I read an interesting article from the Guardian about how the president of Medicines Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) thinks that aid groups are misleading the public about the impact of donations to Somalia.
He said that people should know sending money wasn’t going to solve the whole problem and the famine was man-made due to many factors like the lack of government, corruption and war.
No doubt, charity and aid giving are complex processes that must be evaluated for their effectiveness in each unique situation but for the president to say that aid groups are willingly withholding the truth just to collect money for a cause seems quite exaggerated and unhelpful.
Communicating to the public reasons to donate money during an economic crisis is extremely important and needs strategic, yet honest language. The media has had lots of coverage of Somalia and East Africa, documentaries, celebrity campaigns, distressing and emotional photographs and more.
What responsibility do non-profits have to tell the truth in their donor campaigns and advocacy messages? Do you agree with the MSF’s president’s opinion?
