Hearts & Minds - Information for ChangeSM The Best Way to Support Relief Efforts in Africa How to give where it counts

© 2011 by American Institute of Philanthropy - www.charitywatch.org

Starving in South Africa Countries in the Horn of Africa are in the midst of what is being called the worst drought in 60 years. Famine has officially been declared in several regions of Somalia and a severe food crisis extends beyond Somalia to Kenya and Ethiopia. More than 12 million people are affected, with the malnutrition-related death toll in Somalia already in the tens of thousands before famine was declared. Other countries in the region including Djibouti, South Sudan, Sudan, and Uganda are also affected by a food crisis.

Humanitarian agencies have asked the international community for $2.48 billion dollars to provide humanitarian aid, and as of August 1, have secured less than half the amount.

The American Institute of Philanthropy (AIP) announces its top-rated list of charities involved in efforts to provide relief to victims of the famine in the Horn of Africa. AIP, a leading charity watchdog that issues letter grade (A+ to F) ratings of nonprofit groups, identifies the following charities, which are providing aid to the victims that receive an “A” or “B” grade based on the portion of their budget going to program services and their fundraising efficiency:
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Action Against Hunger - USA (A)
Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, Uganda

Africare (A+)
Uganda

American Friends Service Committee (A-)
Somalia

American Jewish World Service (A)
Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, Uganda

American Red Cross (A-)
Djibouti, Kenya, Sudan, Uganda

American Refugee Committee (A)
Darfur, Somalia, Sudan, Uganda

CARE (A+)
Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Uganda

Catholic Relief Services (A+)
Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan, Uganda

ChildFund International (formerly Christian Children's Fund) (A-)
Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda

Christian Foundation for Children and Aging (A+)
Kenya, Uganda

Church World Service (B+)
Darfur, Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan

Compassion International (A)
Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda

Direct Relief International & Foundation (A-)
Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Uganda

Doctors Without Borders – USA (A)
Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, Uganda

Food for the Hungry (A-)
Ethiopia, Kenya, South Sudan

Global Hunger Project (A)
Ethiopia, Uganda

HealthRight International (formerly Doctors of the World) (A-)
Kenya

International Medical Corps (A)
Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan

International Rescue Committee (A+)
Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, Uganda

Lutheran World Relief (A)
Kenya, Uganda

Medical Teams International (A)
Ethiopia, Kenya, South Sudan, Sudan, Uganda

Mennonite Central Committee (A)
Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, Uganda

Mercy Corps (A-)
Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Uganda

Operation USA (A-)
Djibouti, Somalia

Plan International USA (formerly Plan USA) (A-)
Ethiopia, Kenya, South Sudan, Sudan, Uganda

Project Concern International (A)
Ethiopia

Save the Children (A)
Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Uganda

UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief) (A)
Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya

World Concern, a program of Crista Ministries (A-)
Darfur, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan

World Neighbors (B+)
Kenya, Uganda

World Vision (B+)
Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, Uganda

Top-rated charities perform favorably in relation to AIP’s benchmarks:
1) A charity should spend at least 75% of its budget on program services.
2) Charities should spend no more than $25 to raise $100.

Contact your favorite charities to find out if they provide the specific types of aid that you would like to fund, e.g., emergency relief, health care, infrastructure development, education, etc.

Donors Beware
As with any charitable contribution, Americans wanting to help African relief efforts should send contributions to only those charities with an established track record of helping people in this region. Though these crises are not highly publicized, disreputable, fly-by-night “charities” always exist to take advantage of the public’s generosity.

Send a Check, Not Goods
The best way to help is by sending a check. Cash donations enable charities to buy the most needed type of food, medicine, clothing, shelter materials and other supplies. By buying relief products locally or regionally, charities can reduce shipping costs and more rapidly deliver assistance. Before sending any goods, first contact the charity to find out if they are appropriate and if it will be cost effective to distribute them. For example, after the tsunami, boxes of donated winter coats, scarves and fuzzy hats, completely useless items in tsunami stricken nations with tropical climates, were sent to these nations.

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Copyrights: Article above © 2011 by American Institute of Philanthropy - www.charitywatch.org, website © 1997 - 2011 by Hearts and Minds Network, Inc., This web page - http://www.heartsandminds.org/poverty/action/give.htm latest update by AIP on August 4, 2011, online here August 12, updated August 23, 2011

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