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Monday, January 03, 2005 |
You want to help the folks in South Asia, but don't have much money.
Yet all you hear from the aid agencies is send cash. If you're really
wondering why that's the case, read this:
What I did was I donated the amount I was going to use to
travel into buying relief materials. Janet also pledged an amount equal
to Rs.11,000. The total amount was Rs.18,500, around 400 dollars.
What I bought with this money is:
1. 27 keresone stoves.
2. 40 pillows and 40 pillow covers.
3. 500 coconut oil satchets.
4. 100 toothpaste and toothbrushes.
5. 10 kgs of bleaching powder.
6. 500 ciplox tabs (anti typhoid)
7. 75*8 sanitary napkins
8. 100 tubes of soframycin ointment.
9. 200 paracetomol tabs.
10. 300 amox 250dt tabs.
11. 20 paracetomol syrup bottles.
12. 10 bottles of phenyl.
Now $400 is still a lot of money for some folks (sure is for me!). Yet
if that will buy this much, consider what portion of this even $20
would buy.
8:39:05 PM 
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Happy New Year! The holidays have ended, and Milwaukee gets hit with an ice storm. Things are indeed returning to normal.
One thing that has not changed is the attention of the world on South Asia, and that's a good thing. Today, the Ex-Presidents (well, at least the Elder Bush and the Man from Hope) are on the case, while Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother heads to the scene (sorry, couldn't resist). More blogs are feeding people into the SEA-EAT blog and Wikipedia/Wikinews.
While I'm at it, let me throw in one more link. Some folks are trying to deal with the larger isssues, Progressive Change for Tsunami Victims. Take a look.
Last week, Jill Geisler from the Poynter Institute (and a former Milwaukee TV newser) wondered whether this disaster would generate as much ink and TV time as Scott Peterson did.
Well, so far that's been true. Here's hoping that we continue to pay
attention as the mopup begins, and even as the rebuilding proceeds, one
month, six months, six years from now.
5:24:32 PM
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© Copyright 2005 Mike McCallister.
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