Things to remember before donating or volunteering in a disaster affected area
Some days back I came across an article in which it was mentioned that the volunteers helping the disaster management team of Storm Sandy were having a tough time assorting the donations sent for the victims as many of the items sent like used clothes, food items, vase, vacuum cleaners etc were not needed by the victims. Sorting out the donated items become an important task whenever donations starts pouring in after a disaster take place in any parts of the world. However, after the time consuming task of sorting out the things, a large number of the donated items ends up being sent elsewhere. So, many donors in spite of their good intentions inadvertently slow down the process of relief work. No doubt, when any natural disasters take place, it evokes a strong sense of sympathy for fellow beings in most of the people but before a person takes any action, he needs to think a little about how he can best contribute in the relief measures
Different ways to get involved by an individual
Individuals can generally contribute in the relief measures in the following ways:
- Giving donations
- Volunteering
- Organizing fund drive
Donations
Donations can be either in cash or in kinds. Most organizations prefer cash donation as it is a great help to them in arranging the things needed by the victims such as food, medicines, shelter, bedding materials etc. Apart from the amount spent on the victims there are other overhead expenses. One of the main reasons why every organization prefer cash over other kinds of donations is the fact that with cash the exact needs of the victims can be met. The only down side to cash donation is the possibility of misusing the funds or rise of bogus relief organizations. So, instead of donating money to each and every organization which comes knocking at your door after the disaster, it is better to be cautious and check the past activities of the concerned organizations. An established organisation already involved in doing humanatarian works are less likely to misuse the relief fund.
Some people prefer donating things rather than money. But before you rush to donate whatever you think the victims might need there are certain things to be considered:
Usefulness of the materials: When disasters like flood, earthquakes, cyclones etc strike an area, many people lose shelters and faces problems of food and water. At such situations sending flower vases, vacuum cleaners, torn or soiled clothes etc does not serve any purposes. Remember, you are donating things to make someone’s life better and not to dispose off the things which you no longer need.
Appropriate with the place: Apart from usefulness of the materials one should also give a thought to whether it would be appropriate for that particular place. It is possible that what is useful in one place is not used in other place. To cite an example, a study conducted on the relief work undertaken after an earthquake hit the districts of Latur and Osmanabad in Maharashtra in the year 1993, revealed that things like electric blankets, canned milk and clothes which the villagers considered inappropriate and refused to wear were donated in large numbers. So, if at all you want to donate things but do not have much knowledge about the socio culture of the affected area, it is best to ask the relief agencies working there what are the things that you can donate.
Distance of the affected place: Generally, donating things is more useful when the affected area is nearby. Otherwise the cost of transportation might exceed the usefulness of the materials. Another problem with donating things in far off region is that the things might get spoiled on the way. For instance, donation of food and snacks are appropriate only for immediate neighbouring regions.
Volunteering
When a disaster strikes an area, volunteers play an important role in rebuilding the society. In fact, in most cases, they are the first to reach there. They may be working along with some organizations or may be volunteering independently. When a person volunteers to do something, he gets a satisfaction of being more actively involved with the work. However, volunteering in disaster affected area is not an easy job and often organizations prefer volunteers who are already trained or experienced in handling such stressful task. To an untrained volunteer, working tirelessly among people who have recently lost their properties or near and dear ones can be emotionally disturbing and so may not be able to give their best efforts. However, in spite of being untrained if one is motivated enough to volunteer then they can assist other professionals in tasks like distribution of food and other basic items, assorting clothes, distributing information, searching for survivors and most importantly in providing emotional supports to the survivors.
Whether trained or untrained, a volunteer should co ordinate his works with the other proffessionals working there so as to avoid overlapping of works and also to ensure that the benefits reaches the maximum number of victims.
Organizing fund drive
If one is not mentally prepared or is not in a good physical condition to be a volunteer but would still like to be actively involved, then one can contribute by organizing fund drives or collecting the materials for donations from one’s own communities. They can then send it to the agencies working there.
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