All the money given to charity for Japan....

[2pints-mate 0]

....both from overseas and in Japan.

Is it getting through?

Haven't heard any kind of first hand stories on this.

[Thundercat 60]

Apparently, 160bn Yen still hasn't been distributed.

[muikabochi 208]

It has been on the news here with lots not getting through yet. Must be one heck of a big job, but at the same time you do wonder where all that money will go.

[bobby12 0]

These stories (of money not being distributed) surely just discourage people from donating.

[Slippery Jim 65]

Before you call that a ``bad thing'' take a google map street view of Shiba Daimon 1-1-3. Pretty nice digs. Japan Red Cross -- doing well out of doing good (and the American Red Cross does itself even prouder).

[grungy-gonads 54]

Controversial!!

[mitchpee 10]

Originally Posted By: DiGriz

Before you call that a ``bad thing'' take a google map street view of Shiba Daimon 1-1-3. Pretty nice digs. Japan Red Cross -- doing well out of doing good (and the American Red Cross does itself even prouder).

Ah someone needs to come down on this type of stuff. I hate seeing people profit out of such dire circumstances for some people.

[ILoveZao 8]

Are they supposed to operate out of a shed?

[Slippery Jim 65]

A shed?

Not a bad idea, certainly preferable to the $$$$ RENOVATION to the ARC president's office that finally got exposed some years back, after which it was revealed that ARC was spending most of the funds raised on -- wait for it....fund raising!

Docs Without Borders and/or the Salvation Army, yes, but not a friggin nickel to the red cross.

[HelperElfMissy 42]

Clearly it takes money to operate charities - but it leaves a rather awful taste in ones mouth when liberties are taken and money wasted.

 

Makes you feel like taking a drive/jumping on a plane and handing what you can give directly to the people who need it - you KNOW they are going to make that dollar/yen/peso work for them.

[Tubby Beaver 209]

I remember reading a similar thing about Oxfam in the UK. Most of the donations sit in Oxfam's bank accounts and take forever to be distributed, often not to the cause that you thought you were donating to

[Slippery Jim 65]

To be fair, I'm sure there are a lot of very wonderful people who donate time, goods, labor, etc. to the big charity organizations, and who accomplish a lot on behalf of the victims of natural or man-made disasters. In fact, I met just one such on my return flight from the U.S. last week -- signed up for a month of volunteer work clearing debris and repairing/rebuilding homes up in Tohoku. Brought his own supplies and a trunk full of equipment; paid his own way. I felt very humbled by comparison.

It's the charity bureaucrats that I can't stand, the one who sit in plush offices planning new ways to tap ordinary people's wallets, but never contribute in any meaningful way themselves.

[Hokkaidough 4]

What a shame there wasn't an outcry over the lack of integrity of the Japan Red Cross before everyone gave so much money.

 

 

You really should have shouted up earlier.

[Slippery Jim 65]

It's not just the various Red Cross organizations. Most big charities spend a fairly large proportion of contributions on fund-raising.