Russ, who is a friend and great former boss, made a comment tonight that is likely to get buried in the other responses of my previous post. After reading it I felt like what he said deserved better exposure.
I watched Colin Powel's news conference, where even Jeb looked confused about his purpose there, and was struck by Secretary Powel's statement that the US as a country is the most able to help; and with that ability comes the responsibility to act.
After a few days of debating how to appropriately discuss this with our children, my wife and I dove in tonight. We visited websites, watched video, broke out the globe and spent over an hour answering every odd question 7 and 10 year old children think of.
At the end of it all, my kids went upstairs and came down with $75 of their own money. That represented all of my son's hard won poker winnings (which is another story all together) and a significant portion of their Christmas money. And frankly, it shamed my $500 donation.
And yes I know there's a post about how to help a few days ago, but this is where all the current activity is.
News agencies are beginning to report the death toll could reach 300,000 people unless supplies, services and clean water reach the huge area affected (which I believe to be roughly the area of the west and east coast of America combined). Clearly this disaster is a long way from being over.
While our governments may not make good on their promises, we can. In every way you and I are better people than most of our politicians and helping in this disaster is one way to demonstrate that. Don't stop writing about the disaster and need for support until it's over.
And when we have all done our very best to help those affected I'll tell you the story of how a father had his butt handed to him, by his young son, in a game of no limit Texas Hold'em.
Join the fray by reading through and commenting at the end.
How can we really help though?
I know that we can donate money, but most of us can't actually go to the area itself and make sure our money is put to good use. Most of us just end up donating it to organizations like the Red Cross and hope it makes a difference.
There's a war torn area in Sri Lanka where they're having trouble getting supplies and aid to because of the war. Is there anything we at home can do about this?
I is no doubt a horrible, horrible disaster, but you can't help wondering...
Harris,
I work for a non-profit organization that develops high school economics curriculums. I just finished formatting a lesson plan about the economics behind relief operations for the recent tsunami.
An interesting issue the writer points out is that it's not uncommon to feel frustrated and unhelpful sending money.However, it's often the most effective way to help out. Relief agencies need that cash to fuel trucks, buy emergency supplies, transport aid workers, etc.
Even donating goods is often not a great option. Thousands of miles away, most of us have no idea what the actual, immediate needs on the ground are during a crisis. He brings up the example of post-9/11 New York being burdened by warehouses full of articles donated after the attack that they had no need for.
I know giving money feels impersonal and frustrating, and I want to go over in person just as much as anybody, but for the time being, it may be the best option available to the majority of us.
As a human being and an American I can safely say I am ashamed to be an American. Apparently killing people in Iraq is more important (to the tune of an estimated 140 billion dollars) than the saving of hundreds of thousands of people (to the tune of less thana billion dollars).
I really believe when Bush came out with a 15 million dollar American donation initially, he showed his true character. I will help as much as I can, but honestly - I believe this is a task for the big dogs. It's a task that hopefully will make America realize that we've got our goals in the wrong place. We should not be supporting an unjust war when that money and resources could go to saving hundreds of thousands of innocent lives.
I suppose those are my frustrated ramblings that have been brewing in me for quite a while, so don't take them too seriously.
I would like to hear about that butt-whooping right now :) It would lighten the mood...
What bothers me is that several of the lesser known areas that have been affected will likely get less aid than they truly need. There are relatively small islands that were completely covered in water and shall be suffering from salt water contamination for the near future and beyond if the proper type and amount of aid is not received.
I was unable to donate much this past paycheck, but the wife and I have already decided to use our entertainment amount from future income to help as much as we can. We've also chosen to donate to more than one organization, as each will likely be focusing on providing aid to different locations and types of aid.
I just want to say thanks for pointing out what a stingy "asshat" I have been during this whole disaster. I am just now donating, when I should have done it long ago. I urge eveyone who can to donate as much as they can. My donation was just a drop in the bucket, but combined with all the other drops in the bucket Amazon has already raised on $14,000,000 for the American Red Cross. So, every little bit adds up.
I'd like to share my own generous kid story, if I may...
My partner and I decided that we would encourage our 10-year-old twins to come up with a small amount of their own allowance earnings that we would match and then donate to the Red Cross' International Relief fund.
We expected to meet some resistance, but imagine our surprise when they beat us to the punch and offered an amount beyond what we expected. We agreed on a sum and made a donation in each of their names.
I am just so proud of them, and so impressed with how generous and sophisticated these fourth-graders are when considering the suffering of those half a planet away.
Jan Egeland (see Ismael's link) has been unfailingly excellent and on-point in every interview I've seen or heard. He plainly points out that the trends of wealthy nations helping the poorest nations have steadily declined over the last 30 years, and that it's his job to tell the world's wealthiest nations that it's their job to do better. When Americans far and wide step out of line to bash the United Nations we should remember that it's tireless people like Egeland working in thankless positions that are doing the legwork fighting for the world's most disadvantaged day after day, year after year.
Donating money would make me feel worthless. It's out of the question, but traveling to one of these countries would make it seem more real, not to say the event itself is fake. Everytime I turn on the TV, it's hard to watch. Homes are being swept away and I am spoiled. There are people who have NOTHING and everything they had is gone. Where do they begin? People here are driving around in Beamers and fancy cars, living in expensive homes and that is their LIFE. Expensive cars, expensive lifestyles, expensive clothing, and flashing off their wealth. People need to realize that there are countries that are struggling to make ends meet. I felt highly guilty on Tuesday when I ate Thai food because, how could I not?
As an Englishman, can I just say well done to our PM, who just offered to send a boatload of troops. Yes, troops. The very same lot who fought against the Indonesians in the 1960's.
Well done Tony! You've done us proud once again. Luckily, the Indonesians have more sense, and rejected his offer.
Telegraph Article
What's been really great to see is the reaction of the public though. Donations are reaching the £100 million mark apparently, and the people are putting the government to shame.
I've donated, but like others I still wish there was more I could do. I'm glad to hear governments proposing to make the aid a grant, rather than a loan.
While donating to this cause is great, we must not forget the injustice and devasting chaos in the Congo, the growing hunger in American children, and the unstable atmosphere of Haiti. Wire services are predicting that as a result of the tsunami, we will experience another 9/11 drop-off in donating to other charities. Remember that suffering is everywhere and not TV-generated. Sure, I've donated to UNICEF for the tsunami, but now I'm saving up to donate to others.
What's worse is these children who are left without parents are being brough into sex slavery.
As an Englishman, can I just say well done to our PM, who just offered to send a boatload of troops. Yes, troops.
I don't see what's wrong with this. Military personnel are experienced with rescue operations, they're trained to work in areas without your typical lines of communication and supply, and they've got the means to react rapidly. An American battle group was one of the first responders in the wake of the tsunami.
Reminds me of a story I heard on NPR earlier this week...American Navy personnel who'd been delivering supplies and evacuating injured survivors via helicopters were ordered to not bring back anymore people...the hospitals were already overcrowded. Nonetheless, the pilots disobeyed orders, bringing back more survivors, mostly the elderly and children. They weren't reprimanded at the time, and a local aid representative said they'd find a way to make room.
It's easy to forget that under those uniforms are human beings who are prone to acts of compassion just like the rest of us.
Guess I should clarify that I'm responding to what seemed like a general comment about sending troops. I agree that Blair's decision to send that specific unit was a monumental blunder.
Donating money would make me feel worthless. It's out of the question, but traveling to one of these countries would make it seem more real, not to say the event itself is fake.
Huh? What? I don't get it. Maybe I'm reading this wrong, but that comment struck me as really selfish. You don't seem to notice that it's not about you. There's not much you can do right now other than to give money to people who know how to use it best (like aliotsy said way above, 3rd comment). Maybe travelling there would make YOU feel better about doing something, but am I alone in thinking that all the money that you spend travelling there for no other reason than to witness it first hand so it would be "more real" in your eyes would be better in the pockets of the Red Cross, Unicef, or some other organization that's helping out over there?
I'll say it again: it's not about you.
I also find it amusing that you criticize people driving expensive cars and living lavish lifestyles here (I'm assuming you're in the US, like I am) right after you mention that you'd like to travel to SE Asia for no other reason than to make the Tsunami disaster real FOR YOU.
And: why in the world would you feel guilty about eating in a Thai restaurant? Who knows - you may have inadvertantly been HELPING - they may be sending money to family over there, or maybe other people have been avoiding them because they feel guilty about their lavish lifestyles and decided to stop eating out and the restaurant's suffering, whatever.
There's no use in beating yourself up about what you can't do. Basically, the only thing you can do right now is donate money. If it makes you "feel worthless," so be it, but at least you did something rather than thinking about all the things that you can't do.
Um, I'll second Tamara's reminder that this is by far not the only disaster out there.
150,000 have died due to the tsunami, yes.
But 2 million have died in Darfur, and I don't think our govt has done a darn thing.