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Originally posted by Greedy,Greedy,Greedy
But how much is this going to hurt other charities, as charitable budgets get raided rather than increased for this disaster?
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Nearly every radio report I heard in the first few days afterwards had some Australian military guy working to get supplies into Southeast Asia.
My understanding is that the money allocated by the government so far was taken from the general world relief fund, so money that would have gone to Sudanese refugees, for example, is going to tsunamni relief instead. Obviously, choices have to be made about every dollar spent out of the federal government. I've heard a few reports from US soldiers saying that they feel very good about flying supplies in for relief work. I think the number I heard was $2m a day for that sort of support, and I'm pretty sure that it's not part of the allocated $350M. I wouldn't be surprised if debt relief will also be part of the total package, since other countries are doing that too.
Powell really seemed shocked at the damage.
Also, the Doctors Without Borders say they have enough money specifically for tsunami relief, and they'd like people to give to them generally so they can use it for other work they do or to give money to other relief organizations.
http://www.doctorswithoutborders-usa.org/donate/
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A Special Note Regarding Donations for South Asia Disaster Relief
Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has received an extraordinary outpouring of support for the people of South Asia and we are extremely grateful. As you know, it is very important to MSF that we use your contribution as you intend it to be used. This is why we want to let you know that at this time, MSF estimates that we have received sufficient funds for our currently foreseen emergency response in South Asia.
Right now, thanks to the generosity of our supporters, our teams are on the ground providing assistance to people affected by this disaster and carrying out multiple assessments in the region in order to determine how MSF can provide the most effective aid to those in need. We will continue to assess our financial needs as the scope of our operations in the affected areas becomes clearer over the coming days.
We kindly request that you contribute to our general Emergency Relief Fund, which is enabling our quick response to the current disaster in South Asia as well as humanitarian needs in war-torn Darfur, Sudan, and elsewhere in the over 70 countries where MSF is working around the world. The Emergency Relief Fund provides a resource for MSF to draw upon immediately when a crisis occurs, allowing a quick response to events where the speed of our response is crucial to saving lives.
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I think they're trying to avoid the situtation that the Red Cross found itself in after 9/11, when they tried to use donated money for non-9/11 causes.
