Oxfam/STC etc or direct sponsorship of children in developing countries - which is "best"

[suzywong]

of course I realise it's all better than a poke in the eye, I wonder if it is better in terms of potency and actual effect on both and indivudual and community in which that individual lives to donate to a large well practised NGO or give money and develop a relationship with a child?

Is it not a bit "patronising"? Is it better to be anonymous?

I want to make a regular charitable donation and I would also like to explain the concept of charity and support and global-caring to the kids but I am a bit afraid of dragging out a picture of a little unfortunate child and using it as a lesson on how much better off we are and what altruistic do gooders we can be?

Does that make sense?
Shall I just take my head from up my arse and put my hand in my pocket as every penny counts?

Snappier thread title needed?

We do both because they are both valid ways to give.
Sponsoring a child (we do it via Plan) also helps the community because that is how most of the sponsoring organisations work. So although we have a named child and can send letters etc and receive progress reports on that child, the money does not actually go to that child's family but to the community.
Perhaps for building a school, providing wells, paying for teachers or education or training for women. Or a thousand and one other things, many of them very simple and all aimed at helping communities improve and hopefully become self-sufficient.

I think it's the giving that matters, so as long as you are happy with the charity you choose and the work they are doing that's fine.

As far as explaining things to our children goes, I found mine like the idea of a named child. They like finding out about one particular country and what life might be like there. I suppose there might be an element of 'gosh how lucky we are' but I don't think that's always a bad thing.

Ah Exbatt,that is interesting re money not going to one child.
I've been thinking on these lines for a while meself Suze but having grown up in developing countries and with a dh currently working in one of the world's poorest countries (Tajikistan) am very suspicious of a lot of chariddeee.

thanks exbatt,

I may choose a child the same age as ds1 in a Spanish speaking country as ds1 likes Dora and speaking Spanish - God, how can I choose just one child? The power and responsibility of that does not sit well, however, I think that is what we will do.

But how do I judge whether or not an organisation is doing good work? The main one here is WorldVision.

oh feck, why suspcious?

However, there are kids in the same state as me sniffing petrol and being horrible neglected .

I dunno, the perilous choices of the middle classes [hmmm]

No,I mean suspicious of motives and where cash goes. Dh has a good list of pertinent questions to ask. will try to procure it.

yes, please do procure it, even if you have to kiss his front bottom in the process

thank you

my holier than though compromise is to divide time and money between chariddeee at home and chariddeee further afield.

why dont you offer a visa+job (au pair) to someone from a developing country and pay them over the going rate?
thats what they want more than charity, and they will send the money home, so that their rellies back home can build a new house, (probably bigger than yours)

We sponsor through World Vision and get lots of updates on how our sponsored child's community is benefitting in the form of pictures and newsletters. I found the picking a particular child part hard too so I asked them to choose for me.

We sponsor through Plan. You don't pick a child - you say a country and gender (if wished) and they do the rest. WE have had a few photographs and have sent her some small gifts. The girls find it very exciting, it costs so little and it's really easy to set up.

nightynight, I have the space to put a few newsletters but not an au pair. And dh is setting up a work visa for a foreigner - but he's a German so not quite in the same category unless he comes from the arse end of Hamburg.

Will get Worldvision to choose for us.

We have had a WorldVision child since DD1, 25 now, was about 10 - first a girl in Bangladesh, then a boy in Ghana. Not sure it actually did anything for our kids' understanding of the 3rd world though...

WorldVision is a bit godly you know, suze - Plan is non-religious, may be a better bet.

Wendy, tell me more.

As you probably know, some parts of Australia are like the third world, but there are soooooooooo many layers of ethics and guilt and all the rest of it involved in treating those cases as charity rather than, well fill in the blanks yourself.

What do you think about good old Unicef?

Unicef don't do individual sponsorship, suzy - your money goes into a project. Actually the same applies to WorldVision , I don't think "your child" gets your money but the community does; which is better because there would be haves and have-nots if they did, this way all the children get better medical care, education etc, but it is nice to have a name and a face to identify with. (They are very good but there is this church connection...)

Plan works like that too.

I can only find UK sites for Unicef and World Vision but the Plan site is international.

HTH