While the government is still slow with publicising details of how people can help those affected by tsunamis that hit south India on Sunday morning, bloggers in India and elsewhere seem to be doing their bit.
Some like this one, are educating potential donors and volunteers on the options before them. Notably, it does not focus on India alone.
According to messages posted on this site, Médecins Sans Frontières is among the NGOs organising volunteers, financial aid and experts for affeted areas in Asia. Some individuals have also got into the act.
The Bharatiya Janata Party announced an Emergency Relief Fund for Indians affected by the tsunami, in New Delhi on Tuesday. A central committee has been appointed to oversee the operations. People who wish to contribute can contact local BJP offices, which will send the material to the party's headquarters in Delhi.
Indian Americans too have started organising aid efforts. The National Federation of India Organizations has already collected about $10,000 from its charitable accounts and is aiming for $100,000. Those wishing to send money toward relief efforts can do so to the following organisations:
1. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister's Public Relief Fund
Prime Minister's National Relief Fund
2. BAPS Care International
Contact: Shailendra Adroja; 1-732-744-1744
Checks payable to: BAPS Care International
Address:
195, Main Street, Suite # 304
Metuchen
New Jersey-08840
Payments can also be made online at http://www.bapscare.org
3. Association for India's Development:
Contact: Aniruddha Vaidya, 1-650-996-8249, 1-888-TALK-2-AID or (301) 422-4441
email: info@aidindia.org
Contributions to AID can be made through secure on-line credit-card deductions from AID's website (www.aidindia.org), where further details and updates will also be posted. Please indicate that your contribution is for the "Relief and Rehabilitation Fund".
Checks payable to "AID" can be mailed to:
AID Zone 3,
P.O. Box 4801
Mountain View, CA 94040-0801
(Please indicate "Relief and Rehabilitation Fund" in the check memo)
4. The National Federation of India Organizations
Contact: Rajen Anand (703) 642-3156, (562) 537-1077
Checks (tax-deductible) will be sent to the International Red Cross for the use of ALL victims in all countries.
Checks payable to: NFIA
Address:
6912 Winter Lane,
Annandale VA 22003.
5. The Hindu Temple Society of North America
Contact: Dr Uma Mysorekar (718) 460-8484
Checks (tax deductible) payable to: The Hindu Temple Society of North America
Address:
Hindu Temple Society of North America
45-57 Bowne Street
Flushing
NY-11355
6. India Development & Relief Fund (IDRF), USA
IDRF has already committed $10,000 towards immediate relief efforts and will match dollar-to-dollar for donations up to $10,000. It will channel your generous contributions to Sewa Bharati (Panchvati, Chetpet, Chennai), Jana Sankshema Samiti (Vijaywada, Andhra Pradesh), Vivekanand Kendra and other voluntary NGOs providing relief and rehabilitation to affected families including:
· Medical services
· Distribution of fishing nets, assistance for purchasing and repairing fibre boats
· Repair of diesel engines and supply fuel
· Distribution of textbooks, notebooks and uniforms to students.
· Construction of houses, repair and construction of community infrastructure
Please make check payable to "IDRF" (mention "Tsunami" in the memo) and mail it to: IDRF, 4807 Phebe Ave, Fremont, CA 94555
Contact:
* Suresh Deopura (510) 573-5100, suresh@dewsoftware.com
* Shri Narayan Chandak (309)- 662-8353, Idrf_blg@yahoo.com
* Raghu Verabelli 781-270-2349, idrfboston@yahoo.com
* Vijay Pallod (281) 568-4995, pallod@aol.com
Or email idrf@aol.com
Donate on-line through your VISA/MasterCard or Direct Debit from checking account.
IDRF is administered by volunteers without any honorarium or overhead. Thus, 100% of your contribution will be disbursed directly to the NGOs working in the field. Please check out our website http://www.idrf.org for latest information.
7. Sewa International, in association with local organisations, is planning to work for the rehabilitation of families affected by the tsunami waves in India by providing them:
Please send your donations to:
a. Sewa Bharathi Tamil Nadu
Shakti, 1, M V Street, Panchvati, Chetpet, Chennai- 600031,
Tamil Nadu
Ph: 044-28361049, 28360243 E-mail: sevabharthitn@yahoo.com
b. Jana Sankshema Samiti
Madhava Sadhan, Kaleshwara Rao Road, Vijaywada- 520002,
Andhra Pradesh
All donations from outside India should be sent to:
Sewa International
Apte Bhavan, 10196, D. B. Gupta Road,
Jhandewala, New Delhi- 110055, India
Ph: 91-11-23517373, 23684445, E-mail: sewain@vsnl.com
Bank Account No: 21290, State Bank of India,
Jhandewala Extn., New Delhi-110055
Branch Code No: 9371
8. You can send donations through NDTV's trust fund, The Hope Trust. Donations can be made to: HOPE - Tsunami Relief Fund and sent to:
The Company Secretary, New Delhi Television,
W-17, Greater Kailash-1,
New Delhi-110048.
All donations are tax deductible under section 80G of Income Tax Act, 1961.
9. Give India Rehabilitation Fund
10. Volunteers for India Development and Empowerment or VIDE
11. Vibha
Email: Emergency.Relief@vibha.org
Tsunami Emergency Relief Website: www.vibha.org/emergencyrelief
Tsunami Emergency Donation Page: www.vibha.org/emergencydonation
Donations can be made by check or Credit card (Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express) online at the above address or by mail. Checks can be made to 'Vibha' with 'Tsunami Emergency' in the memo section and mailed to:
1030 E El Camino Real #424
Sunnyvale, CA 94087
(Donations are Tax deductible in the US)
Phone: 408-997-9992