Have You Gone MAD Today?

(Compiled from AID India, Red Cross, Akanksha as on 2nd Jan 2005)
(In order of priority)
(Items marked in asterisk "*" are needed urgently)

1. Money

Given below is the information from AID India (Mumbai) for donating money:

• Cheques: All cheques must be addressed to "AID-India ICICI BankAccount No 602201200299". Cheques may be given to the AID Mumbai volunteer who contacted you or alternatively, may be deposited in any branch of ICICI Bank. In either case please contact an AID Mumbai volunteer to give the information required to process your receipt from AID Chennai.
• Electronic Transfers: If you have a bank account with internet banking facility, you can make an electronic transfer via internet banking to AID-India's ICICI Bank Account No 602201200299. Please be sure you that contact an AID Mumbai volunteer to give the information required to process your receipt from AID Chennai.
• Cash: We would prefer not to accept cash donations. In exceptional cases, where for instance door-to-door collections in cash are undertaken, the cash may be deposited in any branch of ICICI Bank to the credit of "AID-India ICICI Bank Account No 602201200299". In such cases please ensure you have sufficient information on the individual donors to enable us to process the receipts in their names. Please contact an AID Mumbai volunteer to give theinformation required to process your receipt from AID Chennai.

2. Medicines (all *)

If you wish to purchase medicines, please buy only one or two of the following in bulk and send. Try to avoid sending an assortment of medicines, as it becomes difficult for the on-site volunteers to segregate and classify.

• Cholera medicines
• Diarrhoea medicines
• Paracetamols
• ORS Packets
• Doxycycline
• Savlon / Dettol
• Scissors
• Crepe Bandage
• Soframycin Ointment
• Burnol
• Disposable Syringes
• Bandages
• Cotton Bundle
• Vaccines - Hepatitis A (approx. Rs. 1,020), Typhoid (Rs. 225), Tetanus Toxoid (Rs. 10)
• Cough Syrups
• Septron Tablets / Syrups
• Anti-Histamines
• Dispovan
• Calara Injections
• First Aid Kits

3. Food (all *)

Must be packaged and non-perishable. High energy, easy to prepare is preferred.

• Milk Powder
• Chocolate Bars
• Jaggery
• Maggi
• Milkmaid
• Biscuits
• Rice
• Dal
• Wheat
• Sugar
• Salt
• Packaged Foods like MTR

Try and avoid sending food as most food items are available on-site. Send money instead. This will cut down transportation cost (from your city to the affected area). Also, on-site NGOs can negotiate a better bulk purchase deal from the suppliers there with the money you send.

4. Clothes and Other Items

• Disposable Gloves for volunteers (*)
• Disposable Masks for volunteers (*)
• Blankets
• Soaps / Detergents
• Toothpaste & Toothbrush (NEW)
• Duct Tape
• Pots and Pans (NEW)
• Socks (NEW) (*)
• Vests (NEW) (*)
• Polythene Ropes
• Torches
• Spare Batteries
• Candles
• Knives
• Matchsticks / Lighters
• Blouses (NEW) (*)
• Petticoats (NEW) (*)
• Sarees (NEW) (*)
• Lungis (NEW) (*)
• Underwear (NEW) (*)
• Towels (NEW)
• Mugs
• Bedsheets (*)

Please note:

• Most NGOs have an oversupply of clothes and are not looking for more. So refrain from sending in any more clothes. Send money instead.
• In case you insist on sending clothes, please stick to the above list.
• And as indicated in the above list, please send in ONLY new / unused clothes.
• Also, please classify the clothes into Men's / Women's / Children's and package separately with appropriate labelling on the packages, so volunteers need not waste precious time in segregating the clothes items.
• Once again, try and send money instead of clothes as of now.

Volunteering

• Tamil speaking volunteers are required for periods not less than 8-10 days.
• Non-Tamil speaking volunteers arerequired for periods not less than 2-3 months.
• For doctors language is not a barrier provided they are willing to stay a reasonable period of time (at least 8-10 days).

Other Useful Links - A Compendium:

• http://tsunamihelp.blogspot.com (Official Site)
• http://www.indianredcross.org/contact.html (Indian Red Cross Addresses - please find out the collection centre closest to you on this site)
  (Red Cross New Delhi : +91-11-23716441)
  (Red Cross Chennai : +91-44-28554548 / 28554117)
  (Red Cross Mumbai : +91-22-22661524 / 22644030)
• http://survivors.aidindia.org, http://mumbai.aidindia.org (AID India - please find out the collection centre closest to you on these sites)
• http://www.akanksha.org/index.htm (Akanksha)
• http://shafaqyusuf.blogspot.com
• http://pmindia.nic.in/relief.htm (Prime Minister's Relief Fund).
  The donations can be made by cheque or draft in the name of “The Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund” and sent to the Prime Minister’s Office, South Block, New Delhi 110001.
  Contributions can also be made directly at the branches of ALL BANKS in the country.
  Contributions can also be sent through Money Orders with no commission chargeable.
  Contributions to the PMNRF have ben notified for 100% deduction form taxable income under section 80(G) of the Income tax act.
• http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/asiapcf/12/28/tsunami.aidsites/index.html (International Agencies for donating for Tsunami Relief)
• http://www.usaid.gov/locations/asia_near_east/tsunami/ngolist.html (United States Agency for International Development - USAID)
• http://www.dfid.gov.uk/news/files/emergencies/asian-earthquake-help.asp (Department of International Development - DFID of the United Kingdom)
• http://www.wfp.org/index.asp?section=4 (United Nations World Food Programme - WFP)