Life in General

Earthquake appeal final report

John Quiggin7 Comments

Thanks to $20 from Alpaca and an anonymous $100, we passed the $1500 target for the South Asia earthquake appeal. I’ve just sent off my matching donation, so that’s $3000 we’ve raised between us. Here are some examples of the benefits this kind of aid can bring (not earthquake-specific, but they give the general idea).

I’d also like to note reader Jess Moulday who’s going to be volunteering in Muzaffarabad for two months, and points to this link. Well done, Jess!

Thanks once again to everyone who pitched in and gave what they could. For those who couldn’t afford to give this time, I hope the appeal has helped to raise awareness of the problems.

7 thoughts on “Earthquake appeal final report”

  1. A good effort and I am glad people are giving.

    I took a look at your link:-

    http://www.oxfam.org.au/donate/wheremoneygoes.html

    and based on that page it seems that none of the money goes to the earthquake in Pakistan.

    The page shows how the money can help in:-

    * Solomon Islands
    * Cambodia
    * Sudan
    * Mozambican
    * South Africa

    The page does not mention that Oxfam will also fund political activists. This is mentioned on their other page here:-

    http://www.iyp.oxfam.org/

  2. Giving money in a responsible manner is hard work. I used to give money to Amnesty International (I was a monthly direct debit donor). I gave money because I am cynical about government power and Amnesty International champions themselves as the watchdog against governments.

    Then I found out that Amnesty was actively encouraging governments to toughen regulation restricting the ownership of hand guns. Which seemed to me like they were swapping sides. So now I give my money to Care Australia.

  3. Terje, I’m sorry I couldn’t find an example for the earthquake, but rest assured that the money raised in this appeal is going to help earthquake victims as I stated.

    Different people have different preferred charities for the reasons you state; that’s why I didn’t specify where people should donate.

  4. but rest assured that the money raised in this appeal is going to help earthquake victims as I stated.

    Okay.

  5. Obviously the major thanks here are due to John Quiggin who motivated people to think about the humanitarian issues and to contribute. In my case he also made me think about the general issue of being non-selfish and giving.

    John’s direct financial contribution to this (and other appeals he has organised) was generous and praiseworthy.

    Thanks John.

  6. Terje, when I donated to Oxfam online I was able to specifically select the “Pakistan Earthquake Appeal”.

    So, yes, you could donate directly to Pakistan aid and reconstruction efforts through Oxfam, though, as you say, there are other charities that you may prefer to use for various reasons.

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