Half a croissant, on a plate, with a sign in front of it saying '50c'
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False Hope

A low-budget philanthropic organization
 
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There are many fine charities in existence today. Charities which do everything from feeding the hungry to building bridges; sheltering the homeless to providing electricity. False Hope is not one of those charities.

At False Hope, we don't have the man-power or money to tackle big, life-affirming projects. In fact, we don't have the wherewithal to do much of anything except visit exotic locations. Unfortunately, the natives (and the tax service) tend to expect some type of philanthropic effort.

As we're not well-endowed, er, well-funded, we sometimes have to make the best of a bad situation. We show Calvin Klein ads to the hungry. The unshod we introduce to Fred Flintstone and Bilbo Baggins. The electricity-less we introduce to...Fred Flintstone and Bilbo Baggins. And what's so special about the other side of the river that they need a bridge, anyway?

Our motto:
"If you give a man a fish, he eats for a day. If you teach a man to fish, he eats for a lifetime. If you tell a man fish are bad for him, you save a lot of time and money."

Donate where your dollar/euro/peso/lira/sea shell goes the farthest. Those other guys are just show-offs.

phoenix, May 07 2003

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       Kinda Baked, both by organizations that genuinely do try to find local solutions to problems, and by those that exist purely so they can reap the administrative expenses.
DrCurry, May 07 2003
  

       I had to do a quick check that we were not in health:artifical organs.
po, May 07 2003
  

       This sounds very much like the Peace Corps.
pluterday, May 07 2003
  

       Made me laugh.   

       Then it made me feel bad for having laughed.
beauxeault, May 07 2003
  

       ... But then, I felt good about feeling bad, so I guess that's alright then. +
ato_de, May 07 2003
  

       Sour grapes style charity. Heh.
snarfyguy, May 07 2003
  

       this is like a more honest version of many charities out there today--i.e. we don't REALLY care about those people over there croissant for you!
benlevi7, May 07 2003
  

       I think it's (among other things) to spread the message around the developing world that electricity, clean running water and low infant mortality aren't all they're cracked up to be.
hippo, May 08 2003
  

       The thing about infant mortality is that as it goes down, adult mortality rates go up accordingly - you can't have your cake and live a long healthy life with it.
friendlyfire, May 08 2003
  

       Actually, I thought "low budget philanthropy" was already practically baked by virtually every luxury cruise ship that ports and disembarks hordes of well-heeled passengers into under-developed third world ports. I personally remember disembarking into Puerto Plata, Dominica, from a Royal Viking cruise ship the first season that port opened to the big boats. It was a striking example of "showing Calvin Klein ads to the hungry".   

       On the other hand, however, as humiliating as those first days were for both residents of Puerta Plata and the Cruise guests, over a period of several seasons the development investments, retail expansion and influx of tourism dollars that those stops generated within the port probably out-weighed the benefits that any other type of organized not-for-profit charity might have provided. And it's self-perpetuating. On the whole, I'm in favor of boot-strap philanthropy.
jurist, May 08 2003
  
      
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