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Dec. 31st, 2004 03:21 pmSo, we're back from our Christmas travels. The ten-second summary: Ed's mother (who is not in good health generally) had a heart attack on the 26th. She is in the hospital and doing okay (they discovered after hospitalizing her that she also had pneumonia). Other than that, Christmas was fine.
On to a brief charitable plug. For those who haven't donated to tsunami relief yet because they're searching for the perfect charity -- efficient, non-sectarian, non-discriminatory, not the UN or the U.S. government, etc., etc., etc. -- let me point you towards the International Medical Corps: http://www.imcworldwide.org/index.shtml I learned about the IMC because a college friend of mine has a father who works for them. His father was one of the first western doctors in Kabul after the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan; he had also worked with IMC to provide refugee relief to Afghani refugees in Pakistan back in the 1990s, long before the atrocities of the Afghan civil war had attracted the attention of most Americans.
IMC's focus usually is on building (or rebuilding) medical infrastructure in areas that have been devastated by war. They provide health care, but also provide training to local people, helping to set up hospitals and clinics, with the goal of ultimate self-sufficiency. They also provide disaster relief, however, and are working in Indonesia right now to help the victims there.
IMC is highly efficient -- I can't remember the exact percentage that goes towards programs vs. overhead and fundraising, but it's over 80% (and I think over 90%, but I can't remember for sure). They have been very good about not bugging me repeatedly through the year for more money, though they did send me their newsletter.
Or you can donate to the Red Cross, the Salvation Army, Oxfam, Catholic Relief Services, Lutheran World Relief, the Mennonite Central Committee, Save the Children, Doctors Without Borders, or any of the other many, many charities that are trying to alleviate the incredible suffering in the countries that were affected by the tsunami. Any international relief organization is a fine choice, I think. I really have no objection to sectarian charities that offer aid without prosyletizing (Ed and I also support Catholic Relief Services -- we started donating there during the Albanian crisis and have continued, because they are effective, efficient, and compassionate), but I know some do, which is why I thought I'd tell people about the IMC.
But please donate, as much as you can, to whomever you choose. Every dollar they receive means more staff that they can bring to the affected areas to work, more antibiotics, more chemicals for mosquito control, more water purification kits... more of everything they need. Because of the scale of the disaster, even with money pouring in for relief, there are people who are going to die because it's taking time to get help to all of the people who need it. But there are a lot of people right now whose lives are still in danger, who can be saved if there is the money for the things that will help them. The money you donate today will save lives.
On to a brief charitable plug. For those who haven't donated to tsunami relief yet because they're searching for the perfect charity -- efficient, non-sectarian, non-discriminatory, not the UN or the U.S. government, etc., etc., etc. -- let me point you towards the International Medical Corps: http://www.imcworldwide.org/index.shtml I learned about the IMC because a college friend of mine has a father who works for them. His father was one of the first western doctors in Kabul after the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan; he had also worked with IMC to provide refugee relief to Afghani refugees in Pakistan back in the 1990s, long before the atrocities of the Afghan civil war had attracted the attention of most Americans.
IMC's focus usually is on building (or rebuilding) medical infrastructure in areas that have been devastated by war. They provide health care, but also provide training to local people, helping to set up hospitals and clinics, with the goal of ultimate self-sufficiency. They also provide disaster relief, however, and are working in Indonesia right now to help the victims there.
IMC is highly efficient -- I can't remember the exact percentage that goes towards programs vs. overhead and fundraising, but it's over 80% (and I think over 90%, but I can't remember for sure). They have been very good about not bugging me repeatedly through the year for more money, though they did send me their newsletter.
Or you can donate to the Red Cross, the Salvation Army, Oxfam, Catholic Relief Services, Lutheran World Relief, the Mennonite Central Committee, Save the Children, Doctors Without Borders, or any of the other many, many charities that are trying to alleviate the incredible suffering in the countries that were affected by the tsunami. Any international relief organization is a fine choice, I think. I really have no objection to sectarian charities that offer aid without prosyletizing (Ed and I also support Catholic Relief Services -- we started donating there during the Albanian crisis and have continued, because they are effective, efficient, and compassionate), but I know some do, which is why I thought I'd tell people about the IMC.
But please donate, as much as you can, to whomever you choose. Every dollar they receive means more staff that they can bring to the affected areas to work, more antibiotics, more chemicals for mosquito control, more water purification kits... more of everything they need. Because of the scale of the disaster, even with money pouring in for relief, there are people who are going to die because it's taking time to get help to all of the people who need it. But there are a lot of people right now whose lives are still in danger, who can be saved if there is the money for the things that will help them. The money you donate today will save lives.
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