Charity begins at HOME!

HooCanTellMee

I have just watched the BBC1 morning show, and am livid. Andrew Mitchell spouting about aid given to foreign countries. We are sending aid to countries with wealth of their own! I cry over the starving children shown on charity adverts but wonder if the wealthy of these countries care at all? I know their problems are massive, but we are struggling here, at home,
not many of us are destitute but some are. Charity abroad should start when there are no homeless, no old people freezing to death in winter, no one living below the breadline in this COUNTRY. It was said that aid was being used to try to stem terrorism abroad maybe this should be applied here? Many youngsters in this country have no hope of work and very little hope of a chance to make a future for themselves. Our students protest and they are branded antisocial, others protest in a different country and they are exposing tyrants! Dual standards seem to apply, I am not comparing Gadafi with Cameron but our students have fear for their futures and they want us to know how they feel.
Perhaps we should bite the bullet and ask for aid from the more wealthy countries of the world? Look at the other forums, some people are really struggling to keep their heads above water!
Now we are talking of military intervention in Libya, what with? We are cutting our armed services, who are they going to send, Ghostbusters? We are spread thin already, we don't have spare troops and we are scraping our aircraft and ridding ourselves of our armed forces, that is OK, if we pull our horns in and stop thinking we are a major force in the world. We are a small island!
It doesn't really matter who made the mess we are in, we are in it! We have a government made up of people who have never struggled, they should experience a month of living on a minimum wage, and even then they would know it is not forever. The stock answer to any uncomfortable question is, I can't comment on individual situation, do they really think that the question is just one isolated incident, these are examples of problems and they deserve something other than a "Fob Off" and a change of subject. It is about time we have a vote of no confidence on the ballet papers, we don't need Parties we need someone to care!
By the way, I am middle aged, female, not particularly struggling yet, have no particular axe to grind with any political party and would love to see an ideal world but am not stupid enough to think it will happen in my lifetime.
Rant over for now.

aheaton46

How on earth you can compare this country, with a well funded NHS, housing beneft, benefits system etc to countries where children die due to a lack of clean water.

Charity begins where there's a need. I am proud that the UK aids those in need whether at home or abroad.

somethingcorporate

I don't know if you have been watching the Human Planet programmes on the BBC too but it is amazing the daily struggles millions (and billions) of people go through just to feed and water their families, let alone have the ability to put a roof over their heads.

I agree with aheaton that there are just as deserving causes (and more so) outside of the UK.

heretolearn_2

I see the OPs point, but I don't think you can dictate to other people where they should put their charitable money. If you want to only support home charities, then do that.

It's impossible to do a list of 'these charities are the most important' charities. Even if we were all to agree, ok let's only support UK charities, which ones? Which should be top priority - charities for people, animals, arts, society in general, heritage? Let's say we can agree people. So everyone should stop giving money to anything else at all? Farewell RSPCA, ta ta National Trust, and all those thousands of little charities in the country which aren't saving lives but are doing something.

But ok, we've decided on people in the UK only for charitable support. Which people? Children, older people, the unemployed, ex offenders, drug addicts, struggling families, those needing help with study costs, those wanting to start businesses, arts activities, sports activities, medical only? What?

You just can't make rules for these things. I'm just glad when people give anything to any charity. Most people don't do anything at all. Those who give to overseas appeals are probably also giving to UK charities. Those who complain about money going overseas quite often don't do anything themselves. Someone at work a couple of years ago was doing this rant and I asked them, so which charities do you support then? Um, ah, um, ah, they buy a red nose on red nose day and put a few coins in tins on the street if it's collecting for disabled children or something like that. Big deal.

I don't think that any of the money that goes abroad would go to the UK instead if it were stopped.

HooCanTellMee

Hi folks,
This is my second attempt to reply, not sure why it wouldn't take the first. Firstly, apologies, I was never talking about money for charity. This is entirely for the individual, your money do what you will with it, you earned it I have no wish at all to choose how you spend it. I must admit personally I believe some things should not be charity, we should not need the NSPCA our government should protect children, it shouldn't be left to charity, however good the charity is.
I was furious at the way funding in this country is being withdrawn, whilst our government is justifying spending abroad. If we have the money fine, no child, or adult should starve to death. But we must look after our own too!
No I cannot compare the starving in third world countries to the few that really struggle to survive in this country. My daughter went to South Africa to build a well! However, look at some of the other forums to see how some are desperate for help, we should help all, not cut funding for charities in this country!
We are cutting our armed forces, drastically, so where else shall we try to spread the few we have left. We must leave it to countries with the funding and manpower to intervene. Accept that we are no longer a world power, just another small island with its own problems.
I usually fume for an hour, shrug and forget. This morning I blew, should get rid of my tag and just lurk, my brain just overheats when I hear yet another politician sidestep questions with the stock comment "I can't comment on individual situations, but...........", no maybe they can't, but they know that they have been given an example of a problem, why can't they give a straight answer! I would rather hear them say that their image abroad is more important to them, than their image in this country. At least it would be an answer.

redmike123

The population of Ethiopia at the time of Live Aid in 1985 was approximately 50 million. Its now nearly 80 million. So, all the people that were saved by help from the West have spent their time producing loads of offspring.

When the next drought hits Ethiopia (which it undoubtedly will) there will be 37.5% more mouths to feed.

I have to ask, if all we are doing by providing Aid is to increase third world populations, then really, whats the point ?

dane-katie

aheaton46 wrote: »

How on earth you can compare this country, with a well funded NHS, housing beneft, benefits system etc to countries where children die due to a lack of clean water.

Charity begins where there's a need. I am proud that the UK aids those in need whether at home or abroad.

Then they should stop having children! if i couldnt give a child a roof over there head, clean water and food i simply wouldnt have any! i dont have any children at the minute, and my body is shouting for me to have one, but until i loose weight, and get stable with my bipolar i will not have one at all.

Maybe they should think before having unprotected sex!

darkpool

throwing money at a problem normally doesn't do anything.

Widelats

I see your point yes, but also i don't know if you know that foreign governments are just as corrupt as our own? The land in Africa instead of being used for planting food was used by their Government to grow other things of use to other countries and selling it and pocketing the profits for themselves, millions starving with a wealthy government in place in terms of private wealth. Africa is corrupt, everything there is bribes, corruption and the rest.

Rather than the people eating the produce of the land it was sold for personal gain. Charities giving to Africa reported that only a small amount of any monies and food aid actually got to the people, it shows you how much the dispensers actually are taking for themselves.

You can fume a little less for them when you know the facts and what goes on in real time.

System

We are a rich country, there are obviously problems at home that needs sorting out however I believe it is right that we should provide aid to some of the poorest countries in the world. Alot of these countries we give aid to (e.g India) used to be part of the British empire and I believe we have a responsibility to aid these suffering people.

bargainbetty

dane-katie wrote: »

Then they should stop having children! if i couldnt give a child a roof over there head, clean water and food i simply wouldnt have any! i dont have any children at the minute, and my body is shouting for me to have one, but until i loose weight, and get stable with my bipolar i will not have one at all.

Maybe they should think before having unprotected sex!

It may be worth noting that vast numbers of people in third world countries receive aid, food and medicine via religious organisations. The Catholic Church has been a very significant donor, and had spread its wings across the continent. You cannot get help unless you join the church.

Unfortunately, since a celibate man preaching no contraception and multiple children is controlling it, you do see a population increase. Don't worry about it though, the same thing has caused over 40 million cases of HIV in Africa, so they'll be dead soon, and no one will have to worry about charity. :mad:

!!!!!!. Britain give 0.7 percent of its GDP to foreign aid. That is a pittance in the grand scheme of things, and does serve to maintain our influence in some areas. We have just scrapped aid programmes to 16 countries because their circumstances have changed and the need is no longer seens as there, but other nations are struggling.

We do need to fix our problems, but perhaps we should focus on stopping the utility companies from gouging us on prices, bring in tax reforms to stop large companies screwing the UK out of tax revenue and perhaps think about electing less millionaires to parliament rather than taking away the last scrap of hope another community might have.