Total Target

$200,000

Anugriha

$33450.00

Rejuvenate India Movement (RIM)

$13,000.00

Suyam Charitable Trust

$12,000.00

Summary of our efforts till Jan 20, 2005

Asha Seattle has been deeply involved in the immediate relief operations in Tsunami affected areas. We have been keeping in constant touch with our partners in India who have already been working in the Tsunami affected areas. Plans for relief have come about after long discussions with affected communities. Our target need is $200,000.

Why Asha?

• 100% of the donations collected for Tsunami relief will go to the affected persons since we are a volunteer based organization. We have an excellent track record for honesty, accountability and volunteer commitment. The core volunteers meet all administrative expenses. 100% of your donations are sent to our partners in India.
• Your donation is completely accountable. We can provide you transparency in all of our relief efforts. Our relief efforts have already started.
• We are working with individuals and groups who are local to the area. We will continue to have long-term involvement with the affected communities. We carry out the relief operations with complete local involvement - being very sensitive to local culture and conditions.
• We are working in conjunction with existing government relief efforts. As part of our efforts we have worked with local governments to ensure that relief and compensation reaches the genuinely affected persons.
• Asha received the highest possible star rating by independent Charity Navigator, the independent charity evaluation agency. Asha was called a "slam dunk charity" by CN

Asha Seattle’s Response to the Tsunami Disaster

Effort's Underway
We are working on both immediate and long-term relief. Immediate Relief includes food, clothing, blankets, temporary shelter, medicines and health camps for emergencies and epidemics. Long term Rehabilitation Work focuses on livelihood needs for the families affected - forming cooperatives and providing livelihood support like boats, nets etc. It involves support for activity centers for children and any counseling support required.
Click herefor more details.

Non-Funding Related Efforts

Our volunteers in India are working closely with the relief victims and we are in contact with them regularly trying to understand their needs and expedite help to areas that still are in need of relief supplies.

Information Creation and Distribution

1. We are working to help distribute medical kits and information notes on control of epidemics.
2. We have created pamphlets in various languages for distribution among the villagers and to help relief workers. These contain basic sanitary information for victims and relief workers.
3. We have also created basic water purification method pamphlets to help people disinfect water for use, since most of the surface water and groundwater in wells is now contaminated with salt.
4. We are also working on creating a database of affected villages, with information on the aid being disbursed there, with contact information.

Working with Groups in Other Affected Countries

Efforts are also underway to channelize funds to groups in Sri-Lanka. Besides sending information to these groups on the health pamphlets, we are also working to see if disbursing medical supplies by buying them from India is an option. Our resource material has been translated into Bhasa (Indonesian), and a Sinhalese translation is underway. Our partner groups’ names are on these pamphlets.

Local Publicity Efforts

Locally we have participated in a Candle Light Vigil that was held at the UW on Thursday (13 January, '05) between 5:00-6:00 pm at the UW Lawns. The Foundation for International Understanding through Students [FIUTS] will be collecting funds to be distributed to registered Student Organizations and some major relief organizations like WHO and Red Cross. Indian and South Asian organizations (UWdesi and SASA) are giving their share to Asha.

Alongside we hope to have a huge fundraising dinner sometime soon to generate funds sufficient to for a number of rehabilitation efforts.

We also have (and are) putting up flyers and donation boxes in various parts of Seattle, and many are seen at a number of places in the University district and the East side. We are also working with other NGO’s which are doing fund-raising, and with other groups in companies such as Amazon & Microsoft.