my response to the OP.

Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good. It's an old saying, can't remember who it's attributed to. But it essentially means don't let the inability to attain a perfect state prevent you from attempting to achieve a better state. No you won't fix the world, there is going to be more disasters and more starvation and more pain, you won't fix that. But that doesn't mean you can't try to fix something. That doesn't mean you have to fix something perfectly, IE turn a starving african child into a healthy well educated doctor, but you can take something bad and make it better, even if it's not perfect.

As for charities being corrupt, do your research. Find a charity that you trust. And Think about how you want to improve things. Take Kiva.org for instance, they take small donations and turn them into cheap loans and give the loans to people in poor countries to invest in business thusly helping establish a working economy in the region, rather than creating a welfare state that relies on donated goods to survive. The loans have a 98% rate of repayment, and you can actually take your donation back since it is actually just a free loan, so the net cost to you is actually zero dollars, and it helps some poor rural worker buy some livestock or farm equipment so that he can take care of his or herself, and then they pay the money back.

Also, if you are writing a message on this website, you are not needy. We tend to rate our wealth on a curve based on our surroundings, and if our neighbor has a bigger house, a better car, and a nicer TV, we think we are poor even though there is virtually no chance that we will go hungry for days at a time, or be left out in the elements because we can't find shelter. But globalization is rapidly making the world our community and we are able to take more neighbors into account when create that curve to decide how wealthy we are.

You don't have to fix anything, but you can try to make something a little better. Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good.

I agree. Charity should not be used for proselytization, which most religious charities do, especially in places liek Africa.

You could actually do that if you'd adopt the child. But the cynic would say "what about all the other kids? This is just one."

Actually, a lot of the privately run hospitals are run by non-profits.  The Insurance aside was just a mention of how common sense doesn't seem to work with healthcare spending.

Looking up the numbers... 62% of American hospitals appear to be non-profit hospitals... 20% government run and 18% for Profit.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-profit_hospital

Just donating money won't EVER solve Africa's problems. They need major overhauls in thier government's and toget good leaders who look out for the good of the people, not themselves. 

I pay my taxes.  The government uses my tax dollars to fund all shorts of charities both domestic and foreign.  That is good enough for me.

I do however, donate blood, plasma, etc (some get paid to do this, I do it for free) 4 times a year.

True. Sadly, I don't think the leaders they need are African.

Man oh man if everyone acted like the OP the world would be a living hell. If everyone cared only about themselves and thought that their helping someone else wouldn't change anything. Heck even Government wouldn't be created other then a dictatorship where the dictator and his men try to milk every last dime out of the populous.

Fact is I haven't heard of many if any legit charities where 95% of the money donated goes into over head. That is radiculously high no one with a brain would donate. I myself donate to several organisations the highest having 20% overhead.

Also I volunteer as well because yes I can make a difference. To use an example I do volunteer respite for children with disabilities once a month. Those families do not get any federal assistance. One family I helped the parent's hadn't been on a date in 13-years ever since the birth of their disabled child. The organisation I volunteer with does respite for like 40 kids every week, free of charge. We have an impact on those families and my few hours once a month changes those families lives. What if everyone in the world donated a dollar a month. One measley dollar, it would turn into 72 billion dollars, enough to feed a couple countries for months.

Now I myself live below the poverty line, I like to feel sorry for myself and think "You know I'm poor why should I be helping someone else who's poor". Fact is if your here on the internet, you can either afford an internet Cafe all the time or have enough income for a computer. Also if your here you probably also have enough money for a game or so.

If you have enough money for a computer and a game or two then you are rich compared to the people in other countries. Fact is all organisation's have some over head, look into the organisation before donating, plain and simply. Your few dollars a month could change someones life.

You mention the child sponsorship commercial's. Well I make 900$ a month but after rent am around 500$ After bills around 375$ I can barely eat and buy my games, but guess what I am donating 50$ a month to sponsor a kid in Thailand. Why? Because I am poor and he is even worse off then me. if I save and eat mac and cheese I can still buy my game every month or two. But that kid can't afford anything.

You have to stop being so selfish and think of others. Other users on VGChartz come from much poorer countries then you. People live on less then a dollar a day and you think your few dollars can't help? Your few dollars can feed someone for days, 30-50$ a month will feed and cloth a kid, if you don't have 30$ a month donate a few dollars each month to a reputable organisation.

As for the Salvation Army, I know people who work for them and get no pay. The money donated builds homeless shelters and funds soup kitchens to feed the homeless in your community. You couldn't donate to a better local cause!

Every penny you donate does help!

I agree. It seems like the African leaders are all corrupt and just in it for the money. They need good leaders who put the money they get back into the country to feed people, build infrastructure, get health care, etc. 

It's a shame you feel that way, any effort is better than no effort. It seems like you have an issue trusting, which is understandable, there are plenty of people who want to scam you out of money and possesions, but they're a very small bunch in the grand scheme of things. 

You always have a choice, and you can choose to let your fear, that the good you want to do won't reach the right people, govern your decisions. But you can also choose to take a stand and trust that the good you do will in fact reach the right people. And it's not some blind decision you have to make, do some research and find out who's more credible.

I donate a set amount of money to Red Cross every month, and that money goes to help children in Africa. My donation isn't going to make anyone rich, or guarantee them a life of happiness, but it's going to help.

The money I give go to buying food, shelter, education and medicine for the kids, so they can become better suited for the future. Many kids have to travel and work a lot just to keep themselves and their family alive, and by relieving some of that stress, the kids can be taught in school, which can help them become more succesful later, so they don't have to live in poverty all their lives. And if enough people get properly educated, the government will be changed for the better at some point too.