New Year's Eruption

While the Philippines is still developing, there are considerable portions of it that are more urban than the rest. The area around Mayon, in Albay, Bicol, is popular with tourists, so I first thought a charity that deals with livestock is less likely to have an effect. Bicol, which is southeast of Manila, still has a considerable amount of agricultural land area, about 49% when compared with the total; but about 63% of the people are employed in fields other than agriculture (here's my source). That said, Oxfam also does disaster assistance and small family business support.

Once again, if you want to help through an established organization, examine the charitable organizations that operate in the area and check the percentage of donations that go into the programs those organizations support. Charity watchdog websites, such as the BBB's Give.org, Charity Navigator, CharityWatch, are all helpful sites to check. I emphasize, though, that someone around you who has relatives in the area is more likely to get help where it's needed.

I did forget to add in my last post about natural disaster assistance that basic toiletries are also helpful. Clothing, canned foods, toothbrushes and toothpaste, soap and shampoo. (There are products that work as both soap and shampoo, but the ones I've seen tend to be liquid and are in containers that are easier to damage during transport.)

(2/13/18 - Read an article that erodes my faith in humanity just that much more. Thanks, Oxfam UK. Oxfam America, what are you doing?)