Tuesday, May 31, 2005

Tsunami survivors tell Clinton of slow recovery effort - The Herald

Tsunami survivors tell Clinton of slow recovery effort - The Herald: "Tsunami survivors tell Clinton of slow recovery effort

MARTIN WILLIAMSMay 31 2005

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IT was intended to highlight the success of the tsunami recovery effort in Indonesia, with Bill Clinton taking centre-stage.
But it became the chance for disillusioned survivors of the disaster to air their concerns about the slow pace of improvements and how the Indonesian government is handling the financial pledges."

Reuters AlertNet - US groups slowly spend funds for tsunami victims

Reuters AlertNet - US groups slowly spend funds for tsunami victims: "US groups slowly spend funds for tsunami victims
31 May 2005 12:05:05 GMT

Source: Reuters

By Sue Pleming
WASHINGTON, May 31 (Reuters) - Funds raised to help survivors of last December's Indian Ocean tsunami are being spent slowly by U.S. aid groups, with about 17 percent of private donations used up in the first three months after the disaster, according to a report released on Tuesday.
InterAction, an umbrella group representing more than 160 U.S.-based aid organizations, detailed how some 60 member groups used funds donated by the public in the first 90 days after the tsunami, which devastated coastal communities from Somalia to Indonesia.
Millions of Americans -- from schoolchildren handing over pennies, to wealthy business leaders -- responded quickly after the Dec. 26 tsunami in one of the biggest charitable fund-raising efforts in history."

Friday, May 27, 2005

Oxfam

Oxfam: "The Tsunami Five Months On: New Report Documents Oxfam's Biggest Aid Effort Ever

BOSTON, May 26 -- International agency Oxfam helped more than one million people in the first three months after the tsunami and has raised more than $250 million to support its aid effort, which is the largest in the organization's history, according to the first quarterly report on its response being published today."

Thursday, May 26, 2005

Washington Jewish Week Online Edition-"JDS graduate aids Sri Lanka

Washington Jewish Week Online Edition: "JDS graduate aids Sri Lanka

by Paula Amann
News Editor
For weeks, Eliot Goldstein has been a witness to disaster. The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) posted him to Sri Lanka in early April to plan long-term relief after a tsunami slammed into that island nation on Dec. 26. "

Philanthropy Journal-Your online source for news about nonprofits, social issues, and policy change - newsarticle

Philanthropy Journal-Your online source for news about nonprofits, social issues, and policy change - newsarticle: "Giving online: Part 4


Virtual relief speeds cash, materials to stricken areas.
05.26.2005 -

By Todd Cohen
Aidmatrix, a nonprofit in Dallas, Tex., that operates a web site on which relief agencies can post their needs and donors can make cash or in-kind donations to meet those needs, raised more than $340,000 through virtual aid drives for tsunami relief in the first two weeks, a total that had grown to $450,000 by late January"

Tuesday, May 24, 2005

New website to track pledges for tsunami relief, UN official says

New website to track pledges for tsunami relief, UN official says: "New website to track pledges for tsunami relief, UN official says

Jan Egeland
24 May 2005 � Arriving in Geneva to chair a meeting on disaster mitigation, the United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator today announced the launch of a 'first of its kind' website to track funds pledged to the Indian Ocean tsunami disaster, while urging that more attention be given to the world's neglected humanitarian emergencies.
Speaking to journalists, Jan Egeland said the new web page, accessible through www.reliefweb.int, would contain updated information on all tsunami-related pledges received and dispersed. He said he hoped that similar Internet-based real-time reporting would also be used to account for the large sums expected to be received for recovery and development efforts."

Reuters AlertNet - CORRECTED - Red Cross launches $1.2 bln 5-yr tsunami aid plan

Reuters AlertNet - CORRECTED - Red Cross launches $1.2 bln 5-yr tsunami aid plan: "CORRECTED - Red Cross launches $1.2 bln 5-yr tsunami aid plan
24 May 2005 14:08:38 GMT

Source: Reuters

In GENEVA story of May 9 headlined, 'Red Cross launches $653 million 5-yr tsunami aid plan', please read in headline and first paragraph $1.2 billion ... instead of ... $653 million.
(Corrects dollar figure).
A corrected version follows.
GENEVA, May 9 (Reuters) - The global Red Cross and Red Crescent body on Monday launched a $1.2 billion five-year plan to help 10 Asian and African nations around the Indian Ocean to rebuild after last December's devastating tsunami"

Thursday, May 19, 2005

Philanthropy Journal-Your online source for news about nonprofits, social issues, and policy change - newsarticle

Philanthropy Journal-Your online source for news about nonprofits, social issues, and policy change - newsarticle: "Giving online: Part 3


Workplace contributions, technology donations flow.
05.19.2005 -

By Todd Cohen
Two days after the waves hit, Booz Allen Hamilton in McLean, Va., decided to launch a special workplace drive, and sent two email messages over one week to its 16,000 employees saying it would partially match their gifts.
The appeals generated over 1,100 employee contributions totaling more than $200,000, a total expected to grow by another $30,000 to $50,000, in addition to a $50,000 corporate match, says Joseph Suarez, director of community relations.
Don Sodo, president of America's Charities, which has 30 clients that use its online system for workplace campaigns, including Booz Allen and six others that used it for tsunami fundraising, says online giving has undergone a 'revolution' because technology lets charities reach donors quickly with appeals, and provide content about needs and real-time feedback about "

Tuesday, May 17, 2005

Tsunami charity website \'hack\' trial drags on - silicon.com

Tsunami charity website \'hack\' trial drags on - silicon.com: "Tsunami charity website 'hack' trial drags on

May 17 2005

by Andy McCue

No end in sight as case bogged down with expert witness reports...

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The trial involving the alleged hacking of a charity website set up to raise funds for victims of December's Asian tsunami disaster has been delayed yet again while witness reports are compiled by computer forensics experts.
Daniel James Cuthbert, 28, from Whitechapel in East London has been charged with one offence under section one of the Computer Misuse Act following what police called an 'unauthorised' attempt to access the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) website on New Year's Eve. "

Reuters AlertNet - French charity redirects unspent Tsunami aid

Reuters AlertNet - French charity redirects unspent Tsunami aid: "French charity redirects unspent Tsunami aid
17 May 2005 10:02:13 GMT

Source: Reuters

PARIS, May 17 (Reuters) - Paris-based charity Medecins Sans Frontieres received so much money for Asian tsunami victims that it is redirecting cash to other crises and is ready to reimburse donors who want their money back, the group said on Tuesday.
MSF wants to redirect unspent money to other crises such as those in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Darfur region of Sudan, or to AIDS sufferers around the world. Tsunami donors who do not support those causes can have their money back."

Bangkok Post Tuesday 17 May 2005 - Clinton unhappy with tsunami relief effort

Bangkok Post Tuesday 17 May 2005 - Clinton unhappy with tsunami relief effort: "TSUNAMI AFTERMATH / AID PLEA, ESCAP MEETING
Clinton unhappy with tsunami relief effort

PUMMARIE WESTGATE
Washington DC _ Former US president Bill Clinton has urged the American private sector to ``just do anything'' to bring tourists back to Thailand, Sri Lanka and the Maldives in order to speed up the recovery of their tourism industry and economy hard-hit by the Dec 26 tsunami.

Mr Clinton who co-chairs the US private sector tsunami relief effort with another former US president, George Bush senior, made the appeal to the participants of last Thursday's Private Sector Summit for Post-Tsunami Rehabilitation and Reconstruction in Washington DC."

U.N. tells tsunami donors to pay up - (United Press International)

U.N. tells tsunami donors to pay up - (United Press International): "U.N. tells tsunami donors to pay up


Jakarta, Indonesia, May. 17 (UPI) -- A United Nations official has called for international donors to make good on $6.7 billion in pledges of tsunami recovery funds for southern Asia. "

Monday, May 16, 2005

VOA News - UN to Donors: Deliver on Aid Promises to Tsunami-hit Countries

VOA News - UN to Donors: Deliver on Aid Promises to Tsunami-hit Countries: "UN to Donors: Deliver on Aid Promises to Tsunami-hit Countries
By Ron Corben
Bangkok
16 May 2005

Corben report (Real Player) - Download 390k
Listen to Corben report (Real Player)


Indonesia, which bore the brunt of December's tsunami in the Indian Ocean, has
Kim Hak Su, executive secretary of the Economic and Social Commissions for Asia and the Pacific
begun allocating millions of dollars in aid funds for recovery projects. On Monday, at a meeting in Bangkok, a top U.N. official called on international donors to make good on their pledges of assistance to Indonesia and other countries ravaged by the tsunami.
The U.N. official, Kim Hak Su, urged contributing nations and international aid donors to stand by commitments of assistance to tsunami-hit countries. If they do not, he said, there is a risk the economic recovery of countries hit by the disaster could be undermined."

Scotsman.com News - Latest News - Warning over Tsunami Appeal Backlash

Scotsman.com News - Latest News - Warning over Tsunami Appeal Backlash: "printer friendly
11:48am (UK)
Warning over Tsunami Appeal Backlash

By Ben Pindar, Community Newswire


A major new survey has today warned charities across the country they could face a massive public backlash if they don�t act to calm fears over the spending of the �300 million of tsunami donations.
A study carried out by development charity World Emergency Relief has discovered more than half of the British public have �significant concerns� regarding how and where the appeal fund is being used."

Friday, May 13, 2005

FindLaw's Writ - Brownstein: The "Charitable Choice" Bill That Was Recently Passed by the House Why Supreme Court Precedent Renders It Unconstitutional

FindLaw's Writ - Brownstein: The "Charitable Choice" Bill That Was Recently Passed by the House Why Supreme Court Precedent Renders It Unconstitutional: "The 'Charitable Choice' Bill That Was Recently Passed by the House: Why Supreme Court Precedent Renders It Unconstitutional
By VIKRAM AMAR AND ALAN BROWNSTEIN
----
Friday, May. 13, 2005

This is Part Two of a series on 'charitable choice.' - Ed.
Two weeks ago, in Part One of a series of columns, we questioned the constitutionality of a 'charitable choice' bill recently passed by the House, H.R. 27. If that bill becomes law, the federal government will explicitly allow religious organizations that directly receive government subsidies in order to provide public services to discriminate on the basis of religion in hiring employees paid with government funds to staff such social service programs. In this column, Part Two, we continue the discussion of the constitutional issues presented by this proposed legislation. We focus our analysis here on one important Supreme Court decision, Corporation of Presiding Bishop of the Church of Christ of Latter Day Saints v. Amos - a ruling on which the Bill's supporters often, but misguidedly, rely. We begin with a quick summary of the affirmative case against H.R. 27 we staked out in Part One.


The Key Precedent That Calls H.R. 27 Into Question
As we explained in our last column, we think the controlling judicial precedent in this area is Justice O'Connor's concurring opinion in Mitchell v. Helms, a case where a divided Court upheld federal funding used by states to lend educational materials and equipment to public and private schools, including some private parochial schools "

Clinton, Bush stump for tsunami relief - (United Press International)

Clinton, Bush stump for tsunami relief - (United Press International): "Clinton, Bush stump for tsunami relief


By Donna Borak
UPI Correspondent

Washington, DC, May. 12 (UPI) -- Former presidents Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush encouraged the private sector, the U.S. public and non-governmental organizations Thursday to continue their efforts in raising funds for the reconstruction of the six nations devastated by the Asian tsunami in December. "

Thursday, May 12, 2005

Channelnewsasia.com

This article was also linked from AFP Blog Recent News of Note

Channelnewsasia.com: "The international medical charity Medecins sans Frontieres (MSF) denied claims that it was returning huge amounts of money contributed by donors for victims of last year's killer Asian tsunami because it had received more than it could use.



According to the Sydney Morning Herald, in Australia alone the charity had sent out more than 4,000 letters telling donors it could not use their money for tsunami victims, and was therefore proposing to refund them if the donors did not want their money channelled into other causes.

The paper said the charity had had 172 requests for refunds totalling 93,000 Australian dollars (72,540 US dollars) while about 1,700 donors specified other appeals and the rest left the matter up to the charity's discretion. "

Tuesday, May 10, 2005

Charity returns tsunami money | Breaking news | Breaking News 24/7 - NEWS.com.au (11-05-2005)

Charity returns tsunami money | Breaking news | Breaking News 24/7 - NEWS.com.au (11-05-2005): "GLOBAL relief agency Medecins sans Frontieres is tracking down hundreds of thousands of tsunami donors worldwide and offering them their money back.
Hundreds of Australians have asked for $93,000 in refunds after the charity told them it had four times the 20 million euro ($A33.35 million) it needed to fund its response to the Boxing Day disaster, it has been reported.
They refused the charity's offer to redirect their donations to lower profile cases like Sudan or the Democratic Republic of the Congo."

ITBusiness.ca-Red Cross uses custom software to funnel funds

ITBusiness.ca: "Red Cross uses custom software to funnel funds

5/9/2005 1:33:49 PM - Tsunami put system to test as donations poured in

by Vawn Himmelsbach

Scott Duperron was visiting his family in Montreal over Christmas when his BlackBerry started going off. Before it hit the news � and the world's attention � the Canadian Red Cross's CIO already knew about the tsunami in Asia and was on his way back to headquarters in Ottawa.

The amount of attention the tsunami received was unprecedented, as donations poured in from around the world. In Canada, the non-profit organization already had a system in place to manage this process, called The International Programs System (TIPS). TIPS was rolled out in 2003 to streamline and automate the way the Canadian Red Cross Society processes relief appeals, in Canada or around the world. Whether dealing with a disaster on the scale of the tsunami or providing ongoing humanitarian assistance, the administrative complexities associated with managing the appeals process are enormous."

Monday, May 09, 2005

Bucks Free Press: News: Local News

Bucks Free Press: News: Local News: "Anne takes a giant leap for charity

Brave jumper: Tsunami survivor Anne Chable
By Nic Brunetti
TSUNAMI survivor Anne Chable finally made her parachute jump for charity and raised almost �13,000 for victims of the tragedy.
Miss Chable, of Cores End Road, Bourne End, twice had the charity jump called off due to weather conditions and low cloud, but finally made the jump two weeks "

The Australian: Tim Costello: Show us a bigger heart [May 09, 2005]

The Australian: Tim Costello: Show us a bigger heart [May 09, 2005]: "Tim Costello: Show us a bigger heart

May 09, 2005
THE Howard Government is often condemned by its critics as hardline and lacking compassion. Its policies on mandatory detention and episodes involving asylum-seekers such as the children overboard affair have been a lightning rod for critics condemning its humanitarian credentials.

Yet on at least one important criterion, the Howard Government has a record that would surprise some of its critics. It has given more in overseas development assistance than the Fraser government and, perhaps more surprisingly, the Hawke Labor government.
And when the Howard Government's $1 billion tsunami relief package to Indonesia is factored in it has the platform to leapfrog the Keating and Whitlam "

Friday, May 06, 2005

Indian Americans raise $2 million for tsunami victims : HindustanTimes.com

Indian Americans raise $2 million for tsunami victims : HindustanTimes.com: "AIF raises $2 million for tsunami victims in India

Dharam Shourie (PTI)

New York, May 6, 2005














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The American India Foundation's tsunami relief fund has so far raised $2 million for the victims of the disaster in India, its top official has said.
'We envisage approximately 98 per cent of the $2 million raised be used for long-term rehabilitation initiatives targeted at infrastructure development and livelihood projects,' said executive director Pradeep Kashyap."

Thursday, May 05, 2005

KCBD - NewsChannel 11 / Lubbock, TX: Following the Tsunami Relief Money Trail

KCBD - NewsChannel 11 / Lubbock, TX: Following the Tsunami Relief Money Trail: "Following the Tsunami Relief Money Trail
You may recall, after the attacks of September 11th, some charitable organizations were criticized for the way they handled donations meant for victim's and their families. As a result, the Red Cross changed plans to use hundreds of millions of dollars for something other than direct assistance to 9-11 victims. Now, in wake of the tsunami disaster, NewsChannel 11 wanted to make sure charities have learned from past mistakes. We tracked down where each dollar donated on the South Plains during the From Lubbock With Love Tsunami Relief Campaign ended up"

Tuesday, May 03, 2005

LANKA BUSINESS ONLINE

LANKA BUSINESS ONLINE: "Get Cracking


3 May 2005 09:38 hours


SYDNEY, May 3 (AFP) - Hundreds of containers holding supplies for tsunami victims are stranded on a wharf in Sri Lanka because customs officers are demanding extra taxes and storage fees, according to angry Australian charity workers.

Chris O'Dempsey, director and founder of Heart Reach Australia, told Tuesday's The Australian newspaper he saw hundreds of relief containers from around the world at a naval port facility in the capital Colombo during a visit last week. "