1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:02,840 Speaker 1: Now Give a Little says it has shut down multiple 2 00:00:02,840 --> 00:00:07,640 Speaker 1: fundraising pages for gars and citizens because of money laundering concerns. 3 00:00:07,000 --> 00:00:10,520 Speaker 1: Tens of thousands of dollars that are meant for Palestinian 4 00:00:10,600 --> 00:00:13,040 Speaker 1: aid and are locked with at least four pages shut 5 00:00:13,080 --> 00:00:15,400 Speaker 1: down due to operational risk. Mike see Wright is the 6 00:00:15,400 --> 00:00:17,320 Speaker 1: founder of Relief eight. He still has an act of 7 00:00:17,360 --> 00:00:20,760 Speaker 1: Give a Little fundraiser for Gaza and he's with us. Hey, Mike, Hi, Heather, 8 00:00:20,880 --> 00:00:22,760 Speaker 1: how are you very well? Thank you? Why have these 9 00:00:22,760 --> 00:00:23,800 Speaker 1: pages been shut down? 10 00:00:25,200 --> 00:00:28,800 Speaker 2: Well, we're only looking at this from an external perspective, Heather, 11 00:00:29,160 --> 00:00:32,320 Speaker 2: but it looks like Give a Little a concerned about 12 00:00:32,440 --> 00:00:35,040 Speaker 2: where the end use of the funds will be. And 13 00:00:35,800 --> 00:00:38,080 Speaker 2: while I wouldn't like to comment on the individual cases 14 00:00:38,120 --> 00:00:41,239 Speaker 2: itself because we haven't been following those in many respects, 15 00:00:41,240 --> 00:00:44,720 Speaker 2: that's a good question and a question certainly we ask ourselves. 16 00:00:45,280 --> 00:00:48,520 Speaker 2: If you look at it from a charity perspective, what's 17 00:00:48,560 --> 00:00:51,199 Speaker 2: important to us and what's important to our donors is 18 00:00:51,240 --> 00:00:54,440 Speaker 2: that when they give to us, we know exactly what's 19 00:00:54,480 --> 00:00:57,040 Speaker 2: happening to that money. And we do this in our 20 00:00:57,120 --> 00:01:00,560 Speaker 2: case by making sure in the case of Gaza, that 21 00:01:00,640 --> 00:01:03,080 Speaker 2: when our trucks roll out with water. Our teams are 22 00:01:03,080 --> 00:01:05,160 Speaker 2: sitting on those trucks and making sure it gets to 23 00:01:05,200 --> 00:01:07,480 Speaker 2: the people that we actually intend it to get. And 24 00:01:07,520 --> 00:01:08,280 Speaker 2: it is our team. 25 00:01:08,560 --> 00:01:11,240 Speaker 1: You are actually you're taking the money from New Zealand 26 00:01:11,240 --> 00:01:12,959 Speaker 1: you're putting it into the water. The water is getting 27 00:01:13,000 --> 00:01:14,200 Speaker 1: to people in Gaza. 28 00:01:14,440 --> 00:01:16,800 Speaker 2: Exactly, and that's I think this is one of the 29 00:01:16,800 --> 00:01:20,240 Speaker 2: fundamental questions that Give a Little has is how can 30 00:01:20,400 --> 00:01:23,440 Speaker 2: if we're doing peer to peer giving, how can you 31 00:01:23,560 --> 00:01:27,640 Speaker 2: guarantee that what you're giving is being received in the 32 00:01:27,720 --> 00:01:30,880 Speaker 2: right way at the other end? And there are other issues, 33 00:01:30,920 --> 00:01:33,280 Speaker 2: of course, there's legal and compliance issues that also go 34 00:01:33,400 --> 00:01:38,520 Speaker 2: with that, but ultimately giving is good and giving responsibly 35 00:01:38,840 --> 00:01:42,280 Speaker 2: is also a critical part of that action. 36 00:01:43,200 --> 00:01:46,040 Speaker 1: So I'm a little bit confused though, as to what 37 00:01:46,080 --> 00:01:48,600 Speaker 1: their reasons are for locking these pages. I don't want 38 00:01:48,600 --> 00:01:50,720 Speaker 1: to cast any aspersions on these pages, but are they 39 00:01:50,760 --> 00:01:53,920 Speaker 1: concerned about money laundering? Are they concerned about people being scammed? 40 00:01:53,920 --> 00:01:55,440 Speaker 1: Are they concerned that some of the money is making 41 00:01:55,440 --> 00:01:56,240 Speaker 1: its way to come asked? 42 00:01:56,360 --> 00:02:01,520 Speaker 2: You know, well, I don't know, to be completely honest. 43 00:02:01,640 --> 00:02:04,040 Speaker 2: As a charity, this is a question I think that 44 00:02:04,120 --> 00:02:07,440 Speaker 2: Give a Little can answer, But as a charity. These 45 00:02:07,440 --> 00:02:10,320 Speaker 2: are questions that we raise in our own space when 46 00:02:10,320 --> 00:02:12,520 Speaker 2: we're dealing with our banks, for example, who ask us 47 00:02:12,600 --> 00:02:16,360 Speaker 2: questions like can you control your money? Do you have 48 00:02:16,440 --> 00:02:19,639 Speaker 2: systems and processes that ensure it gets to where it's intended? 49 00:02:20,200 --> 00:02:23,680 Speaker 2: Do you know what's happening on the ground? Both the problem, 50 00:02:24,040 --> 00:02:26,800 Speaker 2: but are you managing the solution? And I guess I 51 00:02:26,880 --> 00:02:30,160 Speaker 2: go back to this idea that our team are sitting 52 00:02:30,160 --> 00:02:32,960 Speaker 2: on the trucks delivering aid where it's needed most, so 53 00:02:33,000 --> 00:02:37,079 Speaker 2: that when people ask us donors, banks or otherwise, when 54 00:02:37,080 --> 00:02:39,839 Speaker 2: they ask us where did our money go? How did 55 00:02:39,880 --> 00:02:43,079 Speaker 2: you make sure that what we intended happen, we say, well, 56 00:02:43,120 --> 00:02:46,320 Speaker 2: we physically saw it. And I'm guessing when give a 57 00:02:46,320 --> 00:02:48,880 Speaker 2: little looks at these pages, they are asking first of all, 58 00:02:48,960 --> 00:02:51,560 Speaker 2: that question, you know, is it helping in the right way? 59 00:02:51,880 --> 00:02:56,920 Speaker 2: They're also asking questions around are you being swindled? Is 60 00:02:56,960 --> 00:03:00,560 Speaker 2: there some you know dodgy cause how do you validate that? 61 00:03:00,680 --> 00:03:03,480 Speaker 2: And asking some questions around that. I'm only reading between 62 00:03:03,480 --> 00:03:06,720 Speaker 2: the lines looking at the public commentary on this, and 63 00:03:06,760 --> 00:03:11,400 Speaker 2: then they're also fulfilling their legal requirements. And this is 64 00:03:11,400 --> 00:03:13,640 Speaker 2: not to defend give a little, but Nonetheless, they are 65 00:03:13,639 --> 00:03:17,480 Speaker 2: operating in a very similar space to us and saying, look, 66 00:03:17,840 --> 00:03:21,840 Speaker 2: we've got legal responsibilities here that we're not funding terrorism 67 00:03:22,000 --> 00:03:23,480 Speaker 2: or any other element. 68 00:03:23,720 --> 00:03:26,480 Speaker 1: Mike, how are you getting water? And if the borders 69 00:03:26,520 --> 00:03:29,160 Speaker 1: shut as tightly sealed as they are in the idea 70 00:03:29,320 --> 00:03:31,200 Speaker 1: is controlling things to the extent that they are. 71 00:03:32,160 --> 00:03:35,480 Speaker 2: Well, this was one of the big changes we made 72 00:03:36,080 --> 00:03:39,640 Speaker 2: through as the war in Gaza progressed. We had initially 73 00:03:39,680 --> 00:03:42,880 Speaker 2: brought food across the border from Egypt. This became very difficult, 74 00:03:43,240 --> 00:03:45,400 Speaker 2: in fact very long as well. It took us seven 75 00:03:45,440 --> 00:03:48,680 Speaker 2: weeks to get our first truck of food across the border. 76 00:03:49,240 --> 00:03:52,360 Speaker 2: At the same time, we were doing water distributions in Gaza, 77 00:03:52,680 --> 00:03:56,040 Speaker 2: sourcing water from inside Gaza. So this means we take 78 00:03:56,120 --> 00:03:58,560 Speaker 2: the water out of boreholes where we get the money 79 00:03:58,720 --> 00:04:01,560 Speaker 2: the water, I should say out of boreholes. It goes 80 00:04:01,600 --> 00:04:05,000 Speaker 2: into our trucks and goes out to families inside Gaza. 81 00:04:05,040 --> 00:04:08,120 Speaker 2: So we're not crossing any borders. So what did this 82 00:04:08,160 --> 00:04:10,440 Speaker 2: allow us to do? Even when the borders are closed 83 00:04:10,480 --> 00:04:13,040 Speaker 2: as they are right now, Really, Fade's able to turn 84 00:04:13,040 --> 00:04:16,040 Speaker 2: a dollar in New Zealand into water, to a dollar 85 00:04:16,040 --> 00:04:19,200 Speaker 2: in New Zealand today into water in Gaza tomorrow, because 86 00:04:19,279 --> 00:04:21,600 Speaker 2: everything happens within Gaza itself. 87 00:04:21,920 --> 00:04:23,720 Speaker 1: Mike, I appreciate you taking the time to talk to us. 88 00:04:23,720 --> 00:04:26,880 Speaker 1: Mike's c Wright, founder of Relief Faith. For more from 89 00:04:26,960 --> 00:04:30,240 Speaker 1: Heather Duplessy Allen Drive, listen live to news talks. It'd 90 00:04:30,240 --> 00:04:34,359 Speaker 1: be from four pm weekdays, or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.