South Asia needs American support.
There is no place on earth that is invulnerable to a natural disaster of some sort or another an earthquake, a hurricane, a tornado, a flood, a drought, a volcanic eruption, even an asteroid can strike virtually any time, anywhere.
Because we all share the same planet and the same human vulnerabilities, we can all too easily imagine the trauma being suffered by the families in the 11 countries directly hit by last week’s tsunami, and by relatives of those who died or are missing around the world. As the death toll reaches 150,000, the tragic repercussions of this disaster just keep hitting us, like powerful aftershocks, with each passing day.
Providing clean water and guarding against the outbreak of communicable diseases are now the main challenges facing government officials, health-care providers and rescue workers from Southeast Asia to West Africa, along with the many brave volunteers trying to assist them.
Contaminated water supplies, diseases like mosquito-borne malaria and water-borne cholera these are the continuing dangers to the health and wellbeing of untold numbers of survivors in Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka and other countries that border the Indian Ocean.
There is no nation or group responsible for this huge loss of life. There is no one to blame and there are no political implications though some have tried, cynically in our view, to criticize the Bush administration, first for responding belatedly to the crisis, then for offering less financial aid than befits the world’s wealthiest nation. In the president’s defense, it took several days for the true magnitude of the tsunami’s devastating impact to become apparent and, once it did, U.S. aid jumped appropriately, by an order of magnitude, from $35 million to $350 million.
Other countries are also making generous donations, in the form of cash, credit, forgiven debt and, just as important, an outpouring of individual contributions. Altogether, an estimated $2 billion has now been pledged by governments, non-governmental organizations, corporations and individuals, and the contributions continue to pour in from around the world.
The least we can do, from far away, is to support the relief effort, to keep the death toll from rising.
This is truly a time for Americans to unite as we have before in the face of disasters, both natural and manmade, that have struck our own nation and reach out to those who are in such desperate need halfway around the world. Just as the citizens of so many nations showed their heartfelt sympathy and solidarity with America in the wake of Sept. 11, 2001, so should Americans seize this moment to show the spirit of our own generosity toward those affected by the Dec. 26, 2004, tragedy and its terrible aftermath.
Among the relief programs offering assistance are the International Red Cross and Red Crescent, Mercy Corps, Save the Children, UNICEF, CARE and faith-based organizations. Lawrence Road Presbyterian Church, the Presbyterian Church of Lawrenceville and the Church of St. Ann are accepting donations at services, while Adath Israel Congregation is directing donations to a New York-based fund.
Whichever aid program you choose to donate to, if you are able, consider making a donation in some form now and in the coming weeks and months. Carry the giving spirit of the recent holidays over into 2005 and support the causes that are helping the millions of people in need of help right now.