Monique Villa, chief executive of the Thomson Reuters Foundation, was interviewed by Angus Watson for the' How to Give it' column of the Financial Times on April 2nd 2011. Her interview is below.
What's the first charity you can remember supporting?
I almost died when I was 22 of an asthma attack.When I woke from a coma, I decided I needed a sense to my life, and that I would find it in taking care of others. So I became a mentor for young delinquents. I was way too young - I could not really be a role model - and not very good at it.
How do you choose which charities to support?
The foundation has built a range of 600 charities around the world, which we support with information and legal aid. We vet them before accepting them as members but we don't have any preferences.
Which cause do you feel most passionately about?
My conviction is that information is a form of aid and that access to information is as important as aid when a disaster strikes. In, say, an earthquake or tsunami, you have the media covering the story and you have the humanitarian machine in full swing but nobody informing the affected population, in their language, about [things like] distribution and where to find a surgeon. I have transformed the [Thomson Reuters] foundation to provide that function.
How do attitudes to charity differ across Europe?
The French way of giving is more pragmatic, hard-nosed and less sentimental than the Anglo-American way. They give a lot in the US and UK but they lobby government a lot. In Europe, they tend to lobby less and focus on providing relief. French people created MSF [Médecins Sans Frontières], for example, who go straight to the front line.
Why have a charity training journalists?
We train journalists in remote Asia, Africa and eastern Europe in the core principles of independent, neutral, accurate journalism. This brings more transparency and, we hope, better governments in their countries.
Do modern businesses need to appear charitable?
More and more. It's not about writing a couple of cheques. Businesses have to think about their social impact. People are increasingly conscious of what they buy, so companies have to be aware of this.
Do some charities wield too much power?
Yes. Sometimes the bigger you are, the slower you become. Some charities have huge resources, which might be used more effectively for those that need it by smaller charities.
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
