http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/local-news/indian-team-plays-aston-villa-5822420Is it unkind to say that perhaps their combined air fares would have been more useful to those kids? After all, the kits are more or less worthless.If I was orphaned and living in total poverty, I think I'd be pretty annoyed if somebody thought giving me a sports shirt would makes things better.
There was someone else who went to Africa on here and the kids loved it. I was at a school in Lagos and gave a kid a Villa shirt despite his professed 'love' of Chelsea. His face couldn't stop beaming with the biggest most genuine smile you could have wanted to see. Would he wanted the the £50 or so? Maybe, but you give a child a gift and they're as genuinely excited and grateful as we are touched.
I'm not saying its not a good deed, but it doesn't seem a very good way to do it. How many shirts could they have sent with say £1000 without flying?Perhaps I'm too old and cynical.
Quote from: Malandro on September 01, 2013, 03:00:14 PMI'm not saying its not a good deed, but it doesn't seem a very good way to do it. How many shirts could they have sent with say £1000 without flying?Perhaps I'm too old and cynical.I guess the thing is, until you see the poverty/determination/creativity/spirit of the people for yourself, you are unlikely to make the effort. Those blokes saw what was happening first hand and wanted to make a gesture. They wanted to experience the kids excitement for themselves...to make a connection.I am very charitable and knit my own muesli, but I wouldn't send £1000 abroad to someone I had never met...would you?
Malandro, I don't see you as a bit of a tool at all. It's just as others have posted more eloquently than me that, when you have nothing, and someone gives you something no matter what or how small or insignificant, it seems like everything in the world and is perceived as such. You, to your credit are viewing it in terms of finance and the utility of that finance, but sometimes we have to look beyond such things. I repeat, you are not a tool.