HOW CHARITY DONATIONS MAKE A DIFFERENCE TO CAMBODIA

600 words / 3 minute read

This was the first piece of writing I ever got paid for. The brief was simple: write 500 words based on the title below with a focus on optimising the key word/phrase, "Charity Donations", for search engines by using it "just" enough throughout the piece to keep the Google algorithms happy (too few instances and your page won't appear when someone searches for that keyword, too many and Google knocks you back down the rankings for trying to game the system).

HOW CHARITY DONATIONS MAKE A DIFFERENCE TO CAMBODIA

Whatever your thoughts on the long-term impact of international aid money flowing to the developing world might be, for many of us the natural reaction when we hear about those less fortunate than ourselves is the wish to help in some way. Most of us lack the means to start our own foundation, but will be able to give time (through volunteering) or money (in the form of charity donations). 

How you make your choice can be as simple as considering which of the two you have more to spare, but there are other factors to consider and Cambodia is the perfect example of this. A quick Google-search will offer you plenty of opportunities to volunteer your time, but its far flung location in relation to the wealthiest nations means that, for many people, the giving of charity donations will be their preferred choice. To understand how this will make a difference, we must examine how it will be used and with what aim.

Giving money to causes on the other side of the world require faith from the donor that it will have the impact they intended. To maximise this impact, I believe that the more efficiently a charity is run at Head Office level, the more they will be able to achieve in the likes of Cambodia. In reality this means allocating somewhere between 20 and 25% of what it receives in charity donations to its costs, a concept which is anathema to some people.

I believe an organisation that relies purely on volunteers for key roles will be far less efficient in achieving its stated aims, so therefore be less deserving of your money. Staffing specialist projects with a well-meaning but inexperienced team could mean everyone’s thoughtful charity donations being wasted entirely.

This concern of money being wasted is also complicated further by two perceptions – the first is that having money pass through any kind of government entities will mean it is more than likely to end up in the pocket of a corrupt official (unfortunately far too common in the developing world).

The second is that there a very real distrust or resentment of foreign non-government organisations felt (and voiced) by Cambodians who question their motivations and use of their power. Though initially surprised to hear this, I can understand people’s loss of faith by what they see as decades of empty promises from “rich westerners”.

To conclude, I believe charity donations make a real difference in places like Cambodia when given to well-run organisations with the specific aim of empowering people to improve their own situation, for instance with access to adult education or kick-start funding for a business.

Focusing on sowing the seeds of an individual’s self-sufficiency will remove any perceived stigma of accepting charity donations and enable them to feed, clothe, arrange education and provide health care for their family without relying on further handouts. 

If enough people are given access to this first step and the help to achieve it, ultimately society as whole will benefit – the capitalist version of the “give a man a fish” story perhaps?

Thanks for reading, if you wish,  you can find out more about my thoughts on the town's economic boom through my own experiences here: Sinville's Own Odyssey.

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