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Disaster Relief for Tsunami Survivors’ By Pam Brockman Over 5000 volunteers providing food, shelter, medicinal care. On Sunday, December 26, 2004, a 9.0 magnitude earthquake caused a series of tsunamis which devastated the coasts of Sri Lanka, India, the Maldives, Indonesia and Thailand. Within three hours more than 500 volunteers of the International Association for Human Values (IAHV) and partner organization, the Art of Living Foundation (AOLF), began direct relief work in the worst affected areas of India, Indonesia and Sri Lanka. Over 440 tons of relief materials estimated at $33 million have been collected and distributed so far. In addition, free courses to help survivors overcome post-traumatic stress disorders are being conducted for over 3,500 people. BBC reporter Daniel Lak described his amazement at seeing grieving mothers in Tamil Nadu laugh and smile after the course and praised its effectiveness (www.theworld.org/latesteditions/01/20050105.shtml). In Indonesia, relief supplies including rice, water, biscuits, clothes, and other needed items worth an estimated $15,000 have been dispatched to Banda Aceh near the epicenter of the earthquake, and three schools are being rebuilt. Previously three other schools had been built in the area by IAHV before the catastrophe. In Sri Lanka, 5,000 potentially orphaned children are being cared for in camps run by IAHV and AOLF. Aid by IAHV and AOLF has reached very remote areas inaccessible via roads. In India, IAHV and AOLF volunteers have provided food and shelter to about 1,000 survivors in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Four relief camps are being run in Kerala, two in Karunagapally and two in the Vypeen Islands. In Tamil Nadu, about 4,800 people are being treated in camps in Nagapattinam and Velankanni. All the orphaned children (approximately 5,000) and women have been adopted in Srinivasapuram, a large slum of Chenai near the beach where the tsunami hit. Over 5,000 IAHV and AOLF volunteers are involved in tsunami relief efforts worldwide. Short term plans include immediate relief for displaced victims including providing food, shelter, medical care and household supplies. In addition, trauma relief programs are in place to empower people to start the process of rebuilding their lives and healing emotional and psychological shock. Long term plans include providing services in five major areas under the IAHV 5H program which has been already implemented in over 25,000 villages in India. These areas are: Homes, Health, Hygiene, Human Values and Harmony in Diversity. Other long term plans are: providing Youth Leadership Training Programs, building orphanages, schools and homes, helping locals plan for sustainable economic development and redevelopment. Locally in the Chicago metropolitan area, the IAHV and AOLF are offering free trauma relief courses for those who have family affected by the tsunami. Donations can be made directly online at their secure website, www.iahv.org, or can be sent to IAHV, 12121 Quadrille Lane, Bowie, MD 20720, 301-806-7983, relief@iahv.org. Please indicate Disaster Relief Fund in memo of check. All donations are 100% tax deductible. Current and past disaster relief assistance by IAHV and AOLF include large scale efforts for the Gujarat earthquake, the Orissa cyclone, the September 11 World Trade Center Attack in New York City, Kosovo, flood relief in Jakarta, plus many other smaller projects all over the world. IAHV and AOLF are two of the very few nongovernmental organizations that continue to do work in Iraq and Afghanistan. The IAHV and the AOLF are educational and humanitarian non-profit, non-governmental organizations working in special consultative status with the United Nations. IAHV works for the propagation of human values throughout the world. The AOLF is also an educational and humanitarian organization that serves society by offering programs that eliminate stress, create a sense of belonging, restore human values, and encourage people from all backgrounds, religions, and cultural traditions to come together in celebration and service. For further information, please contact Pam Brockman at 847-564-5947 or email pambrockman@artoflivingil.org. Also please visit these web sites describing the work of the International Association for Human Values and the Art of Living Foundation: www.iahv.org, www.5H.org, and www.artofliving.org. |
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