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| Friday, 31 December 2004 |
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Advice to tsunami donors: Send cash, not bread UNITED NATIONS, Thursday (Reuters) Relief groups have some friendly advice for people who want to lend a helping hand to desperate tsunami survivors: Don't donate that old sweater or a loaf of bread. Just send cash. Aid groups have come a long way since CARE invented the "CARE package" of canned goods and sugar to ship to hungry families in war-devastated Europe in the 1940s. "CARE as a policy does not take in-kind contributions. It's too expensive to ship stuff abroad. Then, the logistics of getting goods to the site are often very complicated," said spokeswoman Lurma Rackley of the international aid group now active in 70 countries around the world. U.S. President George W. Bush had similar advice for potential donors, telling reporters in Crawford, Texas, that gifts of money would help organizations "focus resources and assets to meet specific needs." "A lot of times Americans, in their desire to help, will send blankets or clothes. That may be necessary, but to me it makes more sense to send cash," he said. Some relief groups will accept goods but they also have many stories about inappropriate offers. "People call up and say, 'Can we send a loaf of bread?' We received donations of high heel shoes for East Timor, and that's really not going to help," said Caroline Green of aid group Oxfam International. East Timor in Southeast Asia is one of the world's poorest lands. Jan Egeland, the U.N. emergency relief coordinator, said businesses and governments as well as individuals should always consult with a major relief agency like the United Nations or the Red Cross-Red Crescent system before donating anything besides money. |
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