I have a dreadful internet connection. I live in the boonies, with ancient phone lines and no cable. Doing a search for the “Bestest Charity” that actually spends money on food, shelter, health-care, and other resources would take me a friggin’ week.
So, I ask the Dopers-in-the-know; what is the best charity to send money to? I want to aid sufferers/survivors of the tsunami in the best possible way. I don’t want to send money to a Big Ass Charity that spends 75% of its proceeds in salaries. I want to actually help people that have been affected by this recent disaster.
Should I send money to Red Cross, or some other charity? Please advise.
Well, the company I work for matches donations of employees as well as donating milloins in supplies. If you can find a resource that matches, that can make it stretch further.
Thank you for your response, lee. But I am a small business owner, and the donations would come out of my own pocket. My daughter travels in Thailand frequently and I have become fond of Indonesia for her sake. The magnitude of the quake/tsunami has boggled my mind. The loss of lives may not ever be fully calculated and my heart goes out to the people that were affected.
If only the US would spend on disaster relief what they spend in one week invading (excuse me, liberating) Iraq…what a wonderful world it would be!
A faster way to search would be via Charity Navigator. I notice it has a sidebar with featured “tsunami-aid” charities listed; you could click on their evaluations and see which best fits your wishes.
Doctors Without Borders has my support. They already have some teams in place to provide medical assistance and assist with clean water and sanitation systems and will probably have lots more people on the ground with 24 hours.
I’ve heard that Mercy Corps is unusually efficient at converting donated dollars into aid, and they already had people in Sumatra, so their folks are already on the scene. They’ll be working on food supplies, shelters, and medicine.
Oxfam is another terrific group, who so far seem mostly to be involved in getting injured people proper medical attention. You can donate to their Asian relief efforts here.
CARE, meanwhile, is already feeding about 14,000 people in the hardest-hit parts of Sri Lanka.
Danalan, I’m sorry I missed your response before my last post. You added many alternatives, and I am grateful. Thank you, thank you. Many blessings upon you.
From my understanding, money given through Red Cross/Red Crescent will probably have the quickest effect, since they are one of the primary organizations “on the ground” there now.
I noted today that Canadian governments (federal and provincial) are giving $48 million ($58 million CDN) in immediate funds through a variety of channels including the Red Cross. That’s where I’ve made my small contribution as well.