I understand that some people here have too many children... but the scale of it here, is so much less than it is over in places like Africa! Also, with the severe poverty over there, surely they should have more reason for not doing it than people here.

I'd give money abroad if I definately knew it was reaching the people who needed it the most, but it isn't. A lot of the time the money raised (which amounts to millions) is paid into bank account and just gets left sitting there! That's as far as it goes!

I read somewhere that some of the millions Bob Geldof raised via liveaid was spent on weapons!!!

Charity expenditure should be published so we can see exactly where it goes before we donate!

Some of the comments in this thread are shocking.

We live in a country that is very affluent compared to many. We are fortunate to have received education and thought and care into our upbringing as well as to live on land that is rarely affected by devastating natural disasters.

We also have a benefits system in place so that we can support people who are unable to support themselves due to illness or injury.

Other countries do not have this. Vietnam for example treat people with disabilities as outcasts. They are not allowed to attend school, they have no drop in centres or care facilities. They are treated as an embarrassment to the family and left to fend for themselves.

Why should we not help out other countries where we can? How many of you against this give to the homeless (Shelter) etc and make sure that all your charity money goes to help people with aids and poverty in the UK then? Or do they not deserve it either because they're not helping themselves?

There will never be enough to go around but there will always be people and countries worse of than others so in times of need and crisis I think we should all be helping out where we can.

The paper who made this statement have recently had to apologise as this was confirmed to be un-true.

Agreed there will never be enough to go around, so what we have MUST stay in this country.

For example CHILDLINE is run by donations only, the government do not give a penny. If we did'nt give to other countries these phones could be manned 24/7. Childline do wonderful work and could do more with more money, how does that child feel when it plucks up the courage to ring and it rings just a little too long because there are not enough people on duty and hangs up. Nobody that answers those phones gets paid surely helping these kids should be a paid job.....paid for by the goverment.

I am sure there are other charities in this country that urgently need money and the government could help if they wanted to.

Only they feel other countries more important.

Well we had Oxfam donations as our wedding gift list.

We've suffered quite a bit financially due to the recession and there are lots of things we'd like, but I couldn't stand the thought of having nice tablewear and wine glasses etc when there are children in Africa dying from aids, malnutrition and without clean drinking water.

Children's needs in this country are very justified but they still have a better chance of survival in this country than they would in Africa, for example.

I'm not saying I don't give to this country, I gave a lot to Children in Need the other night for example, but I think the pot should be spread.

I very very much agree with this post!

The point is though Pidge, you are doing without your nice tableware, but the money (in most cases) does not go to provide clean drinking water for the poor, it goes to those in their governments to put nice tableware on their tables.

I think there is a huge difference between "individuals" giving donations or sponsorship to a worthy cause in poverty struck countries or for a natural disaster (such as the tsunami) .

We can choose where and what cause we want to help.

But that not what we are talking about, its the millions of £££`s overseas aid we give away, which MOST of it does not reach those who need it.

Our country is in debt, our old age pensioners are suffering, they get thrown out of their care homes because another one is closing down, the NHS is suffering, the Police force is being cut, the armed forces dont have the right gear to protect .... yet we can give millions of £££`s to other countries that are corrupt and a few pocket the money.

Where's the justice in that???

Let our OAP suffer , while we give the money to someone to decorate their table, buy a new merc and live a privileged life.

Charity beings at home, we cant save the world, we dont have the money to do so.

I for one will always give to the homeless in this Country, I can't stop myself when I'm down the Town, people sitting on the pavement with their dogs, I always give to those and they're about the only people I do feel really sorry for. I can't feel the same pity for the thousands of children living in poverty in Ethopia say, because no matter how much we give them, they'll still keep breeding like rabbits, and then they'll need more, it's a viscious circle in places like that, no matter how much money we send over there, it only helps the immediate situation and nothing more, and then only for a short time.

To add insult to injury, I heard last night that the savings we will make this year with all of these new cuts will be 7 billion.......... but then we're handing over 7 billion to Ireland to get them out of the sh*te! So next year, WE will have to put up with double the cuts we've had so far, just to make ends meet and there's only so much blood you can suck out of a stone isn't there! Maybe the foreign aid might be one of the cuts in the following year then, but I very much doubt it! So it seems, we're all going to work to keep other countries lucrative then? We'd better work harder then I suppose There could come a time when the working population says s*d it!!!

Total & utter lies & the BBC apologized for broadcasting the "matter" Just goes to prove that people only take in what they want to & disregard corrections