Other campus: A world in need (George Washington U.)

By The Daily Colonial

(U-WIRE) WASHINGTON – When American charities raised over $597 million for the Tsunami, Nicole Wallace of The Chronicle of Philanthropy reported, “so much money has come in that several relief organizations have announced that they have stopped actively raising money for relief efforts.”

Then came Hurricane Katrina.

Once again the world stepped up to the plate and donated almost $600 million. Although two tragedies had just occurred, there was a sense that the world had come together, improving international relations and drastically improving the budgets of The Red Cross and other charitable organizations.

Then came mudslides in Guatemala.

And an earthquake in Pakistan.

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Now that surplus from both the Tsunami and Katrina is gone. In fact, charities are reporting that because so many people came to the aid of those affected by both the Tsunami and Katrina, the public’s budget for philanthropy has been expended.

It is difficult to believe the argument espoused by some radical Islamic organizations that relief efforts in Pakistan have been ignored largely due to the high percentage of Muslims affected. After all, Indonesia is the largest Muslim country outside of the Muslim world, and it received the most attention during the Tsunami relief efforts. It seems far more reasonable to conclude that because it was the most recent episode and occurred in the particularly hostile region of Kashmir, relief organizations are having a hard time finding volunteers.

It’s highly likely that you, as an ordinary student, have already contributed to a charity and might even feel a sense of guilt watching the TV footage of Guatemala and Pakistan. However, people shouldn’t feel guilty for simply donating to one of the relief efforts, or for being unable to donate that extra dollar. Nevertheless, the fact is that people are in need all over the world.

Nevertheless, there are plenty of activities that you can become involved in that take little or no time to do.

Staff Editorial

The Daily Colonial (George Washington U.)