The Guardian in Britain has a story about the people behind Tsunamihelp blog. Bloggers and other techie types in South Asia and around the world organized a wiki and the help blog within hours. These are crucial information gathering sources.
Update December 30
A second Guardian article describing Wikipedia's tsunami coverage. A wiki is a collaborative, open source website in which anyone can contribute or edit. Wikipedia is a free, open source encyclopedia.
Wikipedia here. You will find links to relief efforts there.
Wiki news is also available here. Remember that anyone can post to the Wiki news site. Trolls, vandals and outright fabrications get removed pretty quickly, but let the reader beware.
IT Techies from Bangalore in the relief work for Tsunami hits area :
IT companies in Bangalore as well as other places has open there doors to help the victims in the Tamilnadu Tsunami hits area.
I would like to share my experience with other IT companies and friends who are interested to donate money as well as other items, please think twice before giving any donation to any NGO's. As per collectors orders one can’t not distribute items in those area by considering the Law and order problem. Collectors of the district has requested the donors to donate and distribute through NGO’s. But Major hurdle is to find out who is the right NGO’s ? who are really working and helping needy ?
Here my visit experience :
1. Please do not collect and donate OLD CLOTHS to Tamilnadu area, People are not ready to accept it.
Its all laying on the road.
Reason : Lots of people have sent the Pants/Jeans etc, which is not used by costal area people. They feel uncomfortable.
If you wish to donate cloths, please send new cloths and mainly Sari's, Lungi's and
T-Shirts etc.
2. NGO's are mainly working in the area where Media people are working. Look like every one is media hungry not there for real ground work to help needy people.
3. Remote villages no media people as well as no NGO’s. Needy people are waiting for
the real help.
4. So called big name’s in the NGO’s who claim that they are serving in the whole world in any worst situations are mainly focusing for there own advertisement by putting banners on number of hired vehicles in the front as well as back. But exactly they only distributing the ORS powder to the children’s. When I talk to those people they claim that they are taking care of 500-600 families. But truth is not that. I waited at one place to see that exactly what they are distributing to the families who took shelters in one godown. Big banner NGO’s wan came with few cartons and few people with badges,
simply distributed the ORS powder to children’s and went away. After speaking to the
people in the area I came to no that no one need the ORS and all are fit. But Children’s are taking it because its sweet.
5. Most the NOG’s are roaming around the area where people don’t need anything. IN the sense excess feeding, extra new cloths and too much attention to has made them too much choosy. People are throwing the food prepare by some one in home for the needy people, heart the feelings of others.
6. My request is find out the true NGO’s who are not media hungry and working silently by adapting the villages and fulfilling there requirement. Working with plans for there future. Not like other NGO’s to who will disappeared in few days.
7. Now a days media is so powerful and can change the image in a day. But looks very sad after visiting the remote villages in hits area. Not a single media has given the coverage about those needy people in remote villages. Its not that media can’t reach in those places.
8. I have major request from the People who are staying abroad and interested to help victims in the tsunami hits area people. Please send the money to right people to make sure needy will get help and your feeling should not get heart. Same request goes to the Film Industries people who came forward to help victims in the villages.
9. Kindly do not donate your money by watching commercial advertisement on the TV by big NGO’s. Actually they are not at all visible in the ground reality.
10. Basically its all about feeling nothing else. Your help in any means, whether its Money or cloths or food or medicine should not get waste at all.
My next planned visit in Tsunami hits area in Tamilnadu is on 14th Jan.
So I can share more feeing with all of you. I have given my role for wash, once its ready I will try to figure out some site where I can get it published.
Regards
Ravi Sharma
Email : [email protected], [email protected]
Posted by: Ravi Sharma | January 03, 2005 at 10:26 AM