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Is donating money to charities that operate in Africa a waste of time?

2»

Comments

  • #52
    i71jskz5xu42pb
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,806 ✭✭✭i71jskz5xu42pb


    newmills wrote: »
    I remember jeremy clarkson saying that for every pound donated to africa it will really help a dictator upgrade his mercedes to a newer, better model.

    Well if Jeremy Clarkson said it then case closed.

    Any chance we could donate Jeremy Clarkson to Africa? Is there an asshole shortage there at the moment?


  • #53
    stovelid
    Closed Accounts Posts: 27,252 ✭✭✭✭stovelid


    flyton5 wrote: »
    Send condoms. Two birds with one stone.

    It's bad enough that many of the women there are starving and have Malaria or Aids.

    Let's not turn them into sluts as well.


  • #54
    meditraitor
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,207 ✭✭✭meditraitor


    Yes, its a waste of time....


  • #55
    Earthhorse
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 14,714 ✭✭✭✭Earthhorse


    No, it's not a waste of time. It saves lives. Even taking into account corruption and inefficienies lives will be saved.
    apsalar wrote: »
    However, the problem is that ultimately there are many underlying problems with the democracies and indeed economics of some the recipients of foreign aid that are masked by aid. What impetus does a government have to look to the welfare of its own and develop a sustainable economy when a large percentage of their budget may come from foreign donors?

    If you genuinely think that in the absence of NGOs or direct government aid these countries would be shamed into sorting out their problems you're mistaken. This didn't happen before international aid was in place and it won't happen now. Besides, a lot of the power to change things lies in the hands of the international community which is beyond their remit; things like reducing barriers to trade.
    vinylmesh wrote: »
    I attended a talk from some sort of enviromental charity and it got me thinking, what's our obsession with sending lots of white people to these places? Do we think the native people are incapable of running operations themselves? or is it some sort of guilt thing?

    Surely it would be a better use of resources if these charities paid native people to run things (what with the flights, vaccines, training, finding a place to stay and all the administrative procedures that have to be done beforhand)?

    Some charities do have use native field staff in the field. In my opinion, it's a much better approach.


  • #56
    phantom_lord
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 10,894 ✭✭✭✭phantom_lord


    poor people lol


  • #57
    caseyann
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,941 ✭✭✭caseyann


    No it still hasnt made it better there and how many years have many countries public been donating and all the charity concerts.And still every day more.
    They should be forced to have only one child per family.In their circumstances they should not be popping out little babies for starvation and then expecting other countries to fit the bill.What did they do before?


  • #58
    DubDani
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,156 ✭✭✭DubDani


    There was a study done on 20 of the biggest european Charities, and the research showed that it was more or less only a money making scam.

    On average only about 12-15% of the money collected went actually to a good cause. The rest was spent on Admin, Salaries, Advertising, Cost of collection etc. Some of the big well known charities were found to spend 90-95% of the money on Admin costs before any money goes to Africa.

    So out of every 100 Euro collected in Europe in average only 12-15 Euro will arrive in Africa. And out of that 12-15 Euro only about 8 Euro will make it to the people who are really in need.


  • #59
    faceman
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Arts Moderators, Entertainment Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators Posts: 16,649 CMod ✭✭✭✭faceman


    DubDani wrote: »
    There was a study done on 20 of the biggest european Charities, and the research showed that it was more or less only a money making scam.

    On average only about 12-15% of the money collected went actually to a good cause. The rest was spent on Admin, Salaries, Advertising, Cost of collection etc. Some of the big well known charities were found to spend 90-95% of the money on Admin costs before any money goes to Africa.

    So out of every 100 Euro collected in Europe in average only 12-15 Euro will arrive in Africa. And out of that 12-15 Euro only about 8 Euro will make it to the people who are really in need.

    What study was this and who were the charities?

    Alot of the comments in this thread seem to be made to have an excuse to not donate to charity, rather than suggesting our aid money is not being spent correctly.


  • #60
    biko
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 81,220 ✭✭✭✭biko


    As I said in Is Aid killing Africa
    Stop the exploitation by Shell, de Beers and similar.
    Many African countries are very rich in resources but still very poor - where does the money go?

    We keep them starving and grateful. Just let them keep and use their own resources.


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  • #61
    mega man
    Closed Accounts Posts: 370 ✭✭mega man


    donating money to africa is a complete waste. by the time it gets there most of it is taken anyway.
    if the people cant help themselves they shouldnt receive help from us. africa is a strain on the rest of the world.


  • #62
    faceman
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Arts Moderators, Entertainment Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators Posts: 16,649 CMod ✭✭✭✭faceman


    mega man wrote: »
    donating money to africa is a complete waste. by the time it gets there most of it is taken anyway.
    if the people cant help themselves they shouldnt receive help from us. africa is a strain on the rest of the world.

    Lets assume for a minute you arent trolling. Can you back up your claim?

    "by the time it gets there most of it is taken anyway."


  • #63
    kincsem
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,013 ✭✭✭kincsem


    I doubt this "barriers to trade" idea that the west is stopping the mighty industries and agricultures of Africa from exporting.

    I saw some large sugar estates (worked in them) that were profitable in the 1920s and not competitive now. Cash crops like tobacco in Zimbabwe were probably hampered by Mugabe confiscating white owned farms - I just don't know.

    An anti-white bias after independance (most countries got independance around 1964) was not helpful to large scale agriculture. Politicians promised large houses and cars for everyone, and that was never going to be true. Confiscating businesses and land just resulted in nothingness.

    Many African countries are "land locked" (far from the sea), do not have much arable land (Zimbabwe an exception, parts of Mozambique), few rivers (big but separated by hundreds of miles of dry land). Extractive industries are the only real money earners.

    You need stable political and business climates for confidence. Without confidence no one invests.


  • #64
    mega man
    Closed Accounts Posts: 370 ✭✭mega man


    faceman wrote: »
    Lets assume for a minute you arent trolling. Can you back up your claim?

    "by the time it gets there most of it is taken anyway."

    anyone in the charity business will tell you that.


  • #65
    TheZohanS
    Closed Accounts Posts: 11,582 ✭✭✭✭TheZohanS


    mega man wrote: »
    if the people cant help themselves they shouldnt receive help from us. africa is a strain on the rest of the world.

    Watch it.


  • #66
    mega man
    Closed Accounts Posts: 370 ✭✭mega man


    TheZohan wrote: »
    Watch it.

    oh sorry..i thought this was stormfront lol


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  • #67
    TheZohanS
    Closed Accounts Posts: 11,582 ✭✭✭✭TheZohanS


    mega man wrote: »
    oh sorry..i thought this was stormfront lol

    You're very mistaken there.


  • #68
    kincsem
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,013 ✭✭✭kincsem


    I send a small amount each month to a home for elderly in northern Argentina run by an Irish priest.

    I knew someone who is in a very high position with a major Irish charity. Not a nice person. I won't contribute to them. Very little evidence in Africa of charity help. I've been in Kenya, Malawi, Zaire, Zambia, Mozambique.


  • #69
    genericguy
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,831 ✭✭✭genericguy


    How do we know our money isn't going straight to some dictator? We don't, and we shouldn't care. Africans tend to gravitate towards the likes of mugabe and gaddafi when left to their own devices. Let's cancel their debts, and then stop giving them money, and let them catch up naturally.

    Why is the situation not improving? Because Africa is not a civilised continent and they spend every cent on machetes and other means of harming each other. (don't come fcuking near me with the "you're a racist" comments. I'm speaking based on what I've been told by a couple of friends who've done volunteer work, and subsequently decided it was a lost cause.)

    Does it depend on the particular charity? Probably not. The sooner they stop paying chuggers to annoy us the better.


  • #70
    IvyTheTerrible
    Closed Accounts Posts: 14,949 ✭✭✭✭IvyTheTerrible


    genericguy wrote: »
    How do we know our money isn't going straight to some dictator? We don't, and we shouldn't care. Africans tend to gravitate towards the likes of mugabe and gaddafi when left to their own devices. Let's cancel their debts, and then stop giving them money, and let them catch up naturally.

    Why is the situation not improving? Because Africa is not a civilised continent and they spend every cent on machetes and other means of harming each other. (don't come fcuking near me with the "you're a racist" comments. I'm speaking based on what I've been told by a couple of friends who've done volunteer work, and subsequently decided it was a lost cause.)

    Does it depend on the particular charity? Probably not. The sooner they stop paying chuggers to annoy us the better.

    Your "couple of friends" know the situation about the ENTIRE continent of Africa? :rolleyes:


  • #71
    genericguy
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,831 ✭✭✭genericguy


    IvyTheTerrible wrote: »
    Your "couple of friends" know the situation about the ENTIRE continent of Africa? :rolleyes:

    absolutely not, but by and large it appears to be the same - cyclical periods of slight development ---> civil unrest ---> genocide.


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  • #72
    hooradiation
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,922 ✭✭✭hooradiation


    DubDani wrote: »
    There was a study done on 20 of the biggest european Charities, and the research showed that it was more or less only a money making scam.

    On average only about 12-15% of the money collected went actually to a good cause. The rest was spent on Admin, Salaries, Advertising, Cost of collection etc. Some of the big well known charities were found to spend 90-95% of the money on Admin costs before any money goes to Africa.

    So out of every 100 Euro collected in Europe in average only 12-15 Euro will arrive in Africa. And out of that 12-15 Euro only about 8 Euro will make it to the people who are really in need.

    [citation needed]


  • #73
    faceman
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Arts Moderators, Entertainment Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators Posts: 16,649 CMod ✭✭✭✭faceman


    mega man wrote: »
    anyone in the charity business will tell you that.

    :confused: Who are you getting this information from??? Do name and shame


  • #74
    faceman
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Arts Moderators, Entertainment Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators Posts: 16,649 CMod ✭✭✭✭faceman


    kincsem wrote: »
    I send a small amount each month to a home for elderly in northern Argentina run by an Irish priest.

    I knew someone who is in a very high position with a major Irish charity. Not a nice person. I won't contribute to them. Very little evidence in Africa of charity help. I've been in Kenya, Malawi, Zaire, Zambia, Mozambique.

    I can only speak for East Africa. Goal and Concern have offices and bases in East Africa and quite a number of irish aid workers do trojan work there.


  • #75
    orourkeda
    Closed Accounts Posts: 17,918 ✭✭✭✭orourkeda


    If there was a magic wand invented that would clear all debt in Africa how long would it take for them to get into debt again? Just a thought.


  • #76
    ascanbe
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,089 ✭✭✭ascanbe


    genericguy wrote: »
    How do we know our money isn't going straight to some dictator? We don't, and we shouldn't care. Africans tend to gravitate towards the likes of mugabe and gaddafi when left to their own devices. Let's cancel their debts, and then stop giving them money, and let them catch up naturally.

    Why is the situation not improving? Because Africa is not a civilised continent and they spend every cent on machetes and other means of harming each other. (don't come fcuking near me with the "you're a racist" comments. I'm speaking based on what I've been told by a couple of friends who've done volunteer work, and subsequently decided it was a lost cause.)

    Does it depend on the particular charity? Probably not. The sooner they stop paying chuggers to annoy us the better.

    So you and your two friends have decided it's a lost cause?
    Well, that's another catastrophic blow for the continent.
    Please don't abstain completely from the debate, though; sweeping generalisations are in short supply and always of great help.


  • #77
    kincsem
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,013 ✭✭✭kincsem


    orourkeda wrote: »
    If there was a magic wand invented that would clear all debt in Africa how long would it take for them to get into debt again? Just a thought.

    You give them a grant of the amount of the debt they refuse to repay. This was happening with British debt before Bono and Geldof decided to save the world.


  • #78
    orourkeda
    Closed Accounts Posts: 17,918 ✭✭✭✭orourkeda


    kincsem wrote: »
    You give them a grant of the amount of the debt they refuse to repay. This was happening with British debt before Bono and Geldof decided to save the world.

    Why give them a grant? Its not the only area of the world in debt.


  • #79
    kincsem
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,013 ✭✭✭kincsem


    orourkeda wrote: »
    Why give them a grant? Its not the only area of the world in debt.
    You are not giving them anything extra. You gave them a loan and they would not repay. So you write it off and call it a grant. The Minister for Foreign Development gets a photo-opportunity and a holiday abroad for a grant giving ceremony. A nice trip in the government jet perhaps.


  • #80
    flyton5
    Registered Users Posts: 1,112 ✭✭✭flyton5


    I worked with a white african girl from Zimbabwe who along with her family was forced off her farm and had to move to Zambia. Shortly afterwards the Mugabe government began mining gold from their land.

    I lol'd in her face. She didnt mind and a few weeks later we engaged in drunken coitious.

    I cant remember if I gloved up and may now be the proud owner of an african/irish bastard child...or AIDs. Woe is me...


  • #81
    Joey the lips
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 10,262 ✭✭✭✭Joey the lips


    I never understood why there is so much poverty in africa especially when you consider they are doing an awful lot to give it away

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    This is a secure arrangement and with my position here,everything will just work out perfectly.If you accept this offer,I will appreciate your timely response as soon as you receive this mail.
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