Wednesday, December 29, 2004

Help The Survivors of The Indian Ocean Tsunami

Currently there is a pressing need for cash donations among the major NGOs and charities heading into the affected areas in the Indian Ocean to aid survivors of the tsunami. Cash, while seemingly impersonal, is best as it allows the experts at these NGOs decide how best to direct the flood of incoming resources in the way that will save as many lives as possible. The case of Ramen noodles you were planning to send for example; better to send that $5 to the Red Cross so that they can buy water purification tablets or cooking pots. You see, without the purification tablets or cooking pots the Ramen you planned to send would be useless as the water to cook it with is full of dysentery causing bugs and all the kitchenware was swept out to sea. You get it I know, but some people act then think, and usually from the best of intentions.

Bust enough me. Here are links to some of the major NGOs that need support. This disaster is going to cost billions of dollars to recover from, and the world's supposed moral authority (aka the USA) seems to only be able to find about $35 million (and then trots out the old canard "its more than anyone else"- so what? We can afford more and its less money than the Atlanta Falcons will pay Michael Vick over the next three years. Disgusting). Funny how we could find billions for discretionary acts of destruction, like knocking the shit out of Iraq so that we could pay Haliburton subsidiaries to rebuild it.. But I digress. These folks will gladly take your money:

The American Red Cross

Doctors Without Borders (Medicins Sans Frontieres)

Christian Aid

Oxfam and Oxfam USA

If our government of compassionate conservatives and godly evangelicals won't help folks out, its up to us to take up the strain.

1 comment:

Wisdom Weasel said...

Thanks Debbie. This thing is so huge I think practically the whole world will be touched (much like everyone in the US knew someone, or knew someone who knew someone, in the WTC). We are still waiting to hear if my dad's uncle, who retired to Phi Phi Island near Phuket, survived. I don't want to personalize this tragedy though; so many more people will suffer much worse.

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