I did a minor in international development studies. One of the things that I took away from there was that the problems of so-called developing countries (and poor people in rich countries as well) are very complex. There have been numerous well intended, philanthropic projects in past, which actually did more harm than good. Really determining what the most effective way to spend your money is, would require years of study.
There are consultants you can hire to help determine this for you. That said, the influence (be it good or bad) you could have with a couple million dollar is so minuscule, that you might as well measure the benefit of it in terms of emotional value, instead of any "objective" measure.
couple million dollar is so minuscule, that you might as well measure the benefit of it in terms of emotional value, instead of any "objective" measure.
You made excellent points up until this sentence. On a world wide scale, a couple million dollars is not even a drop in the bucket. But it can do tremendous good locally.
In my own life, I was helped out enormously because someone loaned me just $5000 at a critical time. More broadly, one of my professors is involved in a small nonprofit that targets one poor village in Africa. Their global impact is minute, but they have already helped that village create (not given, but helped it create for itself) a school for its children. Globally, a couple of million is probably not objectively measurable, but if targetted and used well it can make an enormous difference in the lives of a smaller group of people.
There are consultants you can hire to help determine this for you. That said, the influence (be it good or bad) you could have with a couple million dollar is so minuscule, that you might as well measure the benefit of it in terms of emotional value, instead of any "objective" measure.