Question: How can I Help Tsunami Victims?

Answer:

Want to volunteer in Southeast Asia to help tsunami victims? Best advice: do it from the U.S. until you're a trained volunteer working with a reputable volunteer organization.

It's tempting to grab your passport and backpack and rush to Thailand, Sri Lanka, India or the Maldives Islands to offer your strong back or capable hands, but you may be of more help in the United States, according to Asia for Vistors About Guide Greg Cruey.

Cruey says, "Plan on being the volunteer that replaced the volunteer there now. There's probably too many people on the ground in some places now...India is actually complaining about 'Disaster Tourism' and has expressed the wish that the world's 'do-gooder' stay home; evidently Madras is too busy sheltering people whose homes were destroyed to figure out where to house foreign relief workers."

Plenty of Westerners are already helping in Thailand, and you may not be welcome elsewhere; Cruey, who spent 10 years with a volunteer service organization, says, "Aceh is a war zone. It is also a good place to become involved in an international incident if a worker isn't aware of Islamic sensitivities in the region. There's no way I'd recommend someone going into Aceh without very specific training. Thailand is a little more relaxed; but the need there isn't nearly as great and Westerners are crawling all over the place."

If you are determined to head for the devastation and lend a hand, try an organization like Global Crossroad and, as Cruey says, be the volunteer who replaces the volunteers who are there now - reconstruction programs with Global Crossroad begin in February.

There are fees for the programs because you receive assistance and training. Read more here. According to the website: "Volunteers will work with Global Crossroad?s staff and villagers in specially designed reconstruction projects ranging from work in orphanages, hospitals, and community centers to rebuilding schools." Remember that you'll need the proper vaccinations before you go; the shots may not take effect for four to six weeks.

Another organization, Tsunami Volunteer Net, is training volunteers to rebuild homes, hand out supplies and more. This link will take you to a message on the Student Travel Forum where an organizer will fill you in on what the group is doing and give you a link to their website.

However, there's no rush - evidently, there are plenty of volunteers in place; get your shots, make sure your passport is up to date (or get one), and you can replace exhausted volunteers in what will be a long, ongoing effort.

In the meantime, try these resources if you want to help:

Christian Children's Fund

Red Cross

Oxfam

Thanks for trying.

"I soon realized that no journey carries one far unless, as it extends into the world around us, it goes an equal distance into the world within."
--Lillian Smith