Welcome to brain Stuff, a production of I Heart Radio. Hey brain Stuff, Lauren Bogobam. Here. We humans have big hearts, and when we see someone suffering, even if it's a stranger on the other side of the globe, we want to help. But in the rush to help others, we can end up doing more harm than good. If you really want to help the victims of devastating hurricanes, earthquakes, famines, and floods, here are a few tips. First of all,
send money, not stuff. Charitable organizations receive so many boxes of used clothing, shoes, canned food, and flashlights that it overwhelms local staff and creates what some relief workers call the disaster After the disaster, unsolicited donations clog up the supply chain, take up space that could be used for life saving supplies, and are often inappropriate to the local needs and customs, like sending cans of spam to a Muslim community, for example, not to to the expense of
transporting these goods, and that's why almost all disaster relief charities ask for cash donations. With money, they can buy exactly what victims need, often from local sources. Buying locally or regionally keeps money in the storm rattled local economy and cuts down on the logistics and costs of shipping. In rare cases, a charitable organization will ask for specific supplies to meet some urgent need. Local donations are always the best option, but if you really want to ship supplies,
talk to the charity first. Make sure that you're sending exactly what they need and that someone on staff is prepared to receive it. Speaking of when you can give to local organizations, national and international organizations have convenient ways to donate, like via text and everything does help, but they're not automatically the best equipped to help local populations. In some cases, local groups with deep roots in the affected community have a better understanding of how to meet
the immediate and long term needs of their people. The trick is finding the right organization to support. You want your money to make the biggest impact, and you certainly don't want to get scammed. Organizations like Charity Navigator and Charity Watch rate charitable organizations by their trustworthiness and transparency, and if you can think long term to help keep
charities accountable. The investigative journalism organization Pro Publica encourages donors to follow up with organizations and ask for detailed information about how their money was spent and how many people were helped. You can also write to your congressional representatives and ask them to enact laws that require charities to disclose their spending in greater detail. Also on the topic of long term it's incredibly helpful to keep up the
support after the headlines have faded. According to a report from the Center for Disaster Philanthropy or the c DP, of disaster related donations from large ritable foundations, corporations, government agencies, and online giving was spent on immediate disaster response and relief. That's because the intense media coverage surrounding disasters like hurricanes spurs people and foundations to give, But once the TV
cameras leave town, donations dry up. C DP President and CEO Bob otten Hooff says that after about a week of overwhelming generosity, very little private money is invested in the longer term recovery of a storm battered region. I
think of the homes, businesses, transportation, and jobs lost. Otten Hoff says a FEMA official from Texas told him the disaster recovery works in multiples of ten for every day of immediate relief, there are ten days required of mid term rebuilding and a hundred days of long term recovery. As so if it took ten days to provide immediate relief to the victims of Hurricane Harvey, the long term recovery for families, businesses, and Houston's infrastructure could go on
for many years. The CDP collects charitable donations immediately after a disaster, but waits to invest the funds until it's clear what needs aren't being met by other nonprofits, government agencies, and insurance companies. That could be months after the initial disaster. Responding to Typhoon Hayen in the Philippines, in the c DP learned that sixty women were due to give birth without functioning hospitals, so the organization invested all of its
money in maternal health services. Individuals can take the same approach if you can give to help with the immediate crisis, but then wait a few months and give again to support organizations that are doing ongoing work and housing, mental health counseling, employment assistance, and other long term services. Today's episode was written by Dave Ruse and produced by Tyler Playing for more on this than lots of other helpful topics.
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