4 ms·

Author here :-) > find an up-and-running NGO (charity) and support them with cash money and referrals to other potential supporters. That is good advice. The

by veddox 8y ago

Author here :-) > find an up-and-running NGO (charity) and support them with cash money and referrals to other potential supporters. That is good advice. The most effective aid projects I have seen are small organisations built on local experience. People who've been "on the ground" for more than a few months (ideally, decades), who know the problems and the pitfalls associated with solving them, and who have the respect of the community. These teams tend to be small and agile and unencumbered with the bureaucracy of the big-time NGOs. On the flip side, they struggle with a chronic lack of funding and limited clout with government agencies. (That's where the big NGOs have their advantages.) Personal question: How did you settle on a project to support? I imagine that to be somewhat difficult, especially when trying to avoid "rogue" aid projects.

OliverJones 8y ago
I learned about Cristosal and their mission because they run weeklong short courses on how to move towards justices in Central America. Some friends said, "come to this!" and I said, "well, OK." In the course, they focused on some themes in the book "Toxic Charity," and how they are doing their best to avoid those pitfalls. Also, they're suing--successfully--the government of El Salvador for redress of wrongs from some massacres during the civil war of the 1980s and 1990s. Their short courses include both norteamericanos and local people. So some level of relationships are built. You know how South Africa had a "Truth and Reconciliation Commission" that enjoyed some success? El Salvador had a "Reconcilation Commission," but they left out the truth part. That Doesn't Work. The government is weaker than the MS-13 and Barrio 18 rival gangs now. Cristosal is persistently trying to rebuild civil institutions. That short course is a pretty good development tool; spreads the word about the challenges and gets people enlisted in the mission. And if you travel to poor communities in Central America, bring soccer balls.

by veddox 8y ago

OliverJones 8y ago

I learned about Cristosal and their mission because they run weeklong short courses on how to move towards justices in Central America. Some friends said, "come to this!" and I said, "well, OK." In the course, they focused on some themes in the book "Toxic Charity," and how they are doing their best to avoid those pitfalls. Also, they're suing--successfully--the government of El Salvador for redress of wrongs from some massacres during the civil war of the 1980s and 1990s. Their short courses include both norteamericanos and local people. So some level of relationships are built. You know how South Africa had a "Truth and Reconciliation Commission" that enjoyed some success? El Salvador had a "Reconcilation Commission," but they left out the truth part. That Doesn't Work. The government is weaker than the MS-13 and Barrio 18 rival gangs now. Cristosal is persistently trying to rebuild civil institutions. That short course is a pretty good development tool; spreads the word about the challenges and gets people enlisted in the mission. And if you travel to poor communities in Central America, bring soccer balls.