13 January 2005
U.S. Private-Sector Donations for Tsunami Relief Top $360 Million
Total nongovernmental U.S. contributions expected to reach $700 million
Washington – U.S. private-sector contributions to tsunami relief already have topped $360 million and are expected to reach nearly $700 million when planned fund raising is complete, according to figures released January 11 by the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University.
American corporations and nongovernmental organizations are contributing cash, supplies and services to assist in immediate relief efforts as well as in long-term recovery and rehabilitation projects, according to the center.
Corporate donors include companies such as ChevronTexaco Corp., which has sent $490,000 to the Thai Red Cross and local relief agencies; General Mills Inc., which has spent $750,000 on food, water and shelter for victims; and Levi Strauss & Co., which has contributed $160,000 to local relief agencies.
Foundations established by large corporations also are giving generously, among them the Abbot Laboratories Fund, pledging $4 million in health care products and cash; the GE [General Electric] Foundation, contributing $10 million; and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, created by the Microsoft chief executive and his wife, pledging $3 million.
Throughout the United States, charitable organizations ranging from national nonprofits to local community groups are engaged in fundraising efforts to assist tsunami survivors. In addition, nearly every major U.S. religious denomination seems to be actively supporting the relief effort. The list of donors released by the Center on Philanthropy includes the Adventist Development and Relief Agency, American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, Baptist World Aid, Catholic Relief Services, Episcopal Relief and Development, Lutheran World Relief, and Presbyterian Disaster Assistance. Food for Life, a food relief organization operated by Hare Krishna, is providing 20,000 fresh vegetarian meals to tsunami victims.
The American Red Cross has already contributed nearly $160 million of a planned $400 million expenditure to relief and recovery efforts in the affected area. The Brother’s Brother Foundation, based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has sent over $8 million’s worth of medicines and supplies to tsunami survivors, while CitiHope International, a Christian relief and development agency based in Andes, New York, has contributed $10 million to the aid effort.
The U.S. chapter of Doctors Without Borders has raised $20 million for tsunami relief – an amount sufficient “for our currently foreseen emergency response in South Asia,†according to the organization. Overall, the international nonprofit group says it has sent more than 160 international aid workers and 400 tons of relief materials to provide assistance to people affected by the crisis in South Asia.
Another volunteer organization, Habitat for Humanity, is currently working to rebuild housing in six of the 12 affected countries. The organization, based in the U.S. state of Georgia, is strongly supported by former President Jimmy Carter, who frequently participates in its home-construction projects.
For additional information on the overall aftermath of the Indian Ocean tsunami, see “U.S. Response to Tsunami and Earthquake in Asia†at: http://usinfo.state.gov/gi/global_issues/recovery.html
(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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