Tis the season

I love this time of year! It's the season of GIVING! There are so many wonderful opportunities to give and bless others. In keeping with the season I thought I'd write a few thoughts about things to look for and avoid, in giving to different organizations and charities.

First, I want to say that there are MANY wonderful groups who use their money well and really bless so many through their hands and feet. Hubby and I have worked for an NGO (Non-governmental organization)- think non-profit organization- for the past seven years. In this time we've seen many groups, often with very good intentions, who've caused more harm than good, and have wasted a lot of resources in the process.

I remember a number of years ago, I was talking to a two men, who'd come from somewhere in US, to our humble corner of the desert for a grand total of 5 days. They said they'd come because they'd received funding to distribute tents to the needy in our country. First reaction? Great! I'm sure some people will be really blessed by tents! Second reaction? Hmmm... really? The people here have beautiful, creative, shelters that they've made the same way for generations. What does this say to our friends here? Here, your home isn't good enough. You need a tent. Here is a tent. This is much better for you. It creates a sense of inferiority and entitlement among our friends here. It says to them, 'We, from who knows where, know what's best for whoever you are.' It gives our friends an unhealthy sense of entitlement, that people owe something to them, because they now consider themselves poor, that it is the responsibility of the outside. When we first started holding trainings in the rural areas we work in, the attendees were shocked and upset that we weren't going to pay them to attend the trainings (now, thankfully this is not really an issue anymore).

First, consider what type of work you'd like to support. I'll divide it into two categories one- relief and two- development. Relief work is short term work, often associated with an emergency, and often involves the provision of a physical item. A few years ago, we did a food distribution to needy families who were suffering because of a particularly intense drought. This was a short term solution.  Category two- development. This is a long term work, often with focus on developing communities. This is not a quick fix. This work takes place over a number of years. For example, our current project here is equipping rural communities to reduce their vulnerability to drought, that when the droughts come (as they have for the past 10 years here), they are better equipped to survive them, hopefully reducing the need for emergency relief.

Both are very important and each is required for a specific time. When you are looking at an organization to give to, look at how and where they use their money. Some organizations take out a large percentage for administrative fees, and only a smaller amount goes to funding the actual projects. Often development projects have higher support cost fees because their work is related to education, which obviously requires more staff (this is not a bad thing!). Also, it helps to look into what projects an organization is involved in.

It wasn't an emergency. There was no shortage of shelters. There was a shortage of respect and mutual cooperation. There are many wonderful organizations out there who really seek to bless communities in times requiring relief and/or development. Do some research, find an organization that is doing something that you're passionate about. Enjoy the gifts of this time of year.