Helping Nepal earthquake victims

After viewing news reports about the earthquake in Nepal you may want to offer help.
Links to some of the better known charities and aid agencies with appeals for the Nepal earthquake are provided below.
Care Australia
Red Cross
Save the Children
UNHCR
unicef
World Vision

Tents4Peace

Tents4Peace is helping people in Nepal who need emergency shelter. $100 will fund a six person tent, blanket/s, medical kit, water purifying tablets, light stove with fuel, matches and torch plus some warm clothing and one weeks supply of rice.
Tents4Peace is operated by volunteers under Founder and Executive Officer Anna Crotty, a former Senior Australian of the Year (Tasmania).

Be careful when selecting a charity to support

If you want to help disaster victims you should make sure that the charity you support is legitimate and will be effective. Some advice, from the US based Better Business Bureau, is:

• Be cautious when giving online.  Be cautious about spam messages and emails that claim to link to a relief organization. If you want to give to a charity involved in relief efforts, go directly to the charity’s website.
• Rely on expert opinion when it comes to evaluating a charity.  Be cautious when relying on third-party recommendations such as bloggers or other websites, as they may not have fully researched the relief organizations they list.
• Find out if the charity has an on-the-ground presence in the impacted areas.  Unless the charity already has staff in the affected areas, it may be difficult to bring in new aid workers to provide assistance quickly.  See if the charity’s website clearly describes what the charity can do to address immediate needs.
• Find out if the charity is providing direct aid or raising money for other groups.  Some charities may be raising money to pass along to relief organizations.  If so, you may want to consider “avoiding the middleman” and giving directly to those that have a presence in the region. Or, at a minimum, check out the ultimate recipients of these donations to see whether they are equipped to provide aid effectively.
• Gifts of clothing, food or other in-kind donations.  In-kind drives for food and clothing, while well intentioned, may not necessarily be the quickest way to help those in need – unless the organization has the staff and infrastructure to distribute such aid properly. Ask the charity about its transportation and distribution plans. Be wary of those who are not experienced in disaster relief assistance.

 

Redlands2030 – 1 May 2015