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In Reply to: Re: There is a world of difference posted by UN worker on October 23, 2008 at 08:40:10:
UN'er.. I understand where you are coming from, but to try and judge little rinky dinky TFI homes with the UN, UNHCR or like organizations is a bit far fetched. You may read in TFI newsletters or web sites that their bits and bobs of activity was the answer to the problem, or changed hearts... but you have to take it with a big grain of salt (its called positive reporting / PR).
I worked in the Balkans after the war, and all I can say is yes, the UN/UNHCR did (do) good, but its staff lived the high life. They all drove new 4x4 vehicles, stayed in their nice rented houses and hotels alone and got a good salary (whenever I see UNHCR ads today, all I see are smiling faces of foreign kids and want to donate money, but I don't see the fine print that a large % of my money also houses UN staff, pays their salaries, transportation costs, bill board advertisement fees and so forth). The UN is also a governmental body, almost a country to itself and sees its fair share of corruption and so forth.
Now, if you take it down a notch and look at TFI charity work as if it was a local 1 family volunteer work (or Mum & Papa setup) then you might better understand why it seems less together and bordering at times on fraudulent behavior. They simply are a cents and dollar operation. They also mix religion and charity work together (which is not a crime).
Whether they distribute a box of banana's, go to a hospital and make sick kids balloons, sing for elderly people, paint a room at an orphanage, its still considered volunteer work / charity work if they are giving of their time and not charging the recipients. I think today you will find them doing more charity work (or CTP / Consider the Poor, a Family term) per buck ($) then years ago. Also, more homes are choosing to be legally registered on a local level and thus being audited by their local tax office.
You may read this and wonder why I seem to excuse TFI, but unlike you I once was a member, and I tend to think that whatever little charity work one of their homes may do, is better then nothing.
Some people posting here tend to forget that outside of Peter and Zerby, WS, leadership and some over zealous members, most little homes are just small fry people trying to do what they think is right (even if only 50/50 or whatever % one might think is right or wrong).
FCF on the other hand is not a dollar and cents operation, but they are audited, and within their mandate as a foundation they are legal (to date it seems no one has brought them down). The only thing I can contribute this too, is they work within the parameters of their foundations mandate, and in such a way it seems legal, or have really good accountants.
Anyway, keep up the good work UN'er and may the world one day become a United Nation!
My reply might seem a bit sketchy as I wrote it quick, and have a lot of work commitments, but thought to set the record straight on the cents and dollar organization know as TFI.
