Making Beslan donations count

September 5, 2004 8:06 AM

How do I donate to the Beslan families while guaranteeing that my money does not pass through the hands of the Russian government or organized crime groups? Specifically, are these guys legit?
posted by PrinceValium to Law & Government (2 answers total)

The Red Cross is active there. I'm not sure if they will allow you to earmark funds toward a specific emergency, though. You can always call and ask.

For what it's worth - I advocate making a donation to the general funds of a humanitarian organization, and letting them decide how to use it. They are professionals.
posted by stonerose at 10:14 AM on September 5, 2004

The moscowhelp.org site's board of trustees has an office in Moscow which tracks information about impacted families, compiles full lists of beneficiaries according to their policy (which should be made more clear later), and distributes aid directly to those people without any government intervention or administrative costs from private donations (the fund operators are volunteers and expenses are partially funded by corporate donations). Their report about their previous project after the 2002 theater terror attack in Moscow is available, and the current board of trustees is selected from those who volunteered the most help during that operation. Many well-known Russian-speaking people I know have vouched for the fund, and there is no doubt whatsoever about its legitimacy.

If you are still unconvinced, you can donate to the Red Cross, Medicins Sans Frontieres, etc., but please bear in mind that this is a disastrous event with hundreds of casualties for which these organizations will not be able to provide direct financial assistance, whereas the Russian federal government is not well-known for providing generous assistance to the victims. As far as I can see, this fund will go to great lengths to distribute the donations directly and fairly.
posted by azazello at 3:07 PM on September 5, 2004