Re: THE GIFT OF CHARITY
I currently walked the Mall in Toronto on Saturday, malls were packed with people buying up all the gifts that there familys have received time and time again. It's about time that society in the western world help lend a helping hand to humanity in the world not just in our own home. This was a great story I enjoyed seeing today on Sunday.

I'm sorry to say this at Christmas but I have zero faith in charities of any kind. The charities today seem to be nothing other than cash grab administrative manipulation of the general public. There seems to be no control of the endless lists of charities that feel their justification by protraying themselves as helping others in need with pretty pictures of before and after pictures or endless amounts of fine tuned positive results. It's a time of the year when you reflect on the fact you are consumed with the feeling of give, give and give. Give what? Every dollar you give goes where? Sure some are very good at spending wisely but other charities are no more than organized crime.
This is the problem when you see an organization run their charity with good intent and you understand that in order to sustain and survive their purpose there must be administrative costs involved. Why can it not be easier just to give to one charity that is regulated, audited and operated by the crown speaking of Canada. Money collected should be spent here in Canada first. No person no matter how mentally deranged should be sleeping in an ATM terminal in downtown Toronto to escape the cold. No Indian community in northern Ontario should be forced to break up their families and be forced in unknown communities across the providence because we as Canadians feel it's just not worth the investment. Now we take the money and send it overseas and hire a production company to take pretty pictures of third world children with flies coming out of their noses and tears running down their cute little faces and ask if for only blank, blank, blank you can save an entire village.
I have another solution for the third world village that is in such need. How about sending trained people from Canada that can setup their communties with planned parenting, safe sex and ethical treatment of themselves and people. Giving them bread and water only promotes sustainability.

Thank you for posting this site. I have been looking for it for sometime. I had heard about it on the radio while driving and was unable to remember the details. I wanted to send gifts on behalf of my grandchildren for Christmas. We have so very much that it truely feels like Christmas when we give a gift like this. Thank you again
Judith

Wonderful opportunity to make a difference in our worldly brother or sister's daily challenges. Isn't a gesture of this nature our "raison d'être" and what its' ( life and the festive season ) all about?

I think donation gifts are a great idea. Are all the sites on the list provided by CBC legitimate and secure? I am not familiar with some them.

Thanks, KIM

Your segment on living gifts (The Gifts of Charity) was well-timed, as I was already exploring such a gift for my 12-year old brother. He has everything he needs and only knows about charity from often superficial school programs. He watched the program with me and found it insightful as well, which is saying a lot for a 12-year old.

My only concern is how does a person know which charities are legitimate and actually maximize these gift donations? The cards that you receive after purchasing a living or other gift are generic, with similarly generic pictures and description. I have visited a few of the websites posted on CBC and was baffled why, for example a GOAT at Oxfam is $58, while an astonishing $100 at WorldVision. At another website not listed on CBC, Ten Thousand Villages, a goat is only $33. Common sense would dictate that the price of a goat (including brief instruction as to raising it and vaccinations) would not fluctuate that much, which only means the charities involved are charging more to cover overhead and (the dreaded) administrative costs - the very definition of why many Canadians have turned away from giving.

I still believe that the idea of living gifts is a breath of fresh air in the charity sector. However, I would greatly appreciate if CBC probed a little further and offered more insight as to which charities do the best with donation money. It is crucial for people like me to know, because unless I can actually travel to Asia or Africa myself and give to people in need personally, my faith lies fully with charitable organizations.

In the meantime, this Christmas I will buy the cheapest 'goat' for my brother, and wait for more information about donation allcoation by the charities before blindly buying a "Fill a Stable" gift.

Your regular and devoted viewer,
Dominika Przewor

thank you so much for this segment. i think there are a lot of people who want to do something like this and just don't know where to start. i hope that it the program reached a wide audience. and i hope those same people did not see (or chose to ignore) barbara walters making fun of giving a goat for christmas and knocking giving charitable gifts in general on the view this week.

I watched your story about gifts of charity and am of the same feeling - I wanted to try to make a difference with my gift giving - many people I bought gifts for in the past didn't need them . This Christmas, I bought several gifts from Ten thousand Villages and I really enjoyed deciding who I would give the gift of a goat to , or who would give the gift of trees, etc.

I do have a question that I think merits some investigation though. For example - I first heard of the organization "Kiva" on the Opera show a month or two ago. I was very excited about their organization until I spent some time on their website. What I discovered was that many of the loans had to be repaid at a rate of up to 30% interest. This is more than our major credit card company's have to repay in Canada. I didn't understand how someone in need could afford to repay a loan at that interst rate - I work at a bank , so I did the calculations.

Their stores where all so convincing that I wanted to help, but when some of the Kiva partners are charging such huge interest rates, when does the entrepeneaur start to realize a profit for their business idea or adventure?
How do I know when I am getting involved in a Charity that it is fare?

I would like to endorse the comments made by Dominika Prezewor, Ten Thousand (MCC) living gift overhead is kept low therefore more of the monies goes to the actual gift. No "glizzy" advertising etc.

Please check the website of Canadian Food for the Hungry International www.chfi.ca as this Western based organization also has a gift catalogue.

I wish many of those charities had branches and volunteers in shopping centers and people could see them face to face during shopping time .No one is thinking to search on internet and find a good charity, but if the charity organizations come to people, for sure people donates.

We hear a lot about other Country, parts of africa, but nothing is said about Congo.they also have a silent war.
People getting kill, and women getting rape daily.
I am ready to help that Country but, a lot of money is needed and i need to know how and were to get it,they need so much.