Roby + Momrath, please post

[mom60]

My son worked for a week last year at Direct Relief. He told me tonight that he is going to donate some of his poker winnings to Direct Relief. He also got his sister to donate some of her work earnings as well.

I think it depends also on your skill set. If you are medically trained, Doctors without Borders, etc might be worth contacting. Some of the smaller organizations, Mercy International, etc. might take on people faster than the larger groups. Church organizations with a presence in these areas might also be more flexible. I would go to the embassy websites for the various countries (and check the UK and Australian embassy web sites as well) as these might have information about how to help if you are local which you might find pertinent.

[patient]

Thanks for the suggestions. our newspapers listed a number of organizations and how to contribute. Then, Catholic Relief and Oxfam US were on the Newshour last night talking about their relief efforts, combined with Save the Children. Based on the information I have gotten here and from those sources and my familiarity with the groups, we have sent in contributions to American Friends Service Committee and Catholic Relief; and one of my daughters on her own sent in a substantial amount of her own money to Save the Children. It's hard to know which groups have the strongest connections within the countries to most efficiently provide relief. Let's hope that all the money goes quickly to where it is needed and can make a difference in somehow alleviating this catastrophe. It is so very, very incomprehensibly sad.

[enjoyingthis]

Jamimom and Robrym-- I agree with you. I think our reactions are simply human nature. I know that as my children have grown, I've always reacted the most strongly to stories of tragedies befalling children their age. i.e my twins were two when the little two year old in Texas fell in the well and that killed me etc. Yes, we react to the Swedish boy, but not because he's blond, for crying out loud, but because he and his family were over there as tourists and if we and our loved ones were there, that's probably what the situation would be too. So we relate to it. We can imagine ourselves in their position. But I don't think anyone was any less thrilled at the story of the baby who was found alive (!) and floating on a mattress just because we didn't hear that the child was blond!

It's my feeling that we should all just chip in to the aid effort to whatever extent and in whatever way we can and not waste emotional energy worrying that others are not feeling as bad as they ought or are somehow not distrubuting their compassion appropriately.

[ohmadre]

The CIDI (Center for International Disaster Information) which is cross linked to the website for DirectRelief.Com, has this to say about direct volunteering in its guidelines regarding various forms of donations ----

"Volunteer Opportunities for Disaster Relief are Extremely Limited

Volunteers without prior disaster relief experience are generally not selected for relief assignments. Candidates with the greatest chance of being selected have fluency in the language of the disaster-stricken area, prior disaster relief experience, and expertise in technical fields such as medicine, communications logistics, water/sanitation engineering. In many cases, these professionals are already available in-country. Most agencies will require at least ten years of experience, as well as several years of experience working overseas. It is not unusual to request that volunteers make a commitment to spend at least three months working on a particular disaster. Most offers of another body to drive trucks, set up tents, and feed children are not accepted. Keep in mind that once a relief agency accepts a volunteer, they are responsible for the volunteer's well-being -i.e., food, shelter, health and security. Resources are strained during a disaster, and another person without the necessary technical skills and experience can often be a considerable burden to an ongoing relief effort. "

Its frustrating to hear that your monetary contribution is likely to be the most valuable, but possibly you can volunteer your services and time to the organization back at home - there is bound to be increased need now.

[marite]

The NYT has an article today reporting that in Banda Aceh, the Save the Children organization has been hampered by the fact that some of its staff members have lost family members as well as their possessions. Measles and cholera are being reported.

This is going to be a long-haul effort. Right now it seems that monetary contributions are most urgently needed. Once things have been organized on the ground, it will be possible for volunteers to come and help out.

An urgent need is for shelter. The NYT featured a couple of houses that could be used to provide either permanent or temporary shelter. It mentions Architects Without Borders, an international network of volunteers (www.awb.iohome.net), Shelter for Life, based in Oshkosh, WI (www.shelter.org). The temporary shelters are built by Global Village Shelters, based in Morris, CT. (www.gvshelters.com).

I was interested to read that Architecture for Humanity, a five-year old nonprofit organization with members in over 100 countries "hoped to raise $15,000 for victims of the tsunami, enought o build about a dozen houses and has so far gathred $7,000." Our own Mini collected that much in only two days.

Since there have been no foreign nationals in Aceh for a while now, whatever relief organizations are in place are staffed entirely by locals...and probably are without substantive infrastructure either human or material. Measles is endemic in Indonesia, unfortunately- as is virtually every other infectious disease...although cholera is more of a "situational" occurance... There are also cultural differences in the ways people respond to shock and distress, and I think what is being seen on TV reports I have seen, anyways, reflects an Indonesian reality...Local factors.

At the US Embassy website for Jakarta there are indicators of how US Aid here is funnelling their money in terms of the various NGOs.

As far as going in as a volunteer, a young man we know here wanted to go to Aceh and help- his Indonesian is fluent and he lived here for 10 years, knows the culture, etc. He contacted the head of the US Embassy relief efforts here, a man we all know well. This man told him that there was no way that an individual could be incorporated at this point, even someone with fluent language skills.

I wonder how low the barriers really are for access to Aceh for "non-official" foreign individuals. The government has been so reluctant to expose any details of how it has been there for the past several months (years) that even in the context of extraordinary need, there is probably still reluctance- just my guess. Beyond that, the roads are evidently impassible, the flights into the airport in Benda Aceh are stacked up because no one can get out of the airport, and there are goods waiting in Medan for relief, but no way to get them in. Also, fuel supplies are very, very low.

One other thing, this is the rainy season here and while the weather in Jakarta and Aceh can be different, we have been having heavier rain here on a nightly basis than I can remember in years. If this is further impacting the lives of these poor people, than basic shelter is certainly an immediate need. There is a student chapter of Habitat at our school, but I have no idea if there are any other similar groups in country. Would tend to doubt it.

Bleak. It is just bleak, honestly. The numbers coming up now are approaching the right magnitude, I would guess, but still not there by a long shot...

[mom60]

http://www.directrelief.org/sections...arthquake.html
here is a link to direct relief that shows what they have already done to get medical aid to the area.

[carolyn]

Interesting but just now CNN spent a few moments justifying why they seem to be giving more coverage to tourist impacts. They said that most of that footage is being generated because the press is having an easier time reaching and interviewing tourist (and English speaking) survivors. I think there is probably an element of truth in this because so much of the coverage has focused on Thailand which has had less infrastructure damage than other countries. Thus, it's simply easier for journalists to get in.

Sad, sad footage from the first flights over the devastated areas in Indonesia - oh my gosh, entire villages, cities just gone. Horrible.

[cheers]

What I noticed, R, was that a Mr. Griffiths--an Australian (?) 20 year forestry conservationsist in Aceh Park Reserves(?)--took his tiny fixed wing plane up and down the devastated coast of Aceh and filmed the devastation. Then he passed the footage on to the media and voila--the gates to Aceh burst open.

AS for the PC of the 'foreign' coverage, Thai hospitality and custom increases that emphasis.

It's a minor point in the face of all of this.

[mini]

I just got an email from David (mini) and they have made to south India. They are safe and so are our friends/family there. I hope to hear more soon but they are writing a blog, it is at shantinik.blogspot.com if you are interested.

[achat]

Thanks for posting. I just came back from vacation. Will check on friends who have family in Madras. Is Mailapur affected?

[optimizerdad]

Achat:
I don't think Mylapore was affected. I spoke to my mother yesterday in Madras - she said the water got just a couple of hundred meters inland. If you are familiar with Madras, it got past Marina Beach and the beach road, and as far as Queen Mary's College.

[achat]

Thanks, optimizerdad. I have a friend with family there. I've been trying to reach his cell or his wife's but can't. I also know friends in Kerala. I wonder if Kerala was affected?

Glad to know your mother is ok, optimizerdad.

[achat]

What did I miss here? Did Mini mention his website where one can donate? I see it has been edited out by the moderators. Help!! (I was on vacation with no access until now).