About your first point: Evaluating how effective a charity is can be incredibly tricky, especially when they operate in a culture that's foreign to you. To be a

About your first point: Evaluating how effective a charity is can be incredibly tricky, especially when they operate in a culture that's foreign to you. To be able to judge well, you would need to see them in action as well as have a thorough understanding of the situation on the ground. (An approach that worked brilliantly in one place can be the exact wrong thing to do in another situation, for example.) In my experience, tiny one-project charities often do some of the best work, because they are often closer to the community and the day-to-day life of the people they serve than the big, global charities. Having said that, only the big charities have the necessary resources to tackle the big problems... I guess that's a tension we just have to live with. BTW, I'm glad to hear you thinking about donating, we need a lot more people who do!