Asia earthquake and Tsunamis - how you can help

19 April 2005

Contributions

The UK government has committed £75 million to help victims with relief efforts following the Boxing Day tsunami.  The Government has also provided money through gift aid and debt relief for affected countries such as Sri Lanka. 

The Disasters Emergency Committee has now closed its appeal, having raised over £300 million.  You can still contribute to their other appeals by visiting the Disasters Emergency Committee website or by calling 020 7436 6000

Volunteering

DFID does not engage volunteers. However, other organisations may be looking for people. We suggest that people interested in volunteering contact the organisations listed below or others working in the international development field.

Please note that responding to offers of assistance involves a lot of resources. Before contacting the agencies please consider the following:

• The immediate relief phase throughout the region is essentially over, and the focus now is on longer-term rehabilitation;
• The bulk of the relief work is being carried out by local personnel in the affected countries, which have considerable capacities;
• Demand for external personnel is for qualified and experienced specialists, particularly those with experience in the region.

However Oxfam in particular are looking for volunteers to staff their shops in the UK. See the press release for more information. There is also a lot of information about volunteering on the World Service Enquiry website.

Other useful sites:

• RedR 020 7233 3116
• International Health Exchange
• VSO - Skilled volunteers needed now to help communities recover from the effects of the South Asia tsunami
• Oxfam - 0870 333 2700  
• Oxfam - Cool Planet for Teachers - Resources for Teachers on Teaching about the tsunami.  
• Save the Children - 020 7012 6400 - How to find a job at Save the Children
• UNICEF
• World Vision - 0800 088 088
• International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
• British Red Cross - 08705 125125
• Christian Aid - 08080 004 004
  

More detailed information on volunteering in general is available in section 2.2 in the recently published Rough Guide to a Better World.(3 mb).

Schools

Schools wishing to establish long term links with schools in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and Latin America can find information about DFID Global Partnerships on the British Council website.

Local Government

TheLocal Government Association's European and International Unit is a good source for information sharing and encouraging good practice.

Further information

For additional information contact the DFID Public Enquiry Point.

The helpline is open from 10am-4pm (GMT/BST), Monday to Friday. An answerphone is available at other times.

Tel: 0845 300 4100 (local call rate from within the UK)
Tel: +44 1355 84 3132 (from outside the UK)
Fax: +44 (0) 1355 84 3632
Email: enquiry@dfid.gov.uk

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