Tim Leffel’s Cheapest Destinations

Tsunami Assistance at Ground Level

Much of the tsunami news has now predictably moved from shock, horror, and improvised ground coverage to the more familiar media territory: money. (And of course, in America at least, the heartwarming stories of survival against all odds, of selfless heroics. I can just picture some Fox or CNN producer going, “I don’t care what you have to do–find me a hero!”)

You can’t see or read anything about the tragedy now without it turning into a money story. If all the dollar figures of tsunami victim assistance in the news are making your head spin, it’s understandable. A million here, $350 million there, planes, boats, helicopters, “18 tons of medicine.” After a while you start thinking, “what difference is my drop-in-the-bucket 50 bucks going to make? Well, here’s a site where you can not only find out what’s going on, but you can find out where your money will really help the most. Check out The South-East Asia Earthquake and Tsunami Blog

You can find out how to donate to specific agencies on the ground in affected areas and what they’re going to do with the money. In many cases, you’ll skip several layers of bureacracy. Yes, the international aid agencies will warn you that corruption is rife in these countries and there’s a danger your money won’t get to its intended target, but so what. There’s also a verified and real risk with the huge international agencies that your money is going toward a fat salary for the head of the American Red Cross (rumored to be $450,000 in 2001) or a suite at the Oriental Hotel in Bangkok for a VP from Oxfam. One’s called corruption, one’s called overhead, but neither siphon does much for the victims. (Lest you think I’m exaggerating about the hotel, next time you’re in a developing country, go to the nicest hotel in the capital city and look around. Notice how many of its guests are working for big NGOs. Take a look at the hotel’s rate card and then compare it to the average citizen’s annual wages in that country. It’s downright depressing.)

Call me crazy, but I have more faith in the delivery mechanisms of Adopt Sri Lanka or SurfAid International.

And I’ll say it again. If you REALLY want to help out Thailand, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and the Indian Ocean islands, travel there in ‘05 or ‘06 after the attention has died down and all the reporters have left. Spend real money on real commerce: local restaurant meals, local hotels, local cab drivers. That’s what’s going to get their economies back in motion and help people rebuild their lives. India’s government, however, says they don’t need anyone’s help and have refused donations, so I’ll leave it up to you to decide whether they really want you there or not.