to think that if you donate money to stop people drowning, you shouldn't have an issue if aome of that money is used to stop people drowning in poorer countries

[chomalungma]

Yes - the RNLI

They have been spending 3% of their income on supporting projects in poor countries to help prevent people drowning - even though it has had to lay some staff off.

They give a project to buy burkinis so women in Zanzibar can learn water safety skils.

They help support a creche because children are often left unsupervised as their parents have to work and many children drown each day. The creche project has helped reduce drowning deaths by 82%.

I can see that some people would be annoyed that a tiny percentage of their donations is going towards supporting poorer people in foreign countries and reducing their chances of drowning at a time when the RNLI lay off staff.

But it's a good thing to teach people water safety even if they are not in this country, isn't it?

This hasn't changed my opinion of the RNLI. Drowning is drowning, regardless which bit of water you are. Prevention is always better.

Added to that is the complete and absolute respect I have for the lifeboat men and women, I could never do what they go out and do. They're one of the few charities I do support.

They are going nuts about this on the daily mail Facebook page. They are cancelling their donations (that they probably don’t make anyway) rather than help FOREIGN children.

As long as the money is being used to help someone, somewhere, I honestly don't care.
We're all human beings at the end of the day. Regardless of where we live in the world, we should all be entitled to support and education.
I know that I am infinitely blessed by the pure accident of my birth, to live where I do, and that others are less lucky. EVERYONE, regardless of place of birth, or current location, deserves equal life-chances, surely?

I want my money used on lifeboats in the U.K. many places in Africa get plenty aid money, the army and politicians steal it (Zimbabwe for example where Mugabe ended up a billionaire with a private jet, funnily enough

Simple solution - don’t give money to organisations unless they discriminate against non-UK people. Should be easy enough to find one if you do the right google search. Tommy Robinson might be able to give you a few pointers.

This entire story is yet another example of the utterly disgraceful way that the Mail goes about its business. The fact that the RNLI funds some work abroad has been publicly available information on its website all along, but suddenly for the Mail it's an exclusive revelation?

I hope the people who claim to be stopping donations to the RNLI will have the decency never to call them should they find themselves in difficulties at sea. Somehow I doubt it, however.

I think they should set up a separate charity or division to deal with projects abroad.

I stopped donating to the RNLI years ago but donate to our local lifeboat instead. If there are foreigners in difficulty locally they will be rescued, as they always have been.

I wouldn’t care about them using my funds in this way IF I had been informed about these projects in advance. If, as a donor, I hadn’t been informed, I’d be annoyed as I think charities have a responsibility to be very honest.

I think they should set up a separate charity or division to deal with projects abroad.

Wouldn’t it be a waste of donations to set up a racist arm of the RNLI?

I wouldn’t care about them using my funds in this way IF I had been informed about these projects in advance.

It’s on their website. If you choose not to inform yourself about a charity you support, that’s on you.

I have no objections to it.
Yabu to be surprised. Esp by Daily Mail.
My DH used to raise money for Water Aid. Now in my opinion nobody could object to a charity that raises money and sends people to the world's poorest countries to dig wells and provide clean drinking water and sanitation to the poorest people. I was wrong. The number of people who genuinely think that they will only donate money to charities that provide help to those in the UK is stunning.

The RNLI has never hidden the fact they support international projects to prevent drowning in foreign countries. I could understand the negative response to this 'news' if the RNLI was failing to save lives in British waters, but they're not. They can clearly afford to do all of the things they've committed to.

Those saying they'll stop donating to the RNLI can't have been very active supporters or they'd have a better idea of what they were helping to fund. In other words, a handful of xenophobes no longer buying a fridge magnet when they're at the seaside will be no loss to the charity.

I’m not in the slightest bit bothered and think it’s a good thing but if they have asked for donations on the basis of funding a local service then I can see why people would be annoyed if donations weren’t used in that way. The main thing really is messaging and honesty. I don’t think many people would be bothered by a small portion going to developing countries if things were upfront.

a handful of xenophobes no longer buying a fridge magnet when they're at the seaside will be no loss to the charity.

Spot on

Userzzz

Have you read the post upthread with the statement form RNLI that they make it crystal clear on their website and annual report that they do this?

Our government and press have been whipping up hatred of non British people for a long time. Starting at the top, with this and the previous prime ministers. This is a just one of the many natural, revolting consequences. Where will it end?

I chose to support RNLI because my grandfather was a lifeboatman. I doubt him or any other man on that boat would care if donations went to saving lives in the Hebrides (where they were) or off the African coast. They rescued smugglers, fishermen, and pleasure craft (and it was usually the pleasure craft who were the least grateful). The Lifeboat men were local hero's... I visited the Island a few years ago. It was 60-70s he lived there and people remembered him as he was a Lifeboatman.

I will continue donating. Education is a great preventative measure. RNLI teach water safety courses for children in the UK too.

if things were upfront.

@Userzzzzz There's a WHOLE FUCKING SECTION OF THEIR WEBSITE about what they do internationally.

rnli.org/what-we-do/international

From what I understand, the proposed redundancies will not impact services. They will (mostly?) come from internal services - accounts, marketing, etc.

I believe I've seen a statistic that more lives of inland livers are saved each year than those if people who live in the coast. I those saying they don't give to the rnli because they only go to the seaside once or twice a year are missing the point. A big part of the rnli's work is inland, educating weekend sailors and children how to be safe on the sea

The rnli are acknowledged as world class at what they do. They've been charging for teaching overseas rescue services for years. They also do secondments with other countries, to share expertise. I think they did this with the Australian lifeguard service when setting up rnli beach lifeguards

I don't begrudge a single penny that the rnli spends. No matter where it's spent.

I am appalled by some of the attitudes on here. I live in a coastal town in Ireland where the lifeboat is central to everything. If work they do abroad saves even one child from drowning then it’s worth it. People forget this charity provides a full life saving service throughout Britain and Ireland and receives ZERO funding from governments. Just remember when you are sitting having your Christmas dinner and the lifeboat sirens go off, it’s a volunteer. People are such armchair racists. Bet most of the people moaning about the RNLI helping Africans don’t even donate in the first place.

From what I understand, the proposed redundancies will not impact services. They will (mostly?) come from internal services - accounts, marketing, etc.

Ironically, exactly the people that clueless charity critics are always whining about and saying should be cut back as ‘admin and marketing are a waste of money’... 🙄

@Stickybeaksid spot on.

Here's the thing about charities. They have to declare everything. How do you think the DM got the information? Because it's freely and publicly available.

If you want to see how a charity spends their money before you donate then you can. All their accounts are freely available.

If you then wish to withdraw or not give support that's your choice because giving to charity is a choice.

Also the vast majority of larger charities use a small percentage of funds to drop Nate overseas. It's not new or unusual.

i think calling people names because they didn't realise it was an international charity is unfair.
they just need to change the name to international. job done

Changing a charity name isn’t a simple thing! They’d lose brand recognition which has been built up for decades, it would potentially cost thousands of pounds - researching a new name, making people aware, rebranding all their websites, their physical sites, their materials. And they have a Royal in the name - so that would almost certainly add an extra layer of hassle to it. All because people don’t do their research? The same people who’d bitch about spending money on a rebrand? Come on, be serious. It would do them far more harm than a DM story, which will be forgotten soon enough, and at worst will lead to a drop in short term casual donations. A rebrand would be a massive overreaction.