One of my friends here is from India, an affected area, and he had a number of points about the nature of international aid that should probably be aired as widely as possible. He's hoping that the aftermath of a tragedy like this might lead more people to take a closer look at the way international aid actually *works*. The first point: don't send blankets to India. They are not grubbing in the dirt with sticks: they have an organized government and infrastructure, and can feed and clothe the survivors themselves. There's too much wastage in the process of converting a blanket to something usable. The second point: do send engineers. The buildings and infrastructure were absolutely devastated, and a lot of the long-term effect will be in the cost of rebuilding roads, in no longer having a school or hospital building, etc. THAT is what India, at least, really does need help with. If they get some help putting the road back together, they can truck fresh water down it all by themselves. I should mention that said friend is working on his Master's project now, putting in grant applications: he wants to study the effects of institutionalization of kids in India following the tragedy, arguing that orphans are being taken away from extended family and thrown into sub-standard orphanages as a kneejerk solution and that this entire system needs to be overhauled.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
timeasmymeasure
tsunami aid
Date: 2005-02-05 02:06 pm (UTC)The first point: don't send blankets to India. They are not grubbing in the dirt with sticks: they have an organized government and infrastructure, and can feed and clothe the survivors themselves. There's too much wastage in the process of converting a blanket to something usable.
The second point: do send engineers. The buildings and infrastructure were absolutely devastated, and a lot of the long-term effect will be in the cost of rebuilding roads, in no longer having a school or hospital building, etc. THAT is what India, at least, really does need help with. If they get some help putting the road back together, they can truck fresh water down it all by themselves.
I should mention that said friend is working on his Master's project now, putting in grant applications: he wants to study the effects of institutionalization of kids in India following the tragedy, arguing that orphans are being taken away from extended family and thrown into sub-standard orphanages as a kneejerk solution and that this entire system needs to be overhauled.