To Those Feeling Helpful

[mark_asphodel]

 Hey guys--

I realize some of you are in the mood to help tsunami/earthquake/fire victims right this second.  Be aware that some of the charities you might be donating to don't necessarily allocate funds specifically to relief for the tsunami or other events.  Doctors Without Borders?  Love 'em, am a "Field Partner" to them, but everything goes into a communal fund.  The money you send them tonight may end up helping people in Libya, or Afghanistan, or many other places around the world.  The American Red Cross did something similar after 9/11/2001 that caused a backlash when people found out that the money they thought was going to 9/11 victims was allocated elsewhere.

So if your goal is specifically giving aid to Japanese tsunami victims, read the fine print.  

On the other hand, if you want to help people, period:

http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/donate/overview.cfm?ref=main-menu

Comments

[hooves.livejournal.com]

You are, of course, absolutely right. Though I will admit any charity is better than nothing at all.

Am still poking around trying to find good charities specifically going to Japan/with funds just for Japan.

[hooves.livejournal.com]

Okay, having asked about the V-gift.

Here's where charities are going. (http://news.livejournal.com/tag/charitable%20vgift) Supposedly 100% goes to the charity of LJ's choice, and it's different depending on the charity. i.e., it was different for Haiti and NZ and Australia. But the list tells you the cause it's going to.

When the next news post goes up it should tell us where the Help Japan one is going.

[raphiael]

I'm firmly in the "as long as someone is being helped" camp myself. The only thing that usually concerns me is iffy charities where more goes to crap than aid.

[mark-asphodel.livejournal.com]

Well, the other concern is "will the resident warlord/totally FUBAR government 're-allocate' the donations and/or block the charity from doing what it's there to do"?

With Japan at least I feel comfortable on that count.

[raphiael]

Yeah, that was a lot of why I often feel uncomfortable donating to charities that just send the money to the country, as opposed to organizations that send in people to help and the like.
It's really a sad, terrible thing. :(