A flood of compassion, pledges<\/p>\n
Amando Doronila, Philippine Daily Inquirer\/Asia News Network, Manila<\/p>\n
The emergency summit of 21 nations in Jakarta last Thursday to
\ncoordinate aid to more than 1.5 million homeless people in 12
\ncountries devastated by the Dec. 26 Indian Ocean tsunami unlocked
\nmore than US$4 billion in aid pledges from more than 50
\ncountries, both rich and poor.<\/p>\n
Although the torrent of pledges moved UN officials to describe
\nit as a display of \"competitive compassion,\" they warned aid
\ndonors not to engage in one-upmanship, and to make good the
\npledge, reminding them that the UN had a bad history of
\nunfulfilled pledges.<\/p>\n
The more reassuring and heart-warming aspect of the flood of
\ncompassion around the globe was the outpouring of cash donations
\nfrom common people and the private corporations. Even before
\ngovernments could make up their minds about their donations, it
\nwas the spontaneous public donations that generated the cash
\nflows that financed food and medical supplies that were the first
\nto reach the victims at the hour of their greatest need.<\/p>\n
Indeed, it was the private outpouring of aid that may be
\ncredited for the recovery of the bodies of more than 150,000
\ndead, and for blunting the second wave of deaths from diseases
\nand hunger.<\/p>\n
Although U.S. President George W. Bush has been criticized by
\nUN officials for his miserly initial offer of $15 million in the
\nfirst few days of the disaster, forcing him to increase the
\namount to $350 million in the following days, American private
\ndonations have surpassed their government in generosity and lead
\nprivate donations all over the world, with the Australians
\ncompeting with them in generosity.<\/p>\n
U.S. charities have reported raising more than $337 million
\nfor emergency relief, that could dwarf the $350 million committed
\nby the Bush government. Bush himself has donated $10 million
\nafter urging the American people to give personally cash
\ndonations and drafting his father, former President George W.
\nBush, and former President Bill Clinton to lead the appeal for
\nprivate donations from Americans.<\/p>\n
The American Red Cross alone has raised nearly $150 million.
\nAmerican private donations were much smaller than the $2 billion
\nraised for the nearly 3,000 people killed in the terrorist
\nattacks on the United States on Sept. 11, 2001. Tsunami donations
\nto the Red Cross have averaged between $81 and $104 million.<\/p>\n
Heart-warming was a donation of fourth-grader Will Molnar of
\nElverta, California, who gave up his ninth birthday celebration
\nand asked his mother to donate the money she would have spent on
\nhis party as presents to children tsunami victims.<\/p>\n
A prisoner in the U.S. donated his wages earned from prison
\nlabor to tsunami charities. A group of children in a Seattle
\nsuburb stood out in the rain offering \"hot chocolate for Tidal
\nWave Relief\" and raised $255.<\/p>\n
Private Australian donations have been pouring in. A rock
\nconcert on the weekend at the Sydney Opera House raised more than
\n$20 million for World Vision Australia as more than 160,000
\nAustralians called in with pledges. The concert proceeds pushed
\nAustralian private donations over the $150 million mark.<\/p>\n
The Australian public has been donating up to $12 million a
\nday since the tsunami hit 12 countries in South Asia, Southeast
\nAsia and Africa two weeks ago, ranking them among the world's
\nbest per capita donors. The Red Cross has raised almost $62
\nmillion; World Vision, $50.8 million; Care Australia, $18
\nmillion; and Oxfam at least $14 million-bigger than the $39
\nmillion government pledge of oil-rich Saudi Arabia, together with
\nits $41 million private donation.<\/p>\n
The bulk of the Australian cash donations comes from small
\ndonors: Ordinary people, chipping in a few hundred dollars. Money
\nis raised from cricket matches, church collections and pubs, and
\nethnic communities.<\/p>\n
More than 50 Thai restaurants from Albert Park, Melbourne,
\ndonated up to 50 percent of their earnings last Sunday to the
\nThai disaster fund.<\/p>\n
A lottery winner donated the bulk of her $500,000 winnings to
\ntsunami charities. An 80-year-old pensioner in Brisbane gave to
\nthe Red Cross his $10,000 savings, straight out of his mattress
\nwhere he had kept it for many years.<\/p>\n
Australian corporate donations are lagging far behind private
\nindividual donations. Business donations have been less than $20
\nmillion, compared to the more than $100 million private
\nindividual donations. Corporations have been criticized for their
\nmiserly response, despite the fact that they are making record
\nprofits. Australian corporate response compares poorly with that
\nof U.S. corporations whose donations were outstripping the U.S.
\nofficial aid pledge package.<\/p>",
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