Intolerable Delays in Mitch Aid

After Hurricane Mitch hit Central America five months ago, many Southern Californians donated whatever they could to help the victims. Aid to Nicaragua poured in so generously that there were long delays as more money was raised to transport hundreds of tons of food, medicines, clothing and even mattresses.

On March 19, most of the 28 cargo containers filled with donated goods from Southern California finally arrived in Nicaragua. Today, the aid sits on the docks because the Nicaraguan officials in charge of distributing it seem to be paralyzed by their own incompetence and partisanship. They haven’t even drawn up a specific plan for distribution.

As The Times’ Robert Lopez documented Sunday, food, clothes and other aid remain warehoused while an hour’s drive away, thousands of victims--”barefoot children with swollen bellies, a mother cooking beans in an old paint can--are barely surviving in makeshift refugee camps.”

Nicaraguan President Arnoldo Aleman and his daughter, who supposedly oversees aid distribution, can hardly be unaware of the terrible disservice they are doing to charitable giving. They must come to see the need to move quickly and fairly to get the aid to those who are suffering, regardless of their political connections or beliefs--or officials’ desire to use the aid for political profit. Failure to act could mean a cold shoulder from potential good Samaritans at the next request for international assistance.

Fortunately for the victims of Hurricane Mitch, there are reputable international institutions that have been helping in a more efficient way. Contributors can always be more certain of the benefit of their donations by giving cash to nongovernmental charitable organizations.