Charity Archive
Animals, Plants or People?
Posted by jimheck in Big Game, Charity, Wildlife Management on November 27, 2012
East Africa’s hirola antelope may soon become the second antelope in 100 years to go extinct. So what? There are 91 species of antelope left in the world, 90 of which are native to Africa. There are currently 350-450 hirola left in the wild in East Africa, down from 14,000 in the 1970s. If hirola [...]
Frostbite Kills: Help Norwegians
Recent climate change has led to extreme climate conditions, everywhere, and in Norway temperatures are at historic lows. Africans are mobilizing to help. Young people from all over South Africa are responding to the climatology crisis by collecting radiators to send to Oslo. “Frostbite Kills Too” is the slogan embedded in a new South African [...]
Redistributed Marriage
Posted by jimheck in Charity, Culture, Economy, Perceptions of Africa, Women's Rights in Africa on October 11, 2012
We should be incensed by the privileged often American tourist to rural Africa who characterizes want and poverty as some kind of pristine Garden of Eden that should just be left alone. After her “first visit to Kenya,” a recent American tourist asked in her blog: “The Maasai culture and traditions are pure, so why [...]
Poopooing Philanthropy
Posted by jimheck in Charity, Foreign Aid, Politics, Poverty on August 10, 2012
Bill Gates’ “Reinvent the Toilet Fair” in Seattle next week illustrates perfectly the limits of philanthropy and why real generosity must come from governments not individual rich people. The Gates’ Foundation work to prevent and cure malaria is outstanding. The battle against the disease is perfect for individual philanthropy for two reasons. But most philanthropy, [...]
Not so Nobel
The Nobel concept of microfinance is being revealed as little more than a business whose effects on poverty are no better than any other banking enterprise. Darth Vader sits on many of their boards. There’s something sweetly compassionate in the pure Islamic concept that money should never be lent at an interest rate. It’s also [...]
Bipartisan Balderdash in Africa
Posted by jimheck in Charity, Perceptions of Africa, Politics on April 27, 2012
We in America can’t agree to increase taxes for better education or health care, but we can all agree to pay an extra ten million or two to obsess about a fallen Africa criminal. The absolute farce with Invisible Children reached the otherwise empty halls of Congress this week. The viral YouTube video based on [...]
The Children Are NOT Invisible
Posted by jimheck in Charity, Corruption, Culture, Uganda on April 17, 2012
Invisible Children has produced a viral YouTube video that is dangerous. Like other U.S. organizations embracing an African cause they exploit part truths to make a buck. My young hero, Conor Godfrey, wrote an incredibly balanced and unemotional blog about this that you must reread to understand the facts of the case. That way I [...]
Volunteerism Not Always Good
Posted by jimheck in Charity, Mountain Gorilla, Volunteerism on September 30, 2011
I often receive requests by sincere travelers who want to volunteer in Africa. The latest is from an enthusiastic woman who wants to help the mountain gorillas. She doesn’t want to pay “some tourist company thousands and not directly help.” Like many well meaning people, she’s got it very wrong. Particularly with regards to the [...]
Student Do-Gooders Beware
Posted by jimheck in Charity, Planning Travel on June 6, 2011
Summer is coming and throngs of young people are getting ready to screw up the world. That’s the effect of most volunteer tourism. Here’s why, along with a few stellar exceptions. During the last fifty years of America’s descent into conservative misery, America’s philanthropy has increased substantially. There’s a good reason for this, and a [...]
U.S. Kids Duped / Africa Disparaged
Posted by jimheck in Charity, Corruption on October 21, 2010
Here’s a perfect picture of what’s wrong with part of America: Kids, yes kids, duped by charity. No one doubts the generosity of Americans. But charity must be researched first. And that’s what so many Americans just don’t do. It would bother me less if it weren’t adults misleading kids. And I wouldn’t be quite [...]
The Monkey & The Fish
I’ve always been skeptical about almost any type of individual charity for Africa, but billionaire do-gooders are an absolute pain in the ass. A very close friend asked me to comment on the New Yorker’s December article by Philip Gourevitch, “The Monkey and The Fish.” It’s about Prodigy billionaire Greg Carr who according to the [...]
Rhinowash
Posted by jimheck in Big Game, Charity, Poaching, Wildlife Management on December 26, 2009
This week’s arrival in Kenya of one of the most endangered animals left on earth was not the cute Christmas present the world media reported. In fact, the relocation of 4 of the remaining 8 northern white rhino in existence, into a country where poaching is becoming epidemic, may be one of the most stupid [...]
Heifer Charities
Heifer may be one of the better charity-direct not-for-profits for Africa, and then again, it might not be. I am often asked for recommendations of charities serving Africa, and I am often asked specifically about Heifer. There are actually two “Heifers”, and here are my thoughts and some background. The Heifer Project International (“Heifer”) was [...]
Don’t Bring Gifts
Posted by jimheck in Charity, Planning Travel on February 20, 2009
This is not the way to help. One of the most frequent questions I get from clients preparing to go on safari is, What can I bring as a present? My answer is, Nothing. This blog is a more sensitive explanation of this, and it’s not as easy as the curt reply above might suggest. [...]