SAP Community and the Lord of Flowers

As some of you may know, I have been on a quest!

Sir Loras, the Lord of Flowers, from Game of Thrones

A quest to raise funds (perhaps by flogging the community) for Doctors Without Borders.

They do fantastic work – all you have to do is check them out.

But let’s talk about this a little.  What does your money really do?  I mean, we all know there are certain charities that have, like, 90% overhead.  So your $100 to feed the children actually boils down to ten dollars – ten – for the actual beneficiaries of that  charity.

But what can $10 do at MSF?

Charlie Kunzer, who works for MSF and is our liaison, sent me this.

$10 – Can purchase 45 emergency food rations for use in a crisis or natural disaster.

$30 – Can purchase wound care for six burn victims

$35 – Can provide enough ready-to-use therapeutic food to treat one severely malnourished child.

$50 – Can purchase enough vaccine to inoculate 175 children against a deadly outbreak of measles.

$60 – Can purchase treatment for 72 children under the age of five suffering from malaria

$75 – Can purchase two Suture Sets containing essential surgical instruments for emergency wound repair in the field.

$100 – Can purchase 17 wool blankets to protect displaced people from the cold

$100 – Can purchase a year of antiretrovirals for two infants to help prevent transmission of HIV from mother to child

$150 – Can purchase a Chlorination Kit to provide 85 uprooted families with clean drinking water for one month.

$500 – Can purchase a course of seasonal malaria chemoprevention for 333 children during peak malaria season which protects a child under the age of five from getting malaria during this time

$1000 – Can purchase a set of instruments for use in emergency war surgery

$2,500 – Can purchase basic waterproof shelters for 106 displaced families.

$5,000 – Can purchase a Nutrition Inpatient Kit with supplies to treat 50 severely malnourished hospitalized children for three months.

Well, OK, they do have overhead costs as well.  Their management costs are 1.3% and their fundraising is about 12.7%.  So out of your $10, there will be $8.60 used to buy medicine, purchase vaccines, etc. 

You can participate in the fun challenge we have set up  for people attending ASUG/Sapphire in Orlando next week by signing up for the SAP Community Challenge. We have plenty of space for more participants and sponsors!  You can integrate this with the SAP Analytics folks, and have your footsteps included in their (very cool) analytics by going here.

Or you can just go directly to the MSF Fundraising Page and make a donation.

So what do you say?  Are you willing to forgo a week of Lattes in order to purchase enough vaccine to inoculate 175 children?

Or do I need to flog some more?  Daenerys Targaryen looks ready for the job.

Daenerys Targaryen from Game of Thrones

PS: I admit, I have been watching both Game of Thones and Brain Games.  So I think I used a trick from Brain Games to capitalize on everyone’s fascination with Game of Thrones to lure you in to reading my blog.  But, in fairness, I did include a picture of the Lord of Flowers.

PPS:  Someone I know was recently in the hospital for 5 days.  This is a summary of the expenses.  Not that there is a one-to-one match between American health care and what MSF does, but it makes you think.  Or at least it makes me think.