6 ms·

Is there any chance of expanding this to include Americans? Or even better - people that live near me, such as my zip code + the surrounding zip codes. That wa

Is there any chance of expanding this to include Americans? Or even better - people that live near me, such as my zip code + the surrounding zip codes. That way, there's at least a chance that I'd see the person that I helped someday.

chaseadam17 14y ago
You should check out giveforward.com.
tptacek 14y ago
Worth mentioning that patients in the US, and particularly children, are guaranteed medical care regardless of ability to pay. Medical care funding can bankrupt you in the US, but it cannot prevent you from having a broken femur fixed. States also run "CHIP" programs to provide health insurance coverage to children. The same is not true in Haiti or Malawi. Without the funds to pay for care, a child can live for years --- their entire life, even --- with easily correctible medical conditions.
- loceng 14y ago
  "guaranteed medical care" - of what quality, with what results? And the value of medical care being covered is that it doesn't destroy the rest of your life. It's actually kind of pointless to help someone just get to the point of surviving, and then leave them to fend for themself.
  - tptacek 14y ago
    I just don't know how to respond to the idea that there's minimal value in removing infected bone fragments from a child's femur, and so I'm not going to pretend that there's a useful discussion you and I can have about this.
    - loceng 14y ago
      Not the situation I was insinuating. That child will not be left on their own, presumably they have a family who will care for them and help them get past it. In a situation where the person is just left to basic care, and has no other future care options is what I was referring to. I should have been more clear.
  - philwelch 14y ago
    To me, it's plainly obvious that people in those other countries need our help more than people in the United States. What other concern is there? "I'd like to help people in MY country" is just a vaguely nationalistic bigotry.
    - tinco 14y ago
      It is not so obvious. There's a lot of suffering going on in your country too. Charity comes from the heart, and where you should direct your love is your own choice. If you feel the people in your country are closer to you, there's no shame in helping them before others. We are human after all.
      - philwelch 14y ago
        > If you feel the people in your country are closer to you That's the nationalistic bigotry I was talking about. That's like saying if there was a charity that only helped white people, maybe I should contribute to that because I feel that people of European descent are "closer to me".
        tinco 14y ago
        It is not bigotry, you are misinformed. Black people contributing to http://blackcharities.net/ http://blackcharities.net/ are not bigots, they merely support those whose fate they identify with.
        philwelch 14y ago
        Sure, people are more likely to help those they identify with. That means they're more likely to ignore the plight of people they don't identify with. And that is bigotry. And criticizing a charity for not enabling that is also bigotry.
        loceng 14y ago
        If you did that it could mean you're racist, the act of donating to such a cause doesn't make the act itself bigotry though IMHO. The intent behind a charity is what would be a determining factor for me - not in the end who it ends up helping, though that likely plays a role in most people's decisions.

chaseadam17 14y ago

You should check out giveforward.com.

tptacek 14y ago

Worth mentioning that patients in the US, and particularly children, are guaranteed medical care regardless of ability to pay. Medical care funding can bankrupt you in the US, but it cannot prevent you from having a broken femur fixed. States also run "CHIP" programs to provide health insurance coverage to children. The same is not true in Haiti or Malawi. Without the funds to pay for care, a child can live for years --- their entire life, even --- with easily correctible medical conditions.

loceng 14y ago
"guaranteed medical care" - of what quality, with what results? And the value of medical care being covered is that it doesn't destroy the rest of your life. It's actually kind of pointless to help someone just get to the point of surviving, and then leave them to fend for themself.
- tptacek 14y ago
  I just don't know how to respond to the idea that there's minimal value in removing infected bone fragments from a child's femur, and so I'm not going to pretend that there's a useful discussion you and I can have about this.
  - loceng 14y ago
    Not the situation I was insinuating. That child will not be left on their own, presumably they have a family who will care for them and help them get past it. In a situation where the person is just left to basic care, and has no other future care options is what I was referring to. I should have been more clear.
- philwelch 14y ago
  To me, it's plainly obvious that people in those other countries need our help more than people in the United States. What other concern is there? "I'd like to help people in MY country" is just a vaguely nationalistic bigotry.
  - tinco 14y ago
    It is not so obvious. There's a lot of suffering going on in your country too. Charity comes from the heart, and where you should direct your love is your own choice. If you feel the people in your country are closer to you, there's no shame in helping them before others. We are human after all.
    - philwelch 14y ago
      > If you feel the people in your country are closer to you That's the nationalistic bigotry I was talking about. That's like saying if there was a charity that only helped white people, maybe I should contribute to that because I feel that people of European descent are "closer to me".
      - tinco 14y ago
        It is not bigotry, you are misinformed. Black people contributing to http://blackcharities.net/ http://blackcharities.net/ are not bigots, they merely support those whose fate they identify with.
        philwelch 14y ago
        Sure, people are more likely to help those they identify with. That means they're more likely to ignore the plight of people they don't identify with. And that is bigotry. And criticizing a charity for not enabling that is also bigotry.
      - loceng 14y ago
        If you did that it could mean you're racist, the act of donating to such a cause doesn't make the act itself bigotry though IMHO. The intent behind a charity is what would be a determining factor for me - not in the end who it ends up helping, though that likely plays a role in most people's decisions.