Where Did all That Tsunami Charity Money Go

Most of charity raised to help the victims of that terrible Tsunami have yet to see any of it:

According to the BBC's Newsnight programme, which claims it got access to a UN database, nearly two years after donors pledged billions to help the victims only half the money has been spent. Of the half a million people left homeless by the disaster, only a third have been permanently rehoused.

Much of the money promised by governments has not yet appeared:

The programme also claimed that many foreign governments had given just a fraction of the millions promised to the worst-hit areas.[...]That's what Newsnight claimed. It said that Sri Lanka was promised £30.1m by Spain, £40.5m by France and £1,531m by China. But each has delivered only around £0.5m each. The United States promised £205m to Indonesia but delivered less than £35.9m.

The real problem is the funds collected went to the wrong agencies. It needed to find its way to those who know how to build housing

"The response was driven by the extent of public and media interest, and by the unprecedented funding available, rather than by an assessment of the real need," he says. "There wasn't a good fit between where the money was sent and where it was needed. It went to those organisations with the best fund-raising machines, rather than those with the expertise to do what was required. Unicef, has a great fund-raising machine, but no real expertise in house-building."