There is a lot circulating in the media about charities, and whether our money is being put to good use. Oxfam have caused one of the biggest charity scandals that we’ve ever seen. They have been in the media constantly over the last few days, and is still showing as a headliner of breaking news on most channels. It comes in light of information being given to suggest that aid workers were hiring prostitutes in the Haiti aid mission. It has now been reported that around 7,000 people have withdrawn their monthly contributions to Oxfam, which will no doubt be having devastating effects in the work they’re doing for the greater good. Executives from the charity faced a grilling from MP’s as to why the situation was only just being reported, and why their aid workers did this. It happened in 2010, and news is only just appearing 8 years later. So what does that say about other information that they might be hiding? We’ll leave that up to you to decide, but for now we want to explore whether our charities are failing us, and whether we’re spending our money wisely by investing in them.

Where Does Our Money Go?

This question causes a lot of controversy, and it always has done. It is really important to remember all the good the charities are doing, and all of the countries, communities, and individuals that are benefiting from the services they provide. This question however is one that is really hard to answer. Each charity promises to donate a certain percentage of the money raised to the causes that they’re dedicated to. Does this actually happen, well it is unknown. But eventually charities do get caught if they’re using the money for other purposes. For example, the national hereditary breast cancer helpline was recently facing criticism after investigators found that the organisation spent only 3% of the donations on charitable activities. The rest they claimed went onto fundraising and other expenses. So with this one, it really is down to you and whether you trust the organisation to use your money wisely.

Protecting The Future Of Charities

If there’s one thing we do know, it is that we really need to be supporting the future of charities. Despite recent scandals, worries over where money is being spent, and other things, the people around the world still need your money. There are so many smaller charities that are working hard to get the donations they need to fund their individual causes. For example, if you have a look at this charity drive infographic, you’ll see the hard work some of the smaller companies are putting in to try and raise the money they need. As much as the media is good, it is bad. Fake news is such a common thing nowadays, and it is important to have your own views, and try and stay away from the media as much as possible. Only take the information as gospel when there has been hard evidence to prove it.

The Good Work They’ve Done

Charities have made some huge achievements over the years, it is a shame that the recent stories in the news might be affecting future work. Whilst it is hard to ignore the negatives, we’re not going to explore the positives. Hundreds of villages across Africa and other poverty stricken countries now have clean running water thanks to the money you’ve donated. Dirty water is one of the leading causes of death and diseases such as malaria within these countries. Fresh running water helps to promote normal bodily functions, as well as taking the strain of communities. People would usually have to walk miles and miles for a bit of water, but now a lot of them have a tap within the heart of their community to use. They’re also proving high calories meals, particularly to infants and children to try and boost their overall health. Nutritious meals are exactly what some countries are crying out for. Other charities are still doing amazing work, Cancer Research being one of them. Millions are pledged each month to try and find that all important cure. Cancer is something that has most likely touched the hearts of all of you in some way. But due to the funding they’re giving, there are now promising moves being made with stem cell research that is proving some cells can change to fight particular types of cancer.

So, in conclusion, we feel that charities aren’t failing us at all. Yes they might slip up, all humans do. But as long as their work is being provided, lives will continue to be changed.