A new year has come. The tragedy of tsunami has overshadowed everything. I find it hard to believe that US did not, could not, or may not have known about the impending disaster. Afterall, they have a full Naval base in Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. As far as I know, there is no report of any casualties or damages from this group of islands (archipelago). Clearly, the US should have known; how else can one explain this. It is true that countries affected should have taken care on their own. People of these countries have heard of tsunami only in their geography texts, that too something that occurs in the Pacific. Nobody ever even dreamt of such an event.
In any event, people in these countries need all kinds of support. The homeless, the orphaned, the wounded, and the traumatized need lot of help. Compounding their grief is the fact that many of the affected belong to the poor strata of the society and often get exploited by others around them. Westerners are generous with their gifts. Please note that these folks do not need chocolates, wool blankets, canned food, etc. They need their staples, their kind of clothes, shelters, etc. The best way to get them these items is to donate money or go to charities that deal with these countries. For example, visit www.thehungersite.com, the SOS villages, Mercy Corps, etc. Talk to people from these countries to identify local charities. American Red Cross and United Way may not be the best outlets to reach these folks.
9:56:05 PM 
|
|
|
