Efforts by Universities, Related Organizations, Youths & Students in the United States
Amazon
Amazon.com is a key internet business that has listed its concern and fundraising effort on its very first page. It is receiving donations through its website that is being channeled to the American Red Cross. The link here will take you directly to the page which describes their concern and how you could make a donation, and how much has been collected through this site.
Fulbright Program, Institute of International Education
Letter to All Fulbrighters from the Director of The Foreign Fulbright Programs Division; Dec 29, 2004
As we continue to be astonished and saddened by the news coming from the Asia,
many of you have been asking for suggestions on how to contribute to the relief
efforts. Below you will find just a few of the many international
organizations that are accepting donations. Also, one of your colleagues has
been working with other university students to provide a resource for students
who want to contribute time or money: http://www.geocities.com/quickhelp_world
Thank you to all of you for your concern for Fulbright friends and colleagues
from the countries so deeply impacted by this tragedy.
Here are some international relief efforts under way:
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies is seeking
more than 10 million Swiss francs to help South Asia flood victims. The funds
will be used to provide food, shelter, water purification tablets, clothing and
other essential goods, as well as basic health services and seeds, to nearly
1.5 million people who have lost everything in devastating flooding and
landslides which have ravaged parts of India, Bangladesh and Nepal over the
past few weeks.
http://www.redcross.org; http://www.redcrescent.org
Oxfam today sent 27 tons of emergency aid equipment to east Asia and called on
the international community to support the UN in leading the response to the
crisis which has so far claimed tens of thousands of lives.
http://www.oxfam.org/eng/donate.htm
Save the Children helps provide emergency relief to children and families in
southeastern Asia whose communities were devastated by Sunday’s tsunami. Every
gift helps us reach our goal of $5 million for the delivery of food, water,
medical care and temporary shelter materials. http://www.savethechildren.org
CARE’s emergency response will include provision of items such as food, water
purification tablets, soaps, shelter materials, basic medical supplies and
cooking supplies. http://www.careusa.org
For additional organizations providing relief, please visit:
http://www.usaid.gov/locations/asia_near_east/tsunami/ngolist.html
Best regards,
Carol Tegen
Director , Foreign Fulbright Programs Division
Institute of International Education
809 UN Plaza , New York, NY 10017 ; Tel: 212-984-5447 ; email: ctegen@iie.org
CARE USA
For millions of people across Asia, the massive 9.0 earthquake and killer waves on Sunday were just the beginning of their suffering. The next few days are critical to stop the spread of killer disease. Cholera, typhoid and other diseases could spread like wildfire in the next week and kill even more people than the quake and tsunami did. Water purification and medical supplies must reach the disaster zone immediately.
You can help make it possible.
CARE is at work in many of the worst destruction zones. We have pledged to raise $10 million for our quake relief effort, but there’s only one way we can reach this goal: With support from friends like you.
Even if you’ve already given, I strongly urge you to give now. This is a once-in-a-lifetime catastrophe that demands a truly unusual response. Maybe you can give a gift beyond what you’ve ever done before.
Click here to donate now. It’s quick, easy — and you’ll help save lives.
Thank you, and my warmest regards for your New Year!
Peter D. Bell
CARE President
New School University
Letter from A Malaysian Fulbrighter Student; Dec 30, 2004
I’m working with groups organising relief for Aceh and Sumatra. I would to share the appeal below which has come forth from a coalition of major Indonesian non-governmental organisations.
Civil Society Coalition for Quake and Tsunami victims
Yin Shao Loong (Malaysian)
Graduate Faculty , New School University, New York
Temple University
Efforts from Indonesian Fulbrighters; Dec 29, 2004
Thank to the agreement of the Chair of Department of Religion at Temple University, my
school, I posted a message in our mailist to invite students and faculty members who want to participate in contributing for the victims in Indonesia. They could send cash, check or
money order to me and then we will send them to Indonesia.
I also urged my Indonesian Fulbright Fellow to do the same in each school and local community. If that works, then we will send together the money to Indonesia on behalf of Fulbright team. The details about the number of the money gathered and how it is distributed will be informed to the participants short after, through mass media and by email. However, our coodination among the Indonesian Fulbrighters is still in progress. At least, I know, some of my fulbright fellows now is doing the same thing as I do.
Alimatul Qibtiyah, Indonesian Fulbrighter at Northern Iowa University, is the one who will send the money to Indonesia on behalf of our Indonesian Fulbright team.
Achmad Munjid
International Student & Fulbright Indonesia
amunjid@temple.edu
MoveOn
Letter from a 17-year old youth
I really wanted to do something when I learned that just as many more people could die from lack of access to clean water and the spread of disease if not enough is done quickly.
I realized that New Years Eve Parties would be a perfect place to have people contribute online to the relief effort. Someone in our group came up with the name “Throw out a lifeline Online.”
If MoveOn were to send out a message to its members suggesting that they turn on a computer and donate money to one of the relief organizations at their new years eves parties, it could save thousands of lives. Maybe this sort of message would be a welcome opportunity for its members to help people directly. I would greatly appreciate anything you could do to help.
Annalise Blum
MoveOn
Email from A Political Grassroot Group to Mailing List; Dec 30, 2004
Let Congress and the President know that Americans are supporting strong leadership in this relief effort — that millions of lives are at stake and we have to help. In this hour of need, if America chooses to embrace our role as a world leader, we can have an unparalleled impact. Send a message to our leaders at:
http://www.moveon.org/tsunamirelief/
The $35 million offered by the Bush administration seems like a lot of money, but it’s insignificant compared to what’s needed in a disaster relief effort than spans continents and is expected to be the most expensive in history. To put it in perspective, we’re spending $35 million in Iraq every 7 hours. (The Bush administration is about to ask for another $80 billion to cover the next installment of this tragic occupation.)
We can and will do better. Thanks for doing your part to show the true generosity of the American spirit.
Sincerely,
–Adam, Ben, Carrie, Eli, James, Joan, Justin, Laura, Mari, Noah, Rosalyn, and Wes
www.moveon.org
A Response from a 14-year old youth
Roshan has set up a website to help collect aid for relief work in Sri Lanka.
See his website.
http://www.webspawner.com/users/helplanka/
Pennsylvania State University
Letter to the President of the University Dec 28, 2004
Dear Dr. Spanier,
The massive loss of lives (45,000 and rising) and displacement of millions of people in multiple countries (India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Somalia, Maldives, Myanmar, and others) in the recent earthquake and tidal waves in Asia & Africa is the largest natural disaster in recent history requiring the largest international relief effort. As a university with a large population of international students, may I propose the following immediate ways Penn State can assist:
1. Set-up a small response team of staff & volunteers to work on the following:
2. identifying the international students at Penn State who may have been impacted directly or indirectly e.g. loss of their lives, or loss of their families, or belongings/homes, or towns
- this would involve setting-up a system where they can contact us, or we can contact them in determining how best we can help them
3. determining how best to work with international offices in other universities in coordinating efforts for, with and through international students from the affected areas and interested individuals who want to help
4. how best to raise awareness and funds from people in our immediate communities that can be channeled to international relief organizations such as the Red Cross
Your quick response would be appreciated. And, please let me know how I can help.
Brendan J Gomez
The Catholic Church in the United States
Response letter from the Secretary to Cardinal Keeler; Dec 29, 2004
Dear Brendan,
Cardinal Keeler sent a memo by fax to all of our parishes asking them to
take up a collection for Southern Asia. We will send the contributions to
Catholic Relief Services, who are already responding to the disaster. The
United States Bishops Conference has requested that all dioceses take up a
collection.
Pat Nadolny
Secretary to the Cardinal
