anybody give to those starving children commercials on tv?

Those people need meaningful agricultural reform. Sending them food is nice and I'm sure your intentions were pure, but in the end they have 4 kids and 5 people end up starving to death instead of 1. Sounds harsh, I know, but give a man a fish etc etc.

Sending money to starving kids in Africa solves nothing. Trading with the country will solve everything. Customs barriers in the EU fucks up the whole market for the African farmers. But hey, at least the French can get overprice for their crappy wine. Hooah!

I'm so pissed off today

Exactly, totally agree with the two above ones

I wouldn't, considering maybe 5-10% actually gets to the target the charity and the rest goes to administrative costs

I have sponsored two children in the Philippines for the past 3-4 years through Children International. Though I am sure they don't receive 100% of my donations, I still feel good about helping.

People have brought up valid points in this thread and it is nearly impossible to make a big impact in these places, but I am a firm believer in every little bit helps. The children write me letters a few times per year, send updated pictures, etc. They also send you the "family story" of each child you sponsor, mine were abandoned by their father, sleep on a mat on the floor, etc. Having children of my own I have a tough time imagining the quality of life for many of these children. I wish there were more that I could do to make a larger impact on their lives.

I have always planned to make some rather large charitable contributions here in the states once I surpass 1 million per year also. Regardless of ethnicity, geographic location, etc these children did not ask to be brought into this world under such horrible circumstances and deserve a helping hand.

totally correct, paying large salaries, etc . It's the business of charity