti at all, the situation would be a lot worse.

tokyo - Should countries that can afford a nuclear weapons programme and a ballistic missile programme get international aid?

Yes, because there is still huge poverty in many of these countries, and their corrupt governments do not address this. So international aid is often the only help the desperately poor people in these countries are getting.

YANBU I will not be giving any thing

lucky1979 the nspcc and childline are totally separate charities - you can donate directly to childline

Well good for you Runaway...

When I give money I want to know it is getting to the people who need it and not to the corrupt people in official office.

I give to lots of things, but I will not be donating to this one

But Runaway, it IS getting to them as demonstrated above and here.

www.christianaid.org.uk/emergencies/current/pakistan-floods-appeal/index.aspx

I've had a good look at the Medicin Sans Frontieres website and I'm impressed, so will give them a monthly D.debit.

I also like the fact that it was founded by doctors and journalists and that they continue to work together.

I think it is wise to be wary of large charities actually.
NAS piss me off as the last time I checked they had about 350 in reserves and seem to sit on their arse about many issues. DS2 also attended a fantastic nursery for ASD. NAS would not list them on their website unless the owner paid £500 for their 'inspection fee'

I donate to a few things but I am a simle soul - selfish actually I guess, as I like to have a connection with the things to which I donate. So local schools & clubs, individual donatations and sponsorship all appeal to me. I too love medicin san frontier but then our best man worked for them for a couple of years.
And I do hate chuggers.....

That should be £50 million not 350

Are chuggers exempt when it comes to a cold calling ban? I live on a no cold calling street - and the still knock all the feckin' time...mind you, so does everyone else.