Giving Even When It Hurts | Germany | Deutsche Welle |

Giving Even When It Hurts | Germany | Deutsche Welle |: "Giving Even When It Hurts
Collection boxes in Germany were full in the aftermath of the tsunami

Germans may be hard hit by their struggling economy, but they don't cut corners when it comes to charitable giving. They donated in record numbers after the Asian tsunami six months ago.


When television images of the devastating tsunami in Southeast Asia entered living rooms on Dec. 26 last year, Elke S.' (who wished to remain anonymous) first thought was: 'How can I help?'

The 61-year-old from Worms in southern Germany got together with fellow members of the National Union of German Housewives' Associations, a nationwide organization involved in charitable causes, collected 1,800 euros ($2,180) and handed it to an aid group heading to Sri Lanka. "