LONDON, Jan. 17 (UPI) -- A group of British charities overstated the extent of African food shortages in the last two years, an audit has determined.
Valid International said some fund-raising campaigns had talked of famine or a crisis of biblical proportions, which was an exaggeration, the BBC reported Saturday.
The audit said this approach could lessen credibility in future appeals.
A spokesman for the charities said most of the report had been positive, but they would learn from any mistakes.
The charities raised $29 million and the report says their work saved lives and eased suffering.
Besides misleading or emotive language, the audit said some groups had not consulted local people enough and did not fully understand their needs.
For example, one charity provided an expensive diesel pump to irrigate a small field where a foot pump would have been sufficient.
Richard Miller, a spokesperson for the charities' umbrella Disasters Emergency Committee, said the charities would in the future pay more attention to whether people wanted money rather than food and what kind of seeds are usually grown in each area.
