Like everyone else, our Drishtipat network is keeping busy. The following are some highlights. Upcoming event details will be there shortly. Other than the ones mentioned below, there are loads of people all around the world who are coming together in the aid. But above and foremost a HUGE THANKS goes to all those relief workers, volunteers, administration people and armed forces people who are working round the clock around the disaster zone. Thank you folks!! We owe you one.

* For people who are trying to arrange fundraising appeals and events, Nayan Zaman has put together a webpage with posters and pictures which you can use to download.

You can find it here

* People who are considering short term vs long term relief. We hope you do both. But the foreign aid organizations like unesco et al have already reached their targetted goal. We are still recommending BRAC for short term relief. If you have other interests or want to donate to a local NGO, please contact us at blog At drishtipat dot org. Details here.
For long term relief, various organizations around the world have created together the United Bangladesh Appeal, a compensation fund, specifically created to aid the deceased family. You can donate here

* On the print media, two important pieces:

**DP-Londoner Tahmima Anam in Guardian questions the world conscience about the role of global warming in sidr.

**Another piece by Anisul Hoque of Prothom Alo which was translated by me for a wider audience to highlight the need of coordination and equal distribution of relief rather than more fundraising in Dhaka. More participation from the common folks is urgent.

Those of you who are wondering what to donate other than cash, DP London member and disaster management expert Zia Choudhury comes to the resecue with the following useful info.

This is not by many means exhaustive, but based on
working with disaster survivors in BD and elsewhere,
here is a list of items/ services commonly requested:

First days and weeks:

Dry foods- ready to eat (BD- cheera, moori, gur)
Dry foods- easy to cook (BD- rice, dhal, oil, salt)
Shelter materials- heavy guage plastic sheeting
Shelter building tools- hammer, nails, rope, axe,
spade etc
Water purification tablets (with clear instructions)
Cooking pots, utensils, plates, cups etc
Water storage buckets/ kolosh (with lid)
Blankets
Clothes (BD- Sari/ lunghi)
Matches
Lamps/ kerosene oil
Hygiene kits- (lots of soap, hair oil, combs, blades,
cloth for womens’ sanitation (gamchas), soap powder)
ORS Oral Rehydration Salts- with instructions, and
container to make up solution.
Medical help- intially for injuries, and then mainly
for stomach problems, general pain and respiratory
problems.
Cash- direct cash sum, or via cash-for-work schemes.
The latter is normally designed to allow people to
work on essential projects (shelter/ building
contruction, debris clearing, road repairs, clearing
ponds and wells, burying animals) for at least the
minimum wage.
Mosquito nets.

Some typical services required:Cleaning ponds and wells.
Creating immediate short term work opportunities- cash
for work/ food for work.
Restarting education for children asap ( to restart a
sense of nornmality and avoind huge gaps in education
etc)

Longer term (weeks and months).Livelihood items (fishing nets, boats, seeds, farming
tools, sewing machines…. or whatever equipment was
lost, and is essesntial to restart livelihoods or
essential jobs, like subsistence farming)
Grants/ Loans.

Regarding clothes, medicine, shelter materials, food,
utensils, water purification, hygiene promotion
materials and other classic first phase relief goods,
they are all available locally in Bangladesh at
excellent quality and low price. Its just about
purchasing, transporting and makinbg sure the right
people get them.

With medicines, there is an added proviso that all
medicines must be distributed by qualified doctors/
pharmacists.