This morning we had a commenter named Ben ask at this old post on the International Rescue Committee where we could recommend he make a donation to help refugees.
Since many of you may be looking for places to donate this last week of the year, my recommendation to help struggling (and increasingly out of work) refugees is to find a local organization or church that is directly involved with caring for refugees and give to that local group where you can see the results of your donation. I told Ben that better still would be to find a specific family through that local organization and give for their immediate needs.
Or, give to an organization that takes care of refugees the right way.
If you don’t have refugees in your area then consider giving to Christian Freedom International. This organization located in Michigan, in my opinion, exemplifies the way refugees should be cared for—one family/one sponsor. Last I heard they refused government contracts and did their charitable work the old fashioned way—with private charity. Here is an article I received just yesterday about one example of the kind of work they do.
CFI is not a government contractor with fat cat salaries and offices in New York City. They work directly with refugees in camps in places like Thailand and take care of refugees one at a time. As brutal as it sounds, the world’s poor can’t all be saved, so one should make sure that those who are resettled are well-cared-for until they get on their feet and become Americans.