Where does your Philippines charity donation go?

From every €100 donated to the Haiyan 21-21 consortium made up of NGOs Caritas International, Handicap International, Oxfam Solidarity, Unicef Belgium and Doctors of the World, €87 goes to aid requirements on the ground, according to consortium chairman Erik Todts. De Standaard newspaper checked with the Red Cross, which is also organising aid efforts for the victims of the typhoon in the Philippines, and the result is almost exactly the same.

Like the consortium, the Red Cross allocates a sum for the preparation of actions: 12% in the case of the Red Cross, 13% in the case of the consortium. That money also goes towards keeping track of action on the ground from Belgium, as well as reporting back to donors, including the general public. From what remains, in other words €88, the Red Cross spends roughly as follows:

“The sums involved obviously differ from project to project,” explained Axel Vande Veegaete of the Red Cross. “If I look at the current figures, 80% [equivalent to €70.40] goes to relief goods: food, drink, medicines, tents. Another 6% [€5.28] goes to transport on the ground, for the storage and distribution of supplies. A further 9% [€7.92] goes to paying personnel, including local and international staff, as well as volunteers – those people have to be fed. The remainder [5% or €4.40] is spent on other costs such as travel and communications.”

Donations to the Red Cross can be made to account number BE53 0000 0000 5353

Donations to the 21-21 consortium can be made to account number BE17 0000 0000 2121