With so many different charities, large and small, collecting donations for the survivors of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, what is the most efficient way of allocating the billions of yen so th

If they need it.

The highest priority is to provide housing for the victims who now live in evacuation centers. Then, the survey question must be answered: Rebuild or relocate the devastated cities. The prime agriculture land needs to be returned to food production. The land can be leased or sold to farming, and the money used to fund replacement buildings. The less productive land can be used for housing. Local decision on these issues and many more must be allowed and the bureaucrats need to stay out. There will be corruption is this suggestion, but some proposals need to come from the people who are suffering.

I get that charities are required for this stuff (after all, we can't go up there and personally give our money to the needy) but it's a pity that something like 30% of money collected by cahrities neve rmakes it to the intended recipients.

Mittsu.

The donations don't register themselves, nor assign themselves, neither to the transport and distribute themselves.

So, yes, there is an overhead to pay the employees, utilities needed, rent the trucks, etc. Said that the also often get donations(non-money) that are not useable.

But agree many NPO's, NGO's need to be more transparent on their fundings, expenses, etc.

Why not ask the people who are donating to the charities? What do you expect your donation to be used for? At first donations were made so the survivors could get food, water, medicine and blankets. I wonder why donations are still being solicited. I mean, are the donations now for temporary and permanent housing, to provide income for those who lost everything, to provide education (college, vocational school), medical help...

Didn't the American Red Cross recently donate close to $100,000,000? Since it's a large lump sum infusion, why not build a village with the funds? The Japanese bureaucracy will probably ponder over how to distribute foreign donations, and they seem to be distributing 50,000-1,000,000 yen to the displaced victims using Japanese tax dollars. Whether foreign or Japanese, it should be made very clear, how donations are dispersed.

No matter how it's distributed, there will be those who complain they didn't get their fair share. And nobody will complain they got too much. Eventually things ought to work out all right. The hardest task might be to keep retired bureaucrats out of the picture.