Open thread: Tsunami Relief Organizations

I think that the horrifying disaster that struck our country is sufficient reason to interrrupt my break. I want to contribute to the relief of course. But what I am thinking is:


  1. It is better to contribute to a private NGO than to the government – needless to say.
  2. I want to contribute to an NGO that will spend its money efficiently, i.e. doesn’t spend too much on “administrative expenses” (i.e. salaries for its managers).
  3. I want to contribute to the longer term rehabilitation, rebuilding and prevention. Immediate relief is important of course, but with the glare of publicity, I am sure there will be attention focused on the short term, but when our attention wavers, I am sure that the longer term activities will get neglected. I want to do what little I can to reduce that problem.
  4. I would particularly prefer to contribute to someone who will focus on things that others are likely to miss. I mean, I am sure everyone will focus effort on building houses, repairing fishing boats etc. But is there someone who is perhaps working on innovative approaches to help people withstand disasters? Is there someone who will work on rigging up an early-warning system that relies on low-tech? My money will go there. Once again, the “normal” things are important. It is precisely because you people are contributing so generously to the normal things that I am thinking that perhaps I have the luxury of looking for other ways to help.

Readers are invited to respond in the comments giving names and descriptions of such off-beat NGOs that fit the criteria above.

I also want to do what I can to monitor the efforts of these organizations over the longer term. This will obviously have to be a collaborative effort. Any ideas?

16 thoughts on “Open thread: Tsunami Relief Organizations”

  1. One cannot stress point #4 enough – especially since most of the affected are poor, and many of the perished are fishermen who were breadearners of the family.

    I could recommend AID as an NGO with low overhead: http://www.aidindia.org/CMS/

    They do a lot of rehabilitative work even otherwise, so I presume they shall do so here too.
    As an added convenience, their site accepts online donations.

  2. I have been seeing postings in Sulekha Newshopper that AID uses DYFI to do some of its work. Don’t know how true that is.

  3. oh it might be true, like most NGOs they are enamored by marxism, for e.g. they even support the CPI led NAPM (National Alliance of Peoples Movements)! I was an AID member once, and that was the reason I left it.

    But as I said, they do and fund rehabilitative work like training and so on, and have low overhead, so I didn’t mind donating to them.

  5. AID as it happens with most organizations that mainly include students’ is as divided as they come. A part of it supports, hold your breath – Arundathi Roy and her “campaign” for Narmada.

    But there are individual ‘blocks’ that concentrate only on the projects on hand…..and it is especially active in Tamil Nadu .

  7. I have been loosely involved with ASHA, and know that it has a very low overhead – since most of the work in the US is done by students on various campuses. If you want to be really involved more than only making a monetary contribution, check out the ASHA Stars program : http://www.ashanet.org/projects/asha-stars/

    Also, a personal comment, my thoughts regarding donations were exactly like yours, especially looking at the seemingly massive flow of initial aid.

  8. Hello Ravi,
    am in complete agreement with you.
    Please consider Volunteers for India Development and Empowerment (VIDE, http://www.vide-us.org), as a prospective NGO to donate to.
    ViDE has a partner NGO on the ground in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, SEEDS (www.seedsindia.org).
    We are also in touch with Mr. C. Umashankar who is on the ground in Nagapattinam, TN. Mr Shankar used to be the sub collector of this region and thus knows the terrain and the people there, not to mention the influence he has within the adminstration even today.
    Please email/call (408 853 0000) for any queries/concerns etc.
    I am a ViDE core volunteer, myself.
    Regards,
    avinash.

  10. I’m travelling in Tamil Nadu right now with Aid India, and from what I’ve seen so far I’m really impressed. Low overheads, committed volunteers, clear plan of action, and plans for both short-term relief and long-term rehabilitation. I don’t know much about them otherwise as an organisation, but they’re doing a terrific job here.

  11. If anyone has any contacts with Indian Airlines or some ministry, can u email me at lakshmi_ramachandran@rediffmail.com immediately. This is for seedsindia.org which has all its relief materials stranded at the Chennai airport. They want to reach it to Port Blair as soon as possible. They are being told that all flights are booked.

  13. What about IDRF? I donated money to them but now I wonder if they will actually be able to help the victims?

  14. hey i am also a man who is taking care of a family in a island called vilifushi in maldives have damage all part of my house.and need some help for it .still i am trying to get some aids to the all island and some of my relative as been pass a way from this victums.so if there any one who can help us to develope the island mail me so we can talk a bout it. we have plain to make a ngo and to get fund to developed the island so we have done the ngo even now.so if any one wants to give fund pls mail me. thank u

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  16. Nothing seems to be easier than seeing someone whom you can help but not helping.
    I suggest we start giving it a try. Give love to the ones that need it.
    God will appreciate it.

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