How best to donate?

[Peter 14.7]

$20,116,000 donated at Concert

Hi All

Accorind to the SMH the tally from last night's event had reached $20,116,000 at 2am today. The money was pledged via phone, website and SMS and continues.

Awesome, Peter 147

 

[pennyk]

If you watch the 7.30 report on ABC, you may have seen a segment just before Christmas on sending Christmas gifts to Sri Lankan orphans. I'm involved in this program. A friend of ours began 10 years ago by sending about 20 gifts to orphans there. This past Christmas we sent nearly 3000 gifts. Unfortunately, some of the orphanages have been destroyed or severly damaged. In at least one, all of the children, who had disabilities were lost. about 10 orphanages will need to be rebuilt, we think.
In one area, the gentleman who was coordinating the gift giving was killed and his house destroyed along with all the gifts for his area.

There will be a follow up piece on the 7.30 report this week. we think it will be on tomorrow night. The journalist didn't want to go and visit the orphanages, cause he wanted to come home, but he agreed to go for a few hours to see. He stayed for 2 days! So, watch it if you are able.

So, I'm going to be involved in helping to coordinate an aid project for these orphanages. It is church based, although children/ adolescents of all backgrounds will benefit.

At this stage it's difficult to know exactly what's needed. We have organised a shipping container to leave next week with food, linen, and hopefully clothes (the govt has put a temporary embargo on clothes as they are not able to cope in customs.) This week (ie before Wednesday 12th Jan), we are collecting tins of food, bags of rice etc to go with that, or sheets/ towels and that sort of thing. if you lived in Sydney and could get it to Carlingford I can give you the details to deliver it.

After we've got this first bit out of the way, we'll be looking at how we can get people over to Sri Lanka to coordinate rebuilding of the orphanages, which will take quite a bit of financial support. So, I'll let you know what happens.

It's a big job though!! and if any one is interested in helping, we'd be happy!

Pen

 

[annE]

how to donate?

.... perhaps one way of helping those in Phuket would be to go there on holidays... this email below was forwarded to me by my Thai colleague at work to help correct a misconception about the amount of damage that Phuket has suffered as a result of the devastating tsunami of 26 December 2004.

--------
Subject: Statement from John Everingham, ArtAsia Press, Phuket

Dear Friend,

Phuket has just suffered a grave human tragedy, but now its people are again threatened. This new threat comes from educated Europeans, Americans, Australians and others -- most of whom know better, but have to compete and sell. Sell news. Beat the competition.

This commercial approach to disaster news threatens unmeasurable harm to the very survivors of this tsunami tragedy who need help from the West, not increased hardship.

The news broadcast by global satellite TV and news organizations in the past week has given the world the impression that Phuket has been wiped out by the tsunami and now lies in ruins. Unbalanced, almost unethical reports have been seen on famed channels including BBC and CCN, reaching 100s of millions of viewers. I have seen discussion of the situation in Phuket voiced over horrific background images of complete devastation stretching to the horizon - taken in Sumatra.

Phuket's reality is very different. Though a few hundred people were tragically killed by the tsunami on the beaches here, little of the island has been harmed by the waves.

Almost none of Phuket's infrastructure has been closed down.

More than 80% of its hotel rooms remain open to business as usual.

Only a small percentage of the restaurants, shops, bars and attractions have been disrupted.

Few places suffered damage more than 100 metres from the beach.

There is no shortage of drinking water, food or serious threat of disease (nor lack of helpful, smiling people).

Life in Phuket is surprisingly normal - if saddened by the deaths.
.
Two places in Thailand were 'wiped out' -- Phi Phi Island, 48 kilometres southest of Phuket, and Khao Lak, 100 kilometres north in neighbouring Phang Nga province. They are our neighbours, and we feel for them.

Each time international news organizations and foreign newspapers talk of Phuket in the same apocalyptic terms as Sumatra, Sri Lanka or Khao Lak they are hurting the chances of the local Thais in Phuket picking up their lives again. Poor reporting and focus on the sensational chases away future tourist clients, ensuring these people's lives will be difficult for much longer.

Every day that such false impressions of Phuket continue means increased hardship for its people. Correcting this is where you can help.

To give precise information on the situation on Phuket we at Thai-based ARTASIA PRESS have put eye-witness accounts of the island, beach-by-beach onto our website (below). If you love or like Phuket, are interested in it, or otherwise want to help its people get through these difficult times, please look at the real situation.

And, please, forward this message of reality to as many friends as you possibly can.........

Sincerely,
John Everingham
Publisher,
ARTASIA PRESS
Bangkok, Phuket, Samui and Bali
website with beach-by-beach accounts of Phuket: www.phuketmagazine.co

We fully agree with John's statement,
Best regards,
Hajo von Keller
Managing Director
http://www.mangosteen-phuket.com
My own pictures about Phuket after the 26th of December:
Updated pictures of Phuket after the tidal wave
More very interesting pictures of Phuket after the tidal wave on www.phuket.com
http://www.phuket-photos.com/frameme.php?page=phuket-tidal-wave.htm
The Mangosteen is building again:

The Mangosteen Suites Estate - a new development from Mangosteen Phuket!
Property news about Phuket's East Coast:

http://www.phuketmagazine.com/PM_Issues/Vol.15.7/East_Coast_Hotspots.htm
Nice pictures of The Mangosteen (not made by us but by other nice people):

http://www.phuket-photos.com/frameme.php?page=mangosteen-resort.htm
------

Tourism is the livelihood of many Thais in Phuket who work as waiters,
waitresses, gardeners etc in the tourist industry there. Often they
come from the north and poorer areas in Thailand. These Thais
regularly send a portion of their salaries back to their home villages
to help their parents, younger brothers, sisters and relatives.
Therefore, the salary of one waitress may be helping relatives in
another part of Thailand.

While the decision whether or not to visit Phuket now in the high
seasons lies with each individual, if you were planning to travel to
Phuket soon, please remember that your Bhats spent there would also be
a very direct donation to the people of Phuket.


Regards

AnnE

 

[capitalist]

.... perhaps one way of helping those in Phuket would be to go there on holidays...

I totally agree and as i mentioned in an earlier post, i'm still going to LOS in a couple of weeks because i reckon they need every baht they can get.

As i said previously,

the last thing the Thais need right now is a mass and sudden pull out of tourism like in Bali. Unfortunately, many holidaymakers are screaming to get back home as soon as possible. In one way i can understand it if they've lost everything. But people who are already there travelling and were not directly affected (and those who were intending to come to Thailand soon), would do well to support Thailand by their continued prescence. Of the areas not affected, your visit will mean continued income for people who might otherwise have their livelihood trashed 'indirectly' by the disaster.

The govt is recommending that Aussies don't go there, but DFAT are always overly cautious (i assume for legal reasons). I have a friend who has a restaurant in Patong who is urging people to return as tourism is their primary source of income.

 

[Aceyducey]

So we're now six months on.

The situation is still dire for many people.

How many forumites are still supporting the recovery in Tsunami-affected areas?

Note I don't expect public declamations, you know who you are and good on you for sticking to what is important.

I've seen so many people passionately caught up in support of these causes, throw money at it & then forget it thinking it's solved a few months on.

Meanwhile the survivors live on forgotten.

Yes this is guilt tripping - and if your guilt is tripped, think again about whether you can help more and what is truly important.

And don't forget the many other people needing support throughout the world who are forgotten as soon as the media spotlight moves on.

Cheers,

Aceyducey

 

[bawley]

So we're now six months on.

The situation is still dire for many people.


And don't forget the many other people needing support throughout the world who are forgotten as soon as the media spotlight moves on.

Cheers,

Aceyducey

A website I use for widespread local info is "Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), an international independent medical humanitarian organization that delivers emergency aid to people affected by armed conflict, epidemics, natural and man-made disasters, and exclusion from health care." (quote from website).

Others may be interested. Also globalexchange.org

How on earth did we keep in touch pre internet??

Bawley

 

[Sim]

Like I said in an earlier post - consider making regular monthly donations to your chosen charitable organisation. After a while you won't miss the money and it helps them to be able to budget more effectively when they have a committed income stream coming in.