let the donater beware

I'm sure that Northwest Medical Teams International is an amazing group of people who have always done important work around the world and will do wondrous and good deeds for the tsunami victims. I know that an amazing 96 percent of NWMTI donations go directly to help people in need. But, I just can’t give them my money.

According to the "Who We Are" section of their website, they "endeavor to help desperate people of all faiths while upholding Christian values.... The mission of Northwest Medical Teams International is to demonstrate the love of Christ to people affected by disaster, conflict and poverty." And under a "How We Are Unique" heading, they list: "We are Christian[.] We are committed to demonstrating the love of Christ to the people we serve. We are non-denominational and welcome volunteers of various faith levels. We uphold Christian values in our work."

"Various faith levels"?! WTF is a level of faith? Is there some scale I'm not aware of? Does it run along the x-axis from zero (Presbyterian?) to Born Again, or does it dip into the negative numbers to accommodate atheists, agnostics, and those of a more pagan persuasion? And, by their very nature, don’t all relief organizations uphold the sort of values that Northwest Medical Teams chooses to label as particularly "Christian"? Sheesh.

As I've already mentioned in passing, Mother D is of the über religious persuasion, and even she took a pass on giving them a donation because of their Über Christian tone. We both sent our virtual cash to the Mercy Corps website. They sport an impressive 92 percent direct-to-programs rate, there’s no mention of any higher power on their "About" page, and they state simply that "Mercy Corps alleviates suffering, poverty, and oppression by helping people build secure, productive, and just communities." Hooray, Mercy Corps!