Givers Wary of Donating to Middle East Aid Groups – Charities

Charity News Online

Leading aid groups and charitable organizations have launched large-scale fundraising campaigns to help people suffering the consequences of bloodshed in the Middle East. Around the globe charities are raising money to help victims of the fighting in Lebanon, Israel, and Gaza.

However, many aid groups complain that while some NGOs receive strong support from Jewish donors and other people with personal ties to the region, charities have yet to see much of a response, in part because the political dimensions of the crisis have overshadowed the humanitarian needs, The Chronicle of Philanthropy website reports.

The U.S. group Mercy Corps has raised just $70,000 for its work to provide food, blankets, and other supplies to the approximately 800,000 people in Lebanon who have fled their homes because of bombings and other violence; the organization is also providing aid in the Palestinian territories. Matthew de Galan, chief development officer of the organization, says that the charitable response is sluggish in comparison with other crises like the earthquakes in Pakistan and Indonesia, which affected comparable numbers of people. "People respond to wars very differently, as donors, than they do to natural disasters," he says. "Initially, the media focuses on the story as a political-military story, and not as much as a humanitarian story. Therefore, the humanitarian needs really aren't as top of the mind."

Despite a slow initial response from some donors, several Jewish organizations have raised significant sums. United Jewish Communities has already raised nearly $12-million through its Israel Crisis Fund. Other groups have raised far less. Save the Children, which is assisting people in Gaza, Israel, and Lebanon, has received just $5,800 for relief efforts so far.

Eileen Burke, a spokeswoman for the charity, says that donors are often slow to contribute to humanitarian crises created by war because they want to ensure their gifts will help those in need. "We usually see fund-raising levels increase once people see it's easy to reach children and women with life-saving materials," she says.

Zahir Janmohamed, Amnesty International's advocacy director for the Middle East and North Africa, agrees that the potential for donations to fall into the wrong hands gives some donors pause. "People are nervous about donating humanitarian aid to Lebanon because of a fear that the money could end up with a group like Hezbollah," he says. Donors may also worry that their gifts could send a political message, says Mr. Janmohamed.

Despite some hesitation among donors, several groups aiding Lebanon and Gaza are beginning to see stronger fund-raising results. American Near East Refugee Aid, which is distributing medicine and other supplies to the displaced in those regions, has raised $150,000 in response to the fighting. The U.S. Fund for Unicef has raised more than $42,000 for such efforts, $14,000 of it in response to an online appeal it sent on Monday, July 24.

charity, Israel, Lebanon, United Jewish Communities, Amnesty International, UNICEF