Sigmund Brouwer Kids

I’ve just finished a two-hour radio show with my Fuse co-author Hank Hanegraaff. One of the questions that came up was how to help kids in Palestine, so I wanted to immediately post this. As soon as I’ve finished this blog, I’m going to the web-site for the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund to sign up to sponsor a child. (http://www.pcrf.net/first.html).

If you are interested, I would suggest first going to this website to learn more about PCRF:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palestine_Children’s_Relief_Fund.

Here you will learn that “In June, 2006, PCRF president and founder, Steve Sosebee was featured on NBC Nightly News’ “Making a Difference” series which focuses on individuals and organizations that are making a positive impact in the world.”

You will also learn that “For the past three years, the PCRF has received the highest rating (4-stars) by Charity Navigator, an independent evaluator of charities’ fiscal management. It has received support and endorsements from Senator Paul Sarbanes, Congressman Albert Wynn and actor/humanitarian Richard Gere. In October 2006, U.S. former President Jimmy Carter issued a video endorsement of the organization.”

However, you should be aware that the organization has critics. “NGO Monitor, an Israeli non-governmental organization with the stated aim of monitoring other non-governmental organizations operating in the Middle East, criticizes PCRF for receiving assistance from Global Relief Foundation and the International Islamic Relief Organization, both of which it writes were closed down by the U.S. government for funding terrorist groups.”

I read the criticism with a critical eye, and my decision to sponsor was based on three reasons.

The first was Jimmy Carter’s endorsement via video clip on the PCRF website. Certainly a Nobel Peace Prize winner and world statesman has credibility. More over, I’m assuming that Jimmy Carter would not put his reputation on the line without having researched PCRF enough to know it is a worthwhile cause. Lastly, I’m reasoning, if there was any truth to even the slightest taint of terrorism links, as the NGO seems to be trying to imply, Jimmy Carter’s critics would have uncovered it and used it to embarrass Mr. Carter. After all, his book, Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid drew a barrage of detractors.

My second reason was in analyzing the NGO criticism. I’m setting aside my questions about the motivation of a Israeli non-governmental organization criticizing an organization founded to help Palestinians. If the Global Relief Foundation and the International Islamic Relief Organization were guilty of funding terrorist groups, it does not necessarily follow that all groups these organizations funded were terrorist groups. That conclusion, in my mind, is strengthened by the endorsement from Jimmy Carter.

The third factor was 4-star rating by Charity Navigators, combined with one of the points that I was trying to make in Fuse: politics should not get in the way of helping kids. While other critics have accused its founder of anti-Israeli views, whether that criticism is accurate or whether I disagree with any or all opinions given by the founder of this organization, the 4-star rating tells me that my sponsorship money is going to make a difference in the life of a little girl.

Here she is: Rayan Ahmad Farhoud.

Hope you’ll consider getting involved too.