Wednesday, January 12, 2005

Re: tsunami relef

> > Date: Sat, 08 Jan 2005 00:35:28 -0000
> > From: "murthysudhakar2003"
> > Subject: india trip 2005
> >
> >
> >
> > Dear Friends:
> >
> > I am leavign tomorrow for India for 7 weeks. The trip was scheduled
> > before the tsunami hit us. The tragedy is immense and the sorrow
> > undescribable. I have been moved by the compassion, generosity we
> > have all shown and inspired by the volunteers who have gone to help.
> >
> > On this trip I had intended to start a few more projects in some
> > villages. That is still the plan. I am planning to visit some of the
> > affected areas. We must rebuild or more correctly the will of the
> > people there shall achieve this.
> >
> > I shall attempt to send periodic reports as I had last time.
> >
> > I leave with prayers for the deceased and hope for the survivors- in
> > India, in Sri Lanka, in Malaysia, in Soamlia, In Andaman and Nicobar,
> > Thailand and and in Indonesia.
> >
> > The earth shook... the waves rolled...perhaps SHE wanted to highlight
> > the brotherhood of MAN.
> >
> > anbudan (in Tamil= with love and affection)
> >
> > sudhakar
> >
> > Dear Sevak,
> >
> > Please find below a well written appeal for contributions by one of
> > our sevaks, who sent it to his colleagues. You may re-use this mail
> > to appeal to your friends and colleagues.
> >
> > Best regards,
> > Narayanan
> >
> >
> > Dear Friends,
> > The suffering all over South east Asia is tremendous and many of us
> > have responded- If you are still open to giving, I want to share the
> > following about an area I know well (India):
> >
> > I have some experience with a handful of NGOs in INDIA that are
> > small, and waste little money on overhead and get a lot accomplished.
> > Here is info one one of them, that I think is very good.
> >
> > Reports indicate that the death toll in India has reached over 12,500
> > so far, with children accounting for up to a third of all the dead.
> > Millions are affected and displaced. With our past experience of
> > the Orissa cyclone in 1999 & the Gujarat Earthquake we know that such
> > disasters lead to lasting difficulties for the victims that continue
> > long after the multi-national relief organizations leave.
> >
> > Due to the long-term effects of this disaster, local organizations
> > that have the organizational depth, a local volunteer force on the
> > ground , and local Know-how are needed so that relief activities can
> > continue even after the immediate media attention dies down. With
> > that in mind the All India Movement for Seva (AIM for SEVA or AIM,
> > seva is the Indian word for serving/caring)
> > http://www.aimforseva.org/projects_by_state.html is one organization
> > that I can personally recommend, as I have volunteered with them in
> > past and have been impressed with their dedication and managerial
> > ability (see my "Personal note" in Bold below).
> >
> > So far AIM for SEVA has distributed several truck-loads of food and
> > clothing ( from AIM centers all over India) - Locally available
> > products- things the people are familiar with, and respects local
> > culture, diet and custom: so it actually gets used. Like other local
> > organizations, they are operating several temporary shelters in
> > schools, Wedding/Community Meeting halls or are working with local
> > temples/churches and Schools to run the same. Several tens of
> > thousand people are being cared for by AIMS and associated
> > organizations in the wake of this disaster.
> >
> > AIM for Seva is Head Quartered in and have several permanent centers
> > in Tamil Nadu (the state in Mainland India that is most affected) and
> > also in AP (the 2nd most affected state) , all locally staffed &
> > managed, so that they can continue caring longer-term for those in
> > need, especially the children who are affected by this disaster.
> >
> > AIM for SEVA plans to start the rebuilding and rehabilitation of
> > villages in Pondicherry, Nagapatnam, Chennai, and Kovalam, as soon as
> > the Government building approvals are obtained, and the extent, scope
> > and success of this long-term work depends heavily on the the cash
> > contributions they are able to collect. They have dedicated people,
> > they need resources.
> >
> > In such a situation with millions of displaced & suffering people,
> > rebuilding seems an impossible task, but we should not let this
> > discourage us. Let every one of us help in whatever little way we can.
> >
> > You can help too, if you would like. AIM For Seva is asking for
> > monetary contributions from people that it can send to its relief
> > workers in South India. You can easily and quickly send your
> > contribution using a credit card through AIM For Seva's website. The
> > entire process takes a few minutes to complete. These contributions
> > are tax-deductible.http://www.aimforseva.org/
> >
> > You can also help by forwarding this message to other people
> > interested in providing resources for relief efforts.
> >
> > Here are answers to some frequently-asked questions.
> >
> > 1. Is the money going directly to India?
> > Yes. If the donation is tagged as "Tsunami Relief" on
> > the AIM website, then it will go directly towards the
> > relief efforts in India.
> >
> > 2. How is the donation tax-deductible?
> > AIM For Seva is registered as a non-profit
> > organization in the US, therefore any donations made
> > to it are tax-deductible.
> >
> > 3. What if I want to send food and clothing directly
> > to the disaster-hit areas?
> > The AIM For Seva center in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, was
> > accepting food, medicine, clothing, and blankets. However, there
> > seems to be a sufficient amount of this on the ground now, because
> > the response from people all over India was enormous.
> > The center is located in Anaikatti and phone number is
> > 91-422-2657001.
> >
> > The Pondicherry center was also accepting relief
> > supplies. Again my info is that they have plenty of supplies on the
> > ground now.
> > The contact information for Pondicherry is:
> > Swami Tattvabodh-ananda
> > Sri Vedananda Ashramam
> > 139, Aurobindo Street
> > Pondicherry - 605 001
> > Phone - 91-413-5208944
> >
> > 4. What about matching grants from my company?
> > Matching grants is a great way to double your
> > contribution towards the relief efforts. So please
> > inquire from your company's HR department if they
> > match grants to non-profit organizations.
> >
> > 5. Where can I read up more about AIM For Seva and its
> > activities?
> > http://www.aimforseva.org/organization.html
> >
> > Personal Note: About 4 years ago, My wife and I built a
> > residential School for Middle and High school kids in South India-
> > the day to day Running of the School is managed by AIM for SEVA
> > Volunteers. We have also partially financed (and raised funds for)
> > a second, fully operational residential school for indigent kids in a
> > remote village called Mulagunda, Karnataka (also run by AIM) Having
> > visited both places ( and also other AIM centers, hospitals etc) and
> > spent time with the kids, the teachers, and the Management, I am
> > consistently impressed with the quality of these schools and the
> > dedication of the staff- ordinary local folk dedicated to making
> > their communities better. And the kids have the glowing health,
> > academic record and confidence that is the ultimate proof of the fact
> > that our Money has been well spent.
> >
> > Best Regards,
> >
>
>

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