ríomhaire said:
Charities like that and organizations like FINCA actually provide services that help and aren't squandered or used as a crutch. They give the people the resources to fend for themselves without spoon-feeding them free aid (causing the person to become dependant on the aid). Actually, FINCA isn't as much a charity in the traditional sense as it is a means for poor people to accomplish things on their own. They give out loans ranging from $50-500 to help people start small businesses in poor areas or just get through a rough time. The psychological difference between charity (pity money) and a loan is huge. Charity implies that you're not good enough to survive on your own. A loan allows you to accept temporary help without losing your self-esteem because you end up giving the money back. Just being able to get that loan also makes the person feel better about themselves because the lender knows/thinks he can be trusted to repay the loan. Trust is an important concept. Oddly enough, even though FINCA loans money to some of the poorest people in third-world countries with no credit whatsoever they still get over 97% of the payments back on-time... which is higher than many banks. Also, less than 14% of the donations get lost in fundraising and administrative costs... meaning over 86% of your donation is put to work. We need more organizations that give people the tools (loans, knowledge, etc) to become self-sufficient. Just throwing free money at the problem won't make it go away.ríomhaire said:
kirovman said:
