Originally Posted by Libertine

Let me say first that this your decision entirely, and that I am merely offering my opinion, as well as a different perspective on things.

Having said that, I have to note that your view on charities operating outside of the western world is flawed. There are tons of charities which help people in, for example, Africa and offer full details on what exactly is accomplished with the money. Hell, many will even give you pictures of the people whose lives you save, the school that is built with your money, etc.

Of course, you are right... it is easier to identify with western families. That's one of the main reasons why western charities get more money. It is a bit odd, though, when you think about it. An American family facing hardship is facing hard times relative to our own situation. An African family facing hardship, however, is facing hard times relative to the situation of that American family. They'd do almost everything to be in the same situation as that American family.

In the west, just about everyone, including the poorest, can receive such things as medical care, food, basic education, etc. In third world countries, the poorest often lack all these things. Every five seconds a child dies of starvation, exactly because we, in the west, do not identify with them, and thus do not care as much as we probably should.

Ultimately, the choice you have to make is a little like this one: Either you can give a friend with a broken ankle a ride to the hospital, or you can save a bus full of young children you don't know from certain death.