[FONT=“Georgia”]I don’t know if you’ve heard about the earthquake in Haiti the other day. As a Caribbean neighbour, I’d like to help, and I was considering a money donation to Red Cross.
However, I’m very cautious about people I donate to. So, from what you guys know, is Red Cross really politically neutral?
I don’t want to support anyone with secret agendas and ideologies to preach!
I’d like to vicariously help through them, as I can’t go there myself to dig people out of rubble.
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I have no idea! If it is an hidden agenda, then we should not know or it wouldn’t be an hidden agenda 
I don’t donate to anything myself, I think taxes are already more than enough and are taken without my approval but I comply because of possible sanctions.
But be careful because I remember when there was the tsunami in 2004, lots of people donated for this but the organisations used the funds for other things, when the people donated for the tsunami victims, there’s no way to know what your donation will be used for. I’m not even talking about misuses of donations, but only that you may want to help a population in particular but you can’t, so I don’t donate.
I would donate money only if I can see the effect of it. Giving money to a an unrecognized organization is simply a waste. But Red cross is different story and I really trust them and I will surely donate if they are collecting.
I think the Red Cross is one of the charities you can trust. They’re not the kind of organization that sits back, collects donations, and decides when and where to dole them out to other groups that might do something useful. The Red Cross is the group that’s on the ground, setting up tents and camp sites, handing out water and food. They also don’t hoard money, almost every dollar that comes in gets spent that same year – when a disaster strikes, the Red Cross moves first with everything it has, and counts on the surge in donations that most disasters bring to fund what they’re doing. The American Red Cross which sends money and volunteers wherever there is a disaster actually runs out of money after most of the major ones… the Disaster Relief Fund went broke at least once just last year.
I think the Red Cross are pretty legit. Another ‘on-the-ground’ charity which is similar to the Red Cross is Médecins Sans Frontières. Again, can’t vouch for them 100% but they are well respected the world over.
Haiti is in the grip of a terrible catastrophe, and it will be made even worse if Aid doesn’t reach those in need soon. Those front-line charities are where your money should go at present.
I hear you. Believe me, I have my many grievances with forced government “charity”. But I know they aren’t doing anything useful with what they steal from me.
[FONT=“Georgia”]Don’t panic, the aid’s already there! They didn’t waste any time at all!
But I’d like to aid the aid, if it makes sense to.
We had a surge of local charities appearing here, but one seems affiliated with a political party and the other is called “Is There Not a Cause?”, which sounds like one of those tricky things people say to win arguments, so I have an automatic distrust of them.
There are also a bunch who are collecting old clothes and sheets and stuff, but sending those things doesn’t make sense; Just sounds like garbage for aid-workers to sort, and I doubt they’d use.[/FONT]
[FONT=“Georgia”]Alright, I’m convinced.
As JamesColin warned, yeah the donations maybe imprecise, but whatever they already spent to be there now came from elsewhere so I’ll think of it like I’ve been helping on credit.
Thanks for the replies everybody. I appreciate it :tup:
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The Red Cross is intended to be politically and religiously neutral but I think that status is gradually being eroded by the addition of one new flag after another as various groups complain about the symbolism of existing flags, see this article.
I wonder how much longer it can exist in it’s current united form in the face of this gradual bipartisan identity theft based on the national pettiness so typical of humans.
In the short term though, no better choice exits and they do fine work.
Dont know much about their agendas but ive supported http://www.concern.net/ for a while and http://www.trocaire.org/, bought clutches of chickens, tools, seeds, animals etc… :tup:
Concern is worldwide - Trocáire is mostly an Irish one but still they help worldwide
Goal - http://www.goal.ie/ this is another good one :tup:
ps: if you are concerned about any charity or group then ur better off going with another one cause there will always be different stories floating about :confused2
I’m with you on the old ‘garbage-collection’ for the most part, but I see it as being ok if you have it to give and if it will benefit someone. It’s a more long-term solution though, since the sorting/giving of this kind of Aid is more cumbersome, and not direct enough to solve immediate problems.
It’s difficult to know the true extent of a problem by TV or news sources alone. I had no idea the Aid agencys where already there in force, for example. The same old clips of the disaster are replayed.
The Red Cross is a fine organization for now.
The US is as always right at the forefront of helping out. Since one runway of the airport there was spared, relief planes are already coming in with goods and people to help.
[FONT=“Georgia”]I sent some money to 'em earlier today. For anyone else who’s interested, the link to the donation page is here.
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You can also send a text message to 90999 with the word “haiti”. $10 will be charged to your cell phone bill and donated to the American Red Cross. I’ve never made an easier donation.