After reading all the emails about World Vision - I just wanted to share my experiences and then you can form your own opinion
World Vision does indeed do a fantastic job.... BUT
of the funds that you donate - only a very small % reach the poor and needy.
The country where we lived before moving to Canada was the HQ for WV and what we saw and experienced really changed our view on this charity.
The employees of WV lead very up scale life styles and their kids get educated in the MOST expensive international schools... those which are unaffordable by even the upper middle class.
They live a big homes - all utilities paid for and can also afford frequent holidays to various destinations.
Infact even when they relocate WV spends so much on their employees even more than the corporate sector. Over and above moving cost they are even paid for relocation and other missc. expenses.
The employees travel by air back and forth ( day trips)... just to accumulate air miles which is also beneficial for them.
Now they are hiring external agancies to raise funds for them... the amount they are paying these external agencies must be substancial.
Now, where does all this money come from? All what is donated... and we are lead to believe that its all (or at least most) reaching the poor.
Once, when I offered to volunteer for World Vision (here in Mississauga) .... yes they promptly called and asked to help out at a christmas party that was being held for the CHILDREN OF WORLD VISION STAFF.
There again its their benefit that they think about first.
Its sure a good and noble act to donate.... but as diligence and stewardship ... we also need to check how the funds are meeting our cause.
Now, we as individuals donate for a different cause ..... surely not to improve the life to WV staff.
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Thank you
Location: God's own country
Posted on: 19-08-08 14:55:02
New2007,
I am very surprised by your allegation.
Every year, world vision send me a statement of their works and tehy always include a graph which shows how much percentage of your donation actually goes to charity and it was quite substantial. World vision always claims that it uses a very small percentage for administration. At a church that we go to, a person told me that her daughter was working for world vision and that they had sent her to a remote south american poor nation and that she was sleeping on the floor there. of course World vision must have footed the air travel bill + her salary would have been paid in Canadian dollars...
I decided to contribute to world vision a couple of years b'cos their video's were very touching and it broke my heart upon seeing the african people suffer so much. They also took the services of Tony Compolo who is one of the worlds greatest orators. I donot contribute any more since my financial situation does not enable me to contribute.
However I belive that it is better to contribute to charities such as the Indian missionary society / or your local charity in India where most of the staff are volunteers and hence more moeny would go directly where you need it. It is always risky, giving money to a Canadian firm which send's its staff to the third world countries to do humanatarian aid since their over heads will be too much and also they need tons of moeny to pay for their office overheads, salaries to employees/ callcentre etc...
Hope this helps
Peace
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I am a Gents and not a Ladies.
Hi Tamilkuravan:
Whatever I have stated... is what I have observed personally. We were in fellowship with many of these families.... and you will be shocked if I go on and describe their lifestyle.
People accumulate airmiles on trips and use tickets to get their kids home from american universities every 4-6 months!!!!
When they can station local staff in a paticular place .... why do they have all these expats in different countries. WV even pay they employees entertainment / recreation allowance. We knew a family who moved and sent 3 containers (at the cost of WV) from Bangkok to US. Over and above they are even permitted to send another container to the home town!!!!
Probably when the talk about a % ... its off a very large pool of resources. ... more of which needs to be given to the needy.
yes, I agree .... we you can personally give the funds to the poor .... the best way! or same charity about which you have done a due diligence
All this is from the funds that we have contributed.
The part about seeking volunter for their staff children - I was personally sent a request.
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Thank you
I am not sure if this should be put here..or should be on another thread..but this is another 'disturbing trend'...would like to call a scam...
http://www.naturalnews.com/022107.html
It is much more serious than just taking away your money, they are taking away lives...
Peace.
Hiren
Giving is very noble. I admire everyone that has it in them to not think twice before helping the downtrodden and needy. Somehow I have never had that in me and I have always been a purveyor of "Charity begins at home".
And all these scandals associated to various charities does not help the cause either.
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If you have a gun, you can rob a bank.
If you have a bank, you can rob everyone.
- Bill Maher
I work for UN and can vouch that there are very strict rules on using the funds, the funds are meant for what they are meant for but still scandals happen. Humans are humans and can't be greed free, what I feel sad is because of few people's attitude the reputation of an organization comes at stand.
I'm not sure of world vision and its staff attitude or privileges given to them (3 containers is a height) in UN a staff is allowed max of 5000 kg to relocate. But I do admit that the expat staff is given a lot of privileges compared to the local staff, but then they have reasons for that. Expats agree to live in third world countries depriving their kids/families from a lot of facilities which are very easily available in their homes, some of them are lack of schools, health facilities, recreation activities, libraries, and they have nothing there.
In my 5 yrs with UN I've seen three expat bosses out of which two were compassionate and never used a single penny on anything personal but one was the way you guys mention world vision employees, but then there are internal UN staff rules to set these kind of people right, may be world vision needs to work on their staff rules strictly.
New2007, air miles are allowed in UN too, because of the staff extensive travelling the miles are for their personal accumulation. I’m not an expat employee of UN but know many expats and their wives who complain of their husband absences from their life, kids are alone, wives are alone…it’s not nice as it looks on the surface! I know a lady who had an affair with her local driver because of her husband extensive travelling; the poor guy had a heart attack (a real one when he got to know of it). Life is never easy for anyone.
Jona
