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water aid

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By *akie32 OP   Man
over a year ago

winchester

just seen another of those adverts on tv, two points spring to mind

wouldnt the money be batter off elsware rather than tv ads, i have no idea how much an advert cost vs reward?

sencond point, would the money not be better off educating the parents to not have more kids than they can support?

idle musings, and yes ive seen extreem poverty for real in various countries before anyone jumps down my neck.

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By *icecouple561Couple
Forum Mod

over a year ago

East Sussex

There are so many charity ads at this time of year I assume they must generate donations in excess of their cost.

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By *akie32 OP   Man
over a year ago

winchester


"There are so many charity ads at this time of year I assume they must generate donations in excess of their cost.

"

i supose they must, they wouldnt do it otherwise

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Education has always been the key in those parts of the world… unfortunately greed, corruption, religion and politics always prevent progression. Many western countries have pumped money into these causes for decades, but it’s not enough.. you can lead a horse to water… no pun intended.

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By *egoMan
over a year ago

Preston

I hate the ones that say X has to walk 20 miles a day for dirty water.

Well maybe move, you have nothing and water is everything.

This whole drip feeding charity farce actually sustains the misery and tourture. Just about keeping them alive so they breed more and just about cling to existence when the land is saying it cannot sustain you.

Irrigation of the desert can be done, look at Isreal.

But in Africa as soon as a society gets comfortable it gets violent and corrupt. Education and resource programs have been going on for decades to no avail.

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By *riskynriskyCouple
over a year ago

Essex.

Many of these large charities have years worth in the banks, so they are raising funds for 4 or 5 years down the road.

Also remember with some their operating costs are so high only 10p in every £ actually gets to those in need.

Unicef said with $6 billion they could end world hunger, Elon Musk said tell me how you will spend it and if it adds up I'll give you the money.

The reply looked like it was written by a child with no plan or substance.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

It’s a shame because in my opinion Africa has so much potential in so many areas, Fertile land, minerals, climate, culture, tourism… if only somebody would take charge and try to educate them…. oh wait….

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By *inky-MinxWoman
over a year ago

Grantham

The big charities are so flush with money they will have people doing cost benefit analysis and ROI calculations to know that the advertising is worth it.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Interested to know how many of those suggesting people don't want to be educated have worked in those countries?

As for the suggestion about educating people to have less children that's just plain ignorance about why those societies are as they are.

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By *orkshireDrifterMan
over a year ago

Nafferton, nr Driffield.

While Water Aid is one of the better of the major charities I am sceptical about the concept as currently delivered.

I can only speak for the parts of Africa that I have visited but the so called 'aid workers' driving around in brand new Toyota Land Cruisers, staying in Western style hotels and exhibiting overt arrogance do nothing to reassure me.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Education is a major issue, particularly education for girls which has been shown to have significant longterm effects. Sadly changes like that take time and political stability that many people don't have. Lack of access to safe water kills - fast- while education takes a long time so it isn't an either or solution.

For those pointing out the ongoing nature of poverty and the fact that in many parts of the world little has changed I ask so what? So because people were dying 50 years ago we ignore those who are dying now? These problems are complex and incredibly hard to change, it may well be true that charity isn't the best approach but if it is the only feasible approach then discussing better but unfeasible solutions is a waste of time.

Mr

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By *ecadent_DevonMan
over a year ago

Okehampton

I worked as a humanitarian for 15 years. Usually following catastrophic events (war, famine, disaster), I am qualified to do so, having a degree in water and sanitation engineering and master of science and economics in development economics and a further degree in disaster management.

I worked for very large organisations and very small organisations, I was paid well, this I confess (though less than I would have got in the private sector). When charities moved into the “chugging” phase I started to dip out and then when rampant advertising took precedence I hung up my rucksack.

The challenge with any type of work of this nature are many fold but primarily ngos can become defacto governance structures as corrupt governments fail to provide for their people and leave this to the philanthropic sector (whilst still taking their cut). I never stayed in expensive hotels (although they were always offered) preferring guesthouses when the security situation allowed for this.

Was there waste? Yes. Was there an inevitability of failure? Sometimes. were there political agendas that donor countries pushed? Of course. But sometimes we did good things, sometimes we changed lives for the better.

The sector changed about 10 years or so ago, the young professionals coming through mainly had qualifications in international relations which were pretty useless for getting things done.

Like most sectors we stopped “doing things” and started “talking about things we should do” and that was enough for me.

The failure of the humanitarian sector as a whole (and it has failed) is not through a lack of money, this much I can say. And at one of the last organisations I worked for (one of the very largest), my desk officer in London was based out of a basement office whilst the next 3 floors above her were full of advertising and marketing teams……

“And some things that should not have been forgotten were lost…..”

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By *batMan
over a year ago

Alicante, Spain. (Sometimes in Wales)


"would the money not be better off educating the parents to not have more kids than they can support?

"

This is a good tool for the future, but there are some hurdles to clear.

Where there isn't a proper security net for old age, the only way people can survive is by having a large family to support them in their old age. Less kids, hungry elderly family.

Lack of access to family planning products. Have you ever tried stopping people from having sex?

Religious and cultural issues. People are expected to procreate, so they do.

However, as I said, that education might be useful for future generations, but what about those kids who have already been born? It's not their fault they're born into the situation they find themselves is it?

Gbat

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By *oinerbillMan
over a year ago

warrington

Its terrible people cant have the simple thing like clean drinking water. I looked at setting up a standing order for water aid, only £2 a month, but when i looked at the saleries they pay it really annoyed me. lots of managers on crazy money, and from memory i think the ceo was on something like 160k a year.

I did my bit with another charity by building a well where it was required with a one off payment

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

You probably think nothing at all of contributing to the salary of the CEO for the water in your tap.

Meanwhile our expectations for donating a fiver to support water and sanitation to some of the poorest people in the world and those working in some of the most challenging situations in the world is that they're only worthy if they're driving around in old bangers, sleeping in hostels and being paid a pittance.

Salary for CEO of Severn Trent water in 2017...

£2.5 million

Merry xmas everyone

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By *akie32 OP   Man
over a year ago

winchester


"You probably think nothing at all of contributing to the salary of the CEO for the water in your tap.

Meanwhile our expectations for donating a fiver to support water and sanitation to some of the poorest people in the world and those working in some of the most challenging situations in the world is that they're only worthy if they're driving around in old bangers, sleeping in hostels and being paid a pittance.

Salary for CEO of Severn Trent water in 2017...

£2.5 million

Merry xmas everyone"

fair point well made

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago


"just seen another of those adverts on tv, two points spring to mind

wouldnt the money be batter off elsware rather than tv ads, i have no idea how much an advert cost vs reward?

sencond point, would the money not be better off educating the parents to not have more kids than they can support?

idle musings, and yes ive seen extreem poverty for real in various countries before anyone jumps down my neck.

"

I am a part founder of an NGO in Africa that has so far provided clean drinking water to over a million individuals. We target far flung villages where global warming has had the worst effect. Able bodied men go to distant cities to work while little girls are pressed into labour to look for water at least 8 hours of their day thereby excluding them from the opportunity to have an education. All this we do without a single dime finding it's way in anyway possible to our pockets. Take a trip down to Africa and see the hardship for yourself bro. Appreciate the hardwork people are doing to keep the world going.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

By the way, it costs £1,000 for a clean source of drinking water in most of the cases down there in Africa. A £1,000 borehole (well) can provide an upwards of 1,500 people a permanent source of drinking water. That's a whole village.

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By *reedMePrettyWoman
over a year ago

Crystal palace


"just seen another of those adverts on tv, two points spring to mind

wouldnt the money be batter off elsware rather than tv ads, i have no idea how much an advert cost vs reward?

sencond point, would the money not be better off educating the parents to not have more kids than they can support?

idle musings, and yes ive seen extreem poverty for real in various countries before anyone jumps down my neck.

"

Would you want to educate parents here too? Those on benefits, free school meals etc, those that "have more kids than they can support".

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By *reedMePrettyWoman
over a year ago

Crystal palace


"You probably think nothing at all of contributing to the salary of the CEO for the water in your tap.

Meanwhile our expectations for donating a fiver to support water and sanitation to some of the poorest people in the world and those working in some of the most challenging situations in the world is that they're only worthy if they're driving around in old bangers, sleeping in hostels and being paid a pittance.

Salary for CEO of Severn Trent water in 2017...

£2.5 million

Merry xmas everyone"

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Worked with one charity they were paying us $800 a day each for protection duties to give out only $500 in equipment as they were scared of being taken hostage by local militia groups.

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By *oinerbillMan
over a year ago

warrington


"You probably think nothing at all of contributing to the salary of the CEO for the water in your tap.

Meanwhile our expectations for donating a fiver to support water and sanitation to some of the poorest people in the world and those working in some of the most challenging situations in the world is that they're only worthy if they're driving around in old bangers, sleeping in hostels and being paid a pittance.

Salary for CEO of Severn Trent water in 2017...

£2.5 million

Merry xmas everyone"

Of course i despise paying for the ceo of water, gas, etc, but i dont have a choice in those do i

I just dont think the ceo of a charity should be ripping the public off the same way these greedy top cats do. 160 k , seriously ?

happy christmas

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By *egoMan
over a year ago

Preston


"You probably think nothing at all of contributing to the salary of the CEO for the water in your tap.

Meanwhile our expectations for donating a fiver to support water and sanitation to some of the poorest people in the world and those working in some of the most challenging situations in the world is that they're only worthy if they're driving around in old bangers, sleeping in hostels and being paid a pittance.

Salary for CEO of Severn Trent water in 2017...

£2.5 million

Merry xmas everyone

Of course i despise paying for the ceo of water, gas, etc, but i dont have a choice in those do i

I just dont think the ceo of a charity should be ripping the public off the same way these greedy top cats do. 160 k , seriously ?

happy christmas"

In defence of boss salary.

I’d do it for £50k but I won’t do a very good job. Management of large scale companies needs very competent skills in a very competitive market.

I’d probably think the only way to get lower wage top management skills is using retired ceo’s with fat pensions. It the stress would burn them out very quickly,

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Great defense.

It must be a near impossible task to find somebody competent enough to run a water company for anything less than £2.5 million

I feel better that my money is going to a worthy cause now

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