Often times churches and small groups get together a box of clothes, and other random things to ship overseas as a donation. This are very well intended and show the generous hearts of all those involved.

The problem is that more often than not, even a small financial donation would have gone much further and been far more appropriate (the biggie). A ski bib, mask, or gloves from a group in Colorado is a kind donation, though will never find a use in Sudan.

As you’ll read from the story below, even the color of something can have very unintended side effects and not only be unusable, but be hurtful. I continue to learn little things like this in my local community.

‘when a bucket is not a bucket’ http://bit.ly/G7WeK

For further reading on giving without hurting, read When Helping Hurts: Alleviating Poverty Without Hurting the Poor. . .and Ourselves’ by Brian Fikkert & Steve Corbett. Or the cheap and more direct route, hook up with someone local (who lives there on the groud) and ask for their advice (preferably long-term missionaries). More often than not, they will have a lot of insight as to the best way to help a community and what not to do.