African Charities: This Is Why I Don't Donate

[ChillDoubt]

http://m.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-25295821

Just one example why donating to the bottomless pit is often pure folly.

[emmie]

i do understand why, sadly its always the little people who suffer, the innocents in all this.

[jake-the-peg]

So lets get this straight

If, heaven forbid, you were on a foreign holiday and through some horrible mix up you were arrested by a dodgy police force and locked up in a cell and the only way to help you, to get you out were to bribe a local official to let a lawyer get in and see you

You would object to that?

Or do you high principles only come into play when it's a case of digging into your pocket to help someone else?

Certainly I wouldn't mind if the money that I recently gave to the Phillipines appeal had to be used to grease a few palms if it were the only way to help other people's money get through

The point is getting the help to starving people in desperate need - or don't you think that is the most important thing?

[emmie]

it doesn't stop it though does it, as proven with the kidnapping, hostage taking and piracy on the open seas, countries give in to them to release their citizens, billions over time has been paid out, yet the piracy continues, so it doesn't exactly work does it.

[ChillDoubt]

If, heaven forbid, you were on a foreign holiday and through some horrible mix up you were arrested by a dodgy police force and locked up in a cell and the only way to help you, to get you out were to bribe a local official to let a lawyer get in and see you
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I tend to only holiday in France these days and the Gendarmes aren't that corruptable.
Though why being on holiday and greasing the palms of the local terrorists are somehow linked is beyond me I'm afraid.
If I were to venture further afield for my vacation it wouldn't be in some third world country with a dodgy regime and local police force that could easily make one 'disappear'.
Or do you tend to holiday in such countries, jtp?

[youngmafbog]

Expect Jake is more likely to holiday in Cuba or Russia !

I agree with whatr you say Chilld.

[boxtops]

This sounds a familiar story, not new at all - the urgent food and medical supplies donated to countries like Somalia were allegedly held up at borders, redirected to fat cats, etc.

[wolf63]

So you think we should just sit and watch the suffering?

[Sqad]

wolf

\\\\So you think we should just sit and watch the suffering?\\\

Yes.........I do.......funnily enough it has little effect on me as i have seen it all before over the years...genocide, poverty, starvation, rape, torture and is has little or no effect upon me any more.

Where are the Philippines?

[Baldric]

I support two UK based Charities on a year-round basis,
and that's it,not a penny more whatever!

[ToraToraTora]

Not suprising to see JTP supporting corruption must be why he's so fond of the EU.

Anyway giving to charity has always been a scatter gun approach most of the money ends up in the pockets of theiving lowlives, here is a post I put up last week: http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/News/Question1296331.html

Generally now I don't support big charities at all, I try and conribute to local initiatives that I can see more clearly but even they can have their theives attached.

[ChillDoubt]

Expect Jake is more likely to holiday in Cuba or Russia !
---------------------------
I was thinking more along the lines of Libyan desert or Tora Bora TBH.

[Kromovaracun]

JTP is not supporting corruption - he's saying that indulging it is sometimes a necessary evil to do what's right. His holiday example is intended to show that an individual might do it if it was necessary to get himself out of jail, and likewise an aid worker might do it to try and get as much food to as many needy as quickly as he can.

I'm not saying I necessarily agree with JTP, but if you're going to argue against someone you're kind of obliged to understand what they're saying properly.

[ToraToraTora]

has anyone ever seen jake and kromo in the same room? ....mmmm?

[youngmafbog]

I'm sure I saw them both together once in Cuba.

[Kromovaracun]

I just had a thought - where exactly IS R1Geezer? I mean, is he still banned on account of being rude? Not seen him around for a while. I do miss him and his feeble attempts at incisive political commentary.

Sorry. No idea where that came from.

No idea at all.

[boxtops]

Still suspended (since 2011) under THAT name, kromo.............

[anotheoldgit]

youngmafbog

/// Expect Jake is more likely to holiday in Cuba or Russia !///

You know that I am not one of your Leffties but to be fair YMB, I have holidayed in Cuba and it was one of the best holidays I have ever had, the people are great and think the world of the British (which makes a change) although they are not too keen on the Americans.

One of our couriers could not get enough of anything British, in fact he told us that his hobby was collecting British newspapers and he that he was after a Union flag, and short of pinching the one outside the hotel he didn't know where he was going to get one from.

[emmie]

wasn't it Imran Khan who said we should stop giving aid to Pakistan, because all it does is feed the politicians pockets and doesn't help the people one jot. I could be wrong, if someone remembers do let us know.

[emmie]

it was, he did say cut aid,

http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/showthread.php?p=53064556

[Peter Pedant]

Lets get this straight:
do I want my charity contributions to be used as bribes and still called charity ? No I dont actually. - still less to provide Gin for the President's Palace in order that a little eentsy weentsy bit gets to the part I want ?
Nope