Poorly Timed Thoughts on Giving

We had a session during IST about ways to fund our projects, and I recently stumbled across a few other international aid sites that seem to have great ways to donate money. So I thought I'd post them here, just in case anyone has any extra cash floating around. As PC volunteers, we haven't exactly felt the sting of the US economic disaster quite as acutely as those of you back home, but I can tell you that living on $8/day makes finances a bit tight. I don't think I like being poor.

I like the sound of these websites because (with the exception of the PCPartnership Program) they're ways to donate money almost directly to people, and usually through loans, which I think is a more sustainable and responsible way of giving. After hearing stories about the World Bank putting their workers up at the Hilton in Madagascar, or Millennium Challenge workers being housed at the Radisson in Mali (if not the nicest hotels in these countries, then definitely in the upper echelon), I've started to wonder exactly where all their money really goes. And even if you decide not to donate to any of the organizations, I still think it's interesting to learn about the different ways people are tackling the financial side of development. Hopefully you'll agree.

Here they are:

1. First is the Peace Corps Partnership website which allows volunteers to post descriptions of their projects online for those back at home to donate to. It's a great, tax-deductible way to support your friends in the PC. I'm sure you'll be hearing more about this from me as I start bigger projects in my village.
http://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=resources.donors

2. An organization whose name has come up a few times in the past year or so is Kiva:
http://www.kiva.org/

3. And finally, Nicholas Kristof, a journalist with the NYTimes who you might be familiar with, recently pointed to the following two organizations as great "Do-It-Yourself Foreign Aid" sites:
http://www.globalgiving.org/, and https://www.givology.org/