The victims, estimated at 400-700 families (depends on what you consider a family and who's counting!) are living temporarily in another area under support from the Cambodian Red Cross and some other NGOs. The other one I know of is CARITAS Cambodia which is the Catholic social development arm. Speaking personally as Dale Edmonds, I would feel pretty confident about channeling aid through CARITAS and having it actually reach people meaningfully.
Crisis aid is a bit tricky. Your first reaction is of course to just go straight there and help. In the immediate aftermath, that's often the best thing that locals can do. But when you're far away and you want to help, what can you do that will actually get there and make a difference?
- Find a charity with a decent reputation and give them cash or a straight donation. Earmark it for the disaster in particular, but if you can make it general so they can figure out where it's needed.
- Find a charity working in the disaster itself and ask them what exactly they need in terms of equipment.
Ask if they prefer funds to buy it locally or for it to be donated. Then go and get it. But always, always ask first. They may have already received food aid or medical supplies and desperately need phone cards or money for a truck.
In Cambodia, shipping costs can make direct goods donations actually end up costing more than buying a brand new product locally. And you get to support the local markets too.
- Pull out your calendar and write a note two months from today that you will contact the charity again. That's when the publicity has faded and the immediate crisis has settled into the bleak 'what do we do now?' aftermath. That's when your support is needed.
Some Riverkids volunteers emailed us for information and had already organised basic shelter goods and cash needed for the slum. I think one of the best perks of working for Riverkids is being reminded on a daily basis that people care and help, from all over the world.
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