Dilemma: To give or not to give that is the question

[Cyclone]

I think Hopkins point is that if an organisation asks for donations for a specific purpose that organisation has a responsibility to ensure the donations are used as intended.

 

I don't think that was his point at all, he was saying that it wasn't reasonable for the CEO of a large charity to be paid 6 figures. This is the continuation of his justification for why.

[Mossway]

One thing's for sure in Africa, apart from the climate and the scenery, everything will be worse next year. I say this as someone who has spent a lot of time in sub-saharan Africa. The corruption has to be experienced to be believed. Virtually the first word a Nigerian child learns is 'dash' the word for bribe. To get anything done you have to 'dash' someone, be they police, customs, businesssmen etc.

I'm certain that throwing money at it won't cure anything, cynic that I am. This is why I am so reluctant giving anything to any charity with an African association.

[Hopkins]

I think Hopkins point is that if an organisation asks for donations for a specific purpose that organisation has a responsibility to ensure the donations are used as intended.

As with our Overseas Aid a very high percentage never reaches the intended recipients most gets creamed off through corruption.

[Cyclone]

So why aren't they now helping their fellow Africans?

 

If you just want to find a justification for not giving to charity, just say that you don't like brown people.

[Hopkins]

I don't think that was his point at all, he was saying that it wasn't reasonable for the CEO of a large charity to be paid 6 figures. This is the continuation of his justification for why.

No it isn't, too much of the donations do not reach the intended recipients.

Aid should be given in kind and distributed by the organisation involved as proof.

[Cyclone]

Anyone can buy water pumps (not rocket science), put them on a boat and leave them at the docks in Africa instead of distributing them personally.

You don't need to be a brain surgeon but you will get a six figure sum along with the other top paid (not earners) staff.

 

Just to remind you what you said.

 

Charities don't need reasonably paid CEOs because they can just dump stuff on the 'docks' of Africa (the continent) and it will somehow magically get to the people who need it.

Except you are now complaining about the level of corruption that exists, making it difficult to ensure aid reaches its target.

 

You just want to salve your conscience don't you, justify not giving by whatever argument you can dream up next.

[Robin-H]

So why aren't they now helping their fellow Africans?

 

That post shows you really should do some research on the matter.

[Hopkins]

One thing's for sure in Africa, apart from the climate and the scenery, everything will be worse next year. I say this as someone who has spent a lot of time in sub-saharan Africa. The corruption has to be experienced to be believed. Virtually the first word a Nigerian child learns is 'dash' the word for bribe. To get anything done you have to 'dash' someone, be they police, customs, businesssmen etc.

I'm certain that throwing money at it won't cure anything, cynic that I am. This is why I am so reluctant giving anything to any charity with an African association.

This post is like a breath of fresh air, at last someone who's seen it first hand but I doubt you'll get away with it.

 

---------- Post added 16-01-2017 at 00:47 ----------

 

If you just want to find a justification for not giving to charity, just say that you don't like brown people.

So come on what have you got to say about Mossway's post doesn't Mossway like brown people?

[Cyclone]

He's not stumbling from half baked reason to the next half baked reason, desperate to find a reason to not give to charity is he?

[sgtkate]

One thing's for sure in Africa, apart from the climate and the scenery, everything will be worse next year. I say this as someone who has spent a lot of time in sub-saharan Africa. The corruption has to be experienced to be believed. Virtually the first word a Nigerian child learns is 'dash' the word for bribe. To get anything done you have to 'dash' someone, be they police, customs, businesssmen etc.

I'm certain that throwing money at it won't cure anything, cynic that I am. This is why I am so reluctant giving anything to any charity with an African association.

 

Yes you are right in many ways about the level of corruption in Africa.

 

I have done aid work in Kibera slum, Nairobi and we had to battle it everyday, people offering 'protection' and so on. Thankfully we had the local 'chief' on side.

 

However, we took our own fundraising money, we hired locals to assist with the labouring, we hired a local architect who grew up in Kibera so knew how things worked, we worked with another school from a different part of Kibera to recruit teachers who again grew up in Kibera, we put in place legal electricity and setup a 'pay per use' charging scheme to generate some income for the school, we also put in place a Wi-Fi network and again set that up so tokens for it's use could be sold, finally we negotiated with the local 'chief' (read head of the militia here) to say to him that if he gave us safe passage for free he'd be able to gain favour with the locals as they would have a new, free to use school in his district...and so on. As a result there is now a school in Kibera that offers a reasonable level of education for free to all children who live in the local area, it's self-sufficient as well, earning enough from selling Wi-Fi and power to just about make ends meet.

 

So enough of the rubbish being spouted from people who seem to just want an excuse to do nothing. If you want to contribute and help then find projects like that where every penny gets to the people who need it, there is no 'creaming' off of the funds (all of us who went paid for all our own accommodation, travel and food etc.)