Here in Latin America I have had the opportunity to meet several people who work for World Vision, and even to visit a few of their projects. My goddaughter's mother worked for about a year as an instructor in haircutting for World Vision also, back in the early 90's.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_VisionThe problem with World Vision is that it is a Protestant Evangelical organization. Its projects are not bad, but by supporting them you are helping to spread Protestantism in Latin America. They help Protestants and Catholics alike, but I prefer not to give money to the "enemy" so to speak, even though I recognize that the huge drain of Catholics to "evangelical" sects and divisions is mostly due to the Conciliar Church's loss of faith, ecuмenism and indifferentism, and its own refusal to defend itself since Vat2.
Another problem with World Vision and many other international charity groups is the "sponsoring" of children by patrons in the USA or other countries. Often these children are not really deserving and/or do not receive most of the money being sent to them. There have even been cases of outright fraud where the "sponsored child" never even realized that he was supposed to be the recipient of funds.
When I was in the States for six years, I was a donor to Food for the Poor. Food for the Poor was started by Catholics, and mostly works with Catholics in Latin America and the Caribbean. A few Lutheran orphanages and pastors are also involved but most of its aid is directed through Catholic orphanages, schools, and food distribution centers run either by a diocese or by Food for the Poor itself. This charity has the highest possible rating by the Charity Navigator watchdog group, and claims that 96% of its incoming donations are spent on aid itself, not on staff, paperwork, or administration. For example, after the Haitian earthquake earlier this year they were the first aid organization to respond with food, tents, and blankets. They already had many feeding stations all around Haiti with warehouses with food. Their local directors have quite a bit of autonomy so they opened up the warehouses immediately and began supplying food to victims.
Everything they do is very basic. They don't pretend to take kids from some slum and send them to MIT. If the area is particularly devastated, they simply give rice and beans. If food needs can be met by the population, then they help dig wells, improve fishing fleets, and teach how improve soil quality, prevent erosion, plant trees, keep bees, raise goats, etc. All very practical stuff that in my experience really pays off in the long run. They really are a no-frills operation.
http://www.foodforthepoor.org/Well, that's my plug for Food for the Poor. I was introduced to them by a visitor to my parish, brought in by our Latin Mass priest back in the Indult Mass days. I'm hoping to visit one of their projects here in the country where I am living now.
P.S. I could write another ten pages on some things I've seen from the so-called "aid" organizations here. Most of it would make good late-night reading for horror story addicts.
Topic: World Vision and Heifer International (Read 4587 times)