Concern over charity donations

  • 12/10/2016
Concern over charity donations

The world is again focusing on a desperate situation in Haiti, one of the globe's poorest nations, after Hurricane Matthew killed more than 1000 people.

However, there is concern that money given to charity to help Haitians might not be going to the right place.

Some Haitians have been telling people not to donate to the American Red cross, after an investigation in 2015 found that the charity squandered money after rampant mismanagement. 

It found that despite collecting half a billion dollars to provide relief after the 2010 Haiti earthquake and promising to build 700 homes, they actually only built six.

The American Red Cross was then charged with consistent misrepresentation of the success of its projects, particularly in housing.

Maria Robertson from the Department of Internal Affairs, who oversees charities in New Zealand, told Paul Henry about how to know whether your money is going to the right place.