LOS ANGELES (AP):
WHEN HISPANIC groups across the United States ask for donations for victims of Hurricanes Wilma and Stan, they often promise contributors one thing: The governments of Mexico, Guatemala and El Salvador will not get their hands on the money.
Many Hispanics in the U.S. are afraid corrupt officials in Latin America will skim donations, and they hesitate to contribute, some volunteers say.
The two storms that slammed Central America last month brought into sharp focus a trend among U.S.-based development organisations and Hispanic community groups - when disaster strikes, many groups send money directly to community organisa-tions in the affected countries.
"If we were to mention the Guatemalan consulate, our people wouldn't donate anything," said Marta Barrera, a Guatemalan immigrant who is both sending cash and leading collection efforts at St. Elizabeth Catholic parish in Oakland. Barrera's church is sending $5,000 (euro4,100) directly to its private-sector counterparts in the Central American nation.
The approach gained popularity after Hurricane Mitch, the 1998 storm that killed at least 9,000 Central Americans and led to widespread allegations of government corruption and misuse of international aid.
During reconstruction in El Salvador, donors criticised the governing party for distributing clothes with party logos to victims. In Guatemala, developers hired by the government allegedly failed to do the work, leaving thousands homeless.
Officials in those countries have repeatedly denied allegations of corrupt handling of international aid.
Philanthropy experts say changing donation practices involving Latin America are part of a worldwide trend, as scandals like the U.N. oil-for-food debacle in Iraq and problems with food donations to Africa have made donors more skeptical of governments.
"We are in an era where individual giving is suspicious of government reliability in general," said Richard Marker, a philanthropy professor at New York University and a national philanthropy consultant. "Even in the states, if you were going to donate to Hurricane Katrina reconstruction, would you write a check to the government or a local organisation in New Orleans?"
Hurricane Wilma pummelled the tourist destination of Cancun and killed more than two dozen people in Mexico, Haiti and Florida. Hurricane Stan killed more than 800 people and left thousands more homeless in Mexico, Guatemala and El Salvador.
In response, Hispanic groups in Los Angeles funnelled thousands of dollars to Fray Bartolome de las Casas, a human rights group in Mexico. The San Francisco-based Share Foundation has raised $52,000 (euro43,000) from churches nationwide for rebuilding projects in El Salvador _ money that is going directly to faith-based organisations there.
The International Development Exchange is sending money to a network of groups that help Guatemala's indigenous population.
"We can attest that they have generally been reliable on how they use the money," said Yael Falicov, the organisation's Latin American program director. "They are creative and efficient, much more than the government."
Aware of their reputations, some Latin American governments have promised effective use of international aid after this year's hurricanes. In El Salvador, President Tony Saca has asked businesspeople to oversee international aid. And Rosa Maria Frade, a spokeswoman for Guatemalen President Oscar Berger, said: "We guarantee that the aid will be used with transparency and that those most in need will receive it."
