The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is probably the richest* of the Top Ten Volags resettling refugees in the US.  That’s the outfit whose CEO (former President of Columbia University, Charles Rupp) makes a cool $412,540 in salary and benefits ( See the 2006 Form 990 here, but heck where are the more recent Form 990’s, it is probably much higher now). So, the rich NGO’s get richer and nothing changes for Africa.

An aside on the health care debate!   The IRC and other non-profits resettling refugees demonstrate why the idea of Health Cooperatives that would supposedly be non-profit would not be a good alternative to government health care from the viewpoint of those of us who do not want the government further involved in our lives.  The NGO’s, like IRC, are really just arms of the federal government but without any accountability to the taxpayers who largely fund them.  The same would be the case for the Coops which would be run by cronyism and insider deals hidden beneath a patina of squeaky clean do-gooder intentions.

Back to my story about Hillary ticking off an African charitable initiative by giving most of the aid money to the IRC.  This is from a blog called VDAY which writes about violence against women and girls in DR Congo.   I guess this is the stuff you won’t hear repeated in the Obama/Clinton-loving mainstream media.

….. everything seemed to be centered on her announcement of a 17 $ aid package that will be administered through USAID. Much needed and appreciated funds – but wait a minute. HEAL Africa, the local organization that was hosting the event, has a hospital with 7 years of experience in treating survivors of sexual violence. However, we learned only through the speech of our honored visitor that USAID is planning to construct a hospital to do the same work, in the same city. And even though Clinton claimed that funds would be distributed to local NGOs, we found out shortly afterwards that the lion’s share would go to the International Rescue Committee.

[…..] 

In the end, it was the roundtable that rocked the house. Activists like Esther Ntoto, Christine Schuler-Deschryver and Chouchou Namegabe made passionate claims for freedom of speech, education for all and the need to get the Congolese army under control. They were applauded for their criticism of an international community that comes here in great numbers and drives up the cost of living with their abundant aid money (yes I am a part of those), yet fails to protect and often leaves local NGOs with only as much as a business card.

As I said, the rich insiders get richer.

I found this posting at VDAY through a blog which titled its post “change in which I don’t believe” here.

*The US Conference of Catholic Bishops probably gets more of your tax dollars than does the IRC but it’s dispersed so widely through so many Catholic organizations it’s impossible to track.

Note to Una:    I am not speaking with sarcasm now!  This is where you should put your youthful energy, a place like DR Congo.  Don’t go to a Muslim country, but go here and really help these women.  You are wasting your idealism on defending the indefensible bureaucracies that the volags have become (or always have been).