Please support and donate for the Asia Tsunami Disaster relief funds

expatica

Thank you for reading this post and caring about the more than 3
million people displaced and suffering as a result of the Dec 26th Asian
Earthquake and Tsunami Disaster.

Included in this post, is a listing of a number of charities that are
accepting donations, in order to assist with the current crisis. I hope
we can all, in our own small way, make a big difference.

This is a plea of support for those organisations undertaking relief
operations and you can help by visiting one of the websites listed below.
They are all verified and well known for their international work. Your
donation will be well spent.

By helping those affected by this awful event, you have a chance to
join an unprecedented show of human spirit and compassion by donating
money or food and clothing to one or more of these organisations, in
addition to your favourite charities.

Now that the scale of this disaster is fully apparent, and we have seen
for ourselves on TV the destruction and death, the enormous operation
to help those who have survived is underway.

An estimated several billion dollars is going to be needed to restore a
sense of normality to those whose lives, families, entire communities
and micro-economies have been shattered by this momentous event.

Most of those affected are desperately poor and may have had misery in
their lives even before the crisis. They have little access to support,
rescue and relief. Many rescue teams are already on hand, bringing
medical, shelter and food help.

In due course the victims of this disaster will need new homes and a
means to feed themselves. Please help by taking just a few minutes to
pledge some money and/or other gifts (either by secure online payment or
mailed cheque) to the agencies who will desperately need all the
financial assistance they can get.

In many countries your donation may even be fully or partly tax
deductible, or the tax portion may be directly refunded to the charity, by
your government.

You can help further by forwarding this request to others who may be
generous and charitable (remembering to bcc them so that their email
addresses do not become public domain!)

The following are just some of the many highly-active organisations
involved in the Asian Earthquake and Tsunami Disaster. They all have
efficient infrastructures for disseminating aid to those in need and will
almost certainly be part of an internationally co-ordinated exercise to
disperse the aid fairly among the countries affected around the Indian
Ocean.

Although we urge you to pledge a donation as soon as possible, many of
these websites are already inundated by other generous people and their
payment system may be overwhelmed. Please don't let this discourage
you, be patient and remember to return later - this is a effort that will
last several months and will only be complete after more than a year.

Thank you in advance for your MUCH NEEDED HELP and altruism.

(you can click on the links below, or copy the links below into your
browser address bar, to visit the websites)

The United Nations World Food Programme:
the United Nations frontline agency in the fight against global hunger.
http://www.wfp.org/index.asp?section=4

International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies:
directs and co-ordinates humanitarian assistance worldwide in times of
war and peace.
http://www.ifrc.org/helpnow/donate/donate_response.asp

UNICEF (United Nations International Children’s Education Fund):
bringing humanitarian, education, health and other support to children
worldwide in times of need or crisis.
(more than one third of those affected by the Asia Tsunamis are
children) http://www.supportunicef.org/site/pp.asp?c=iuI1LdP0G&b=276341
or mail a cheque to: see website for country addresses

Medicins Sans Frontieres:
Independent humanitarian medical aid agency committed to providing
medical aid and raising awareness of the plight of peoples.
http://www.msf.org/donations/index.cfm
or mail a cheque to: 8, Rue Saint Sabin, 75544 PARIS Cedex 11, FRANCE
(see website for individual country addresses)

CARE International:
An independent humanitarian organisation working to end world poverty
and bringing assistance to the needy in times of natural disaster.
http://www.careinternational.org.uk/donate/donate.php
or mail a cheque to: 10-13 Rushworth Street, London SE1 0RB, United
Kingdom

Oxfam:
International organisation that works on a broad range of issues,
including trade, conflict, debt and aid, and education.
http://www.oxfam.co.uk/what_you_can_do/give_to_oxfam/donate/asiaquake1204.htm
or mail a cheque to: FREEPOST Nat 17696, Leicester, LE55 7RN, United
Kingdom

GOAL:
international humanitarian agency dedicated to the alleviation of
suffering amongst the poorest of the poor
http://www.goal.ie/newsroom/tsunamiappeal.shtml
or mail a cheque to: PO Box 19, Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin, Ireland.

Direct Relief International:
Charity focused on health, and disaster relief, highly regarded for
their efficiency and effective use of donations.
https://www.directrelief.org/sections/support_us/d_donate_now.html
or send a cheque to: 27 S. La Patera Lane, Santa Barbara, CA 93117, USA

Christian Aid:
works wherever the need is greatest, irrespective of religion. It
supports local organisations, which are best placed to understand local
needs.
http://www.christianaid.org.uk/give/donatenow.htm
or mail a cheque to: FREEPOST, London SE1 7YY, United Kingdom

Islamic Relief:
Strives to alleviate the suffering, hunger, illiteracy & aims to
provide rapid relief in the event of man-made or natural disasters.
https://www.islamic-relief.com/submenu/help/signin.asp (requires a
quick registration)
https://www.irw.org/donate/ (for North American people making
donations)

Catholic Agency for Overseas Development (CAFOD):
the official overseas relief agency for the Catholic Church in the UK.
http://www.cafod.org.uk/get_involved/give_money/by_credit_card

All of the above listed agencies/organisations state on their website
that all their efforts are made without prejudice to the nationality,
color, race or religion of recipients.

They are also international organisations which operate free of
political will or pressure from any particular government.

* List compiled with the help of www.news.bbc.co.uk

MORE CHARITIES LISTED:
http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/asiapcf/12/27/quake.aidsites/

okidoki987

The company I work for are doubling the final amount the staff donate so I'm telling all my friends/family etc "if you are donating, give me the money and I'll give it to the company and then they will double it!"
So the charities will get twice the amount they would have got.
I'm sure a lot of companies here will do the same.

Talliesin

The Sri Lanka Red Cross and Red Crescent is co-ordinating the work of WHO, HOPE, Medecins San Frontiers and other Red Cross and Red Crescent organisations working on the ground. The Australian Red Cross is co-ordinating external fund-raising efforts for that grouping. If you're unsure which of the many charities involved to donate to I'd recommend donating online via the Australian Red Cross at https://www.redcross.org.au/Donations/onlineTsunamiDonations.asp or contacting your national Red Cross or Red Crescent organisation.