both sides now

Demela.

Some photos to spark you.

I have begun making winter wear for our kids. Can you believe it snows here?



I will apologize in advance if you are completely sick of seeing this little one. This is a good one of her when I first arrived.



From that to this.
A piece that has been sitting in my head for a long time and I am going to try my hardest to post this without it ending up as a rant.

Thinking about organizations, foundations, and groups that offer aid to people in Africa. Where does the money that people give go? How far is it dispersed among employees and expenses before it reaches a child?

I only bring this up because before coming here I really had no idea where my $1 a day or whatever I give ends up. I think that the shocking statistics that people can provide stop my brain from thinking further and I just feel that I need to help. Also, while being here I have been able to sort through a year's worth of this ministries receipts and I know where they spend their money. I know that the money I brought over, and that people sent me with goes into bricks for a building, teaching supplies, gas, and food for example.

What I am saying is that I think that is important to check up on the money you put into organizations. I am starting to think that the bigger the organization, the less money goes into the lives of the people it helps. The bigger the organization, the more salaries to pay, the more cars to drive. Here is an example: There is a foundation here called the Nelson Mandela Children's Foundation. Now if I was in Canada, all I may know is that Nelson Mandela is a good person, and so I would feel comfortable giving to this fund. But what I know now, which has nothing to do with Nelson Mandela himself is that millions from this fund were given to a faulty orphanage in South Africa. This is what I mean by donations being lost. They gave this lady millions and millions to run an orphanage, the majority of which she pocketed. This left a horrible living situation, I am talking rats eating children, at the orphanage. Something else that has had me thinking. Making really appealing t-shirts in order to raise money for Africa. How much money is spent creating those t-shirts, paying those GAP employees, and on advertisement? Would you agree that is is bit unfortunate that in order to get money over to Africa, we need to appeal to materialism? Another evil?

I am just suggesting spending time researching a place where you know that your money goes directly into the land, into the people. Knowing that when you give $50, $50 makes it through and is invested in the right people and projects. What about knowing that your money is actively being used to help people, not lost in transition of salaries and promotions?

I am saying all of this because I can see where money can be lost and I just don't understand why the millions raised around the world are not invested more directly into this continent. I have no real solution, mostly because it seems that the most powerful people here are the most corrupt, and the need would be no less if the biggest organizations were shut down.

just a start, lets open our eyes even wider now.

Questions? Comments? Feelings of raging injustice?




Still tons of love,
speak with you now...