for up to date information tsunami relief check out:

http://ashatsunamirelief.blogspot.com/


http://indiatogether.org/relief/tsunami/


AID India

Tsunami Disaster - Words for Relief

From: "apotia"
[LGBT - India]


Dear Friends

Your contributions, however small, will help us with the difficult and seemingly impossible tasks of both immediate relief and long-term reconstruction for the victims of the tsunami disaster.

Working in the relief effort can sometimes become a very demoralizing task. We suffer from crises of confidence and feelings of utter helplessness. In this context, words, good wishes, and prayers from people all over the world help us find the courage to go on.

For the survivors of the disaster, words of comfort can help as much as material goods to provide emotional relief.

In order to provide people with a formal forum where they can send in their messages of comfort and reassurance, we have set up a body called Words For Relief. We will try and get your messages translated and out to the people who need to hear your support.

You can e-mail your messages to: wordsforrelief@gmail.com

Letters can be addressed to:
Words For Relief
20 Frankfort Place
Colombo 04
SRI LANKA

Please forward this widely.

In solidarity,
Ali

P.S. For more updates on the tsunami disaster, my experiences and the
relief effort, please visit my web log at http://apotia.blogspot.com

WOMEN'S COLLECTIVE & TAMILNADU RESOURCE TEAM APPEALS THAT THE
NATION RISE AS ONE TO THE RESCUE AND REHABILITATION EFFORT


......In Chennai all the fishing hamlets are affected. The severly affected places includes Srinivasapuram in Pattinapakkam where more than 30 dead bodies are identified. Nearly 15 identified bodies are that of small children who were actually playing in the beach have been kille dby the killer wave. Nearly 1000 huts are sweft away by the wave. Sea water has entered the housing board flats in the same area. Several other fishing settlement along Marina are also affected very badly. Thedeer Kuppam with 300 huts, Nadu Kuppam with 350 huts, Nochi Kuppam with 300 huts will also fall under the severly affected area. Ayodhya Kuppam, Nanttan Kuppam are the other fishing settlements which are affected in Chennai. So far 170 bodies are recovered from the sea and of which 131 are identified. Several hundreds of people from these settlements are still missing.

The damages include loss of life, house, household articles, fishing gear, boats and Kattamarams. The immediate need is that of food and clothes and some bedsheets and mats. Women's Collective started its relief Kitchen yesterday and so far nearly 5000 hot food packets and water packets are distributed. There are several NGOs who are involved in food distribution and several of them are running medical Camps. Apollo Hospital and Government hospital Ambulances are pressed to service for disposing the dead bodies. Women's Collective volunteers are going round the city collecting old clothes and we have distributing it in the affected area. we are careful in avoiding the duplication of services. People are mostly in Churches and common buildings along the Santhome high road , on either side of the road in the platform and a few hundreds are there near the damaged houses trying to recover the few things that is left behind. We intend to continue the relief
distribution for at least a week or so till they return to normalcy. We are working
with the local fishing community leaders, SHG leaders and the Panchayath Leaders. We have our SHGs at Nochi kuppam, Thedeer Kuppam area and all of them have lost their belongings.

In Kanyakumari district several fishing villages are affected. Periya Vallai 150 huts, Kottalampadi 100 huts, Kolechal several hundread huts, Keel Muttam 500 huts, Manavalakurichi 400 huts, Kanyakumari 1000 huts, Pallam 200 huts, Allikal 500 huts, Pillai Thoppu 200 huts, Kayal pattinam, Puthan thurai, Manakudi, Kadiyapattinam, Mandaikadu, Thengai Pattinam, Chinna Muttom, Paniyur, Simon Colony, Kodimunai, Puthur, Muttom, several hundreds of huts are washed away. Nearly 500 people are said to have died and so far 110 bodies are identified. There was a mass cremination of 230 bodies this morning. Most of the people have left the villages and have moved to Nagerkoil, Mullavumoodu, Takkalai, Kottar, Myiladi to churches and common buildings, Schools. In Kollacheal several bodies are said to be washed ashore from this morning and there is no place in the hospital there. When our team was there for half an hour five bodies were washed ashore. Nearly 2000 people are missing from Kollechal.

In Kanyakumari almost all the churches and rotary clubs, Schools and colleges are onvolved in the relief work. Women's Collective staff are in all the releif camps as voluteers helping them. As immediate releif has already reached them we have not done any distribution. This is the district which requires long term help like fishing gears , boats, reconstruction of huts and household articles later.

We would be thankful if you can do the needful to raise whatever support that you can give either in cash or in kind. We would be happy to have
secondhand bed sheets for distribution.

We can be contacted at 10, East Street, Kollattur, Chennai - 600 099. Phone: 044 2550 5853 / 2550 1257. email: sheelu1@vsnl.com; womencollective@rediffmail.com; Mobile: 9444015851 and 9444293690 .


Women's Collective A/C 10694 , Corporation Bank, Kellys Branch, Chennai. or to
Tamilnadu Resource Team A/C 7270 , Corporation Bank, Kellys Branch, Chennai.

Bank Swift Code:

AMERICAN EXPRESS BANK, NEW YORK AEIBUS33 ACCOUNT NUMBER ; 163121 Corpinbb122, routing 124071889

You can send the cash either directly to the bank account or by cheque to the following account.

The Clothes and other medicines could be sent to the below address.
10, East Street, Kollattur, Chennai - 600 099, Tamilnadu, South India.

In case you are able to raise funds the donations can be send to
Women's Collective or to Tamilnadu resource team both has 80G.

Do not hesitate to contact us if you need more information.

Regards,

Sheelu.

From: "bhavana"
Auroville, the villages and the Tsunami

Hello Friends of Village Action,
 
I've gotten lots of emails asking how we're doing and what we're doing in the wake of the tidal wave. Auroville itself, being high on a plateau has not been physically affected, but the villages on the beaches are devastated and their people distraught and bereft of houses and their fishing boats. I am attaching a vivid description of Auroville's response to the need in the villages.  Auroville Village Action Group is really happy to be working together with many many Aurovilians who are putting all their energy into providing relief to the villagers.  We are part of the Auroville Tsunami Relief Team and a camp has been set up where nearly 1200 villagers are sheltered now from the second wave.  Our teams are visiting the villages to assess the damage, while administrative teams are organiising communication and fundraising.  There is a lot to do, and it is a challenge to which we are rising.
 
Thanks for your concern, and help,  Instructions about how to send help are in the article, and below.
love
bhavana


The Auroville Tsunami Rehabilitation Effort

 
The first wave of the Tsunami hit the Pondichery and Tamil Nadu coast at 8 AM on 26th December 2005. Seven thousand people died on the spot.

By 9.30 AM, a team from Auroville, the international township inspired by the Mother and Sri Aurobindo, and which is situated near Pondichery, swung into action. A first emergency meeting was called in the house of two Aurovilians and it was immediately decided to set-up a camp for the persons affected by the tidal waves. By 12 Am, eight tents and seven shamianas (awnings), donated by the children of Auroville (who use them for their annual summer camps) were erected on a field near one of the Auroville communities. Two portable 5000 liters tanks, two generators a field kitchen with four cooking ranges, eight ladies and four cooks were straight away put into service. Three of Auroville’s load carriers, two tractors and two buses to pick up refugees were also commissioned. The camp was manned by more than sixty Tamil youths from the villages within Auroville, as well as many Aurovillians from all parts of the world. By 2 PM, 750 people were fed and 350 food packets distributed. All throughout the afternoon, refugees kept streaming in and another 1200 people were fed in the evening. Blankets were arranged as the night was cold and windy. On the second day, everybody was moved to the Kuilapalayam Trust School, which is run by Auroville, as rain was threatening. There, the refugees were spread out in eight buildings as well as two tents and food was prepared this time for 1400 people, along with another 500 food packets for distribution. Clothes and blankets were also handed out.

The extent of the disaster was then becoming clear. A quick survey was done amongst the villages and the Auroville communities that dot the beach. In Ganagachettikullam, a village of fishermen at the extreme limit of Pondichery state, the Auroville team was met by utter desolation: the mud houses which were the first ones on the beach front had been totally destroyed, or sometimes washed away. Broken furniture was lying on the side of the road, TV’s beyond repair were nevertheless put in the sun to dry, pieces of thatched roof were blocking the road, electrical lines had fallen down, the steps leading to an old stone temple had also collapsed. Three days after the catastrophe, women were still wailing, some of them foaming at the mouth, out of sheer desolation. On the beach, the team met Ranjani, a pretty girl (photo) of 18. That fateful morning of the 26th, her mother and father had gone to the market to sell the fish caught in the early morning and she was left alone with her little sister of 3 years, Anusuya. was cooking the morning’s meal, when suddenly her sister ran to her and clung to her shirt. Ranjani looked up and saw a huge wave advancing towards the house. “I climbed on a stool and as water reached my shoulders, I clung on a rafter from the roof with one hand, while holding my little screaming sister with the other, she recalled sobbing. After a few minutes my hands went numb and suddenly I saw that my sister had disappeared”. Ranjani cried and cried for help, but nobody came. Anusuya was found dead a few hours later, one kilometer upstream in the village which has been totally flooded. 26 other people, mostly children and elderly persons, lost their lives. 75 houses were totally destroyed and 265 families affected one way or the other by the Tsunami which hit Ganagashetikkam.

Next to Ganagachettikullam, one finds Eternity, an Auroville beach community. There lives a wonderful family: Yuval the father is an Israeli, his wife Hannah is from Holland with five kids, all raised in Auroville, each of them speaking several languages. Yuval and his family moved in 20 years ago on this piece of barren land on the beach where nothing grew. With hard work and dedication, they turned it in a green forest, a place of beauty and peace. They also painstakingly built houses in the community, mostly using local material: mud walls, Palmyra leaves, thatch roofs, with one solitary high hard concrete house. On that fateful morning of the 26th, Hannah had one of her daughters with her, Jitta. Jitta has two children: a daughter of two years and a son who is barely eight months old. As usual in Auroville, where everybody sleeps early, everyone woke-up at 6 Am for an early morning tea in the community kitchen. At 6.30 AM, Yuval felt the earth shake and jokingly asked his wife ‘if she was dancing on the bed”. At 8.15 Am, Jetta decided to put back her son to sleep on the ground floor of a house which was 200 meters away.

Everything looked so peaceful and no different than a thousand other mornings in Eternity beach community. But suddenly Hannah heard a noise that sounded like the rushing of water. She went outside “I saw this huge wave rushing toward me and it immediately it flashed in my mind: ‘Tidal Wave’”. She grabbed her granddaughter, climbed on the first floor and shouted at her daughter to go and get her son in the nearby hut. Jitta ran as the water was already swirling around her, managed to get her baby just as he was being swept away, shouted at two guest who were sleeping in another hut - and would have otherwise died - and seeing that there was no way to go back where her mother was, ran towards a higher ground on the opposite side of Eternity. After ten minutes, Yuval and Hannah saw no sign of Jitta and her son and thought they had died. “We screamed and screamed and scanned every part of the community, while water was still rising”, Hannah recalls, still sobbing. When the second wave receded, they were able to find their daughter and grandchild -a-l-i-v-e-.

Today Yuval and Hannah have lost everything and are painstakingly trying to salvage some of their personal belongings, thanks to an amazing wave of solidarity amongst Aurovillians and a lot of help from the nearby village. “I put so much work in this land and God took everything back, but he spared our lives and that is a miracle”, says Hannah. But like the inhabitants of Ganagachettikullam, their lives have been shattered and Hannah still breaks down from time to time when she recalls the time when she thought her daughter and grandson were both dead, taken away by the terrible Tsunami waves.

By the fourth day, it became clear to Aurovilians that they had to shift from immediate relief measures to long term solutions for the affected villages. Hemant and Jos were appointed as main coordinators, with teams for Office and administration, Financial management, Communication, Sourcing and Purchase, Village Relief Coordination, Auroville Relief coordination:. Government Liaison. An office has been opened equipped with computers, telephones and internet as well as ample storage space for goods for the next phase of the rehabilitation.

The two teams from the Village Coordination group went for the first assessment of the damage to nine coastal villages around Auroville in Villupuram district. It was found that a total of approximately five hundred houses have been destroyed and 62 deaths registered. It also became clear that the first basic relief : rice, clothing and 2000Rs cash, had already been given by the Government. What people now needed is to gather their life together. Most of the villagers wanted household utensils, metal trunks, clothing, blankets and notebooks for school children. The longer term concerns were housing and fishing nets and boats for livelihood. Suryangandhi reported how grateful people felt towards Auroville for their timely help in this moment of crisis. The next steps are to build a data-base for needs of all the affected families and set-up a system of distribution. All this would need allot of men, material and money.

Transparency has been ensured by creating an accounting team and channeling funds through two new created accounts in the existing Financial infrastructure of Auroville which offers tax rebate and foreign donations facility with 80G. (see below). “What we need, one of the members of the team said, is more funds that goods in kind, specially from the West, as it has been shown in the past that grain can rot in go downs, long before it is distributed and that most villagers using firewood to cook, western food stuff and utensils are often not compatible. However, blankets, tents and trunks are welcome”. Another member of Auroville’s Rehabilitation team emphasized: “that this is a catastrophe of unparalleled dimensions, specially after the warning of the 30th December noon, which sent again thousands of people from the coastal area of Tamil Nadu towards higher and safer grounds. We invite the world community to extend their generous support to rebuild the shattered lives torn by natures fury”. And he adds: “if we receive sufficient funds, we will not only look after the rebuilding of the 12 coastal villages we have taken charge off, but we will include all those reaching up to Marakkanam (40 kms North of Pondichery) ”!

FG

Box : How to contribute to the Auroville Tsunami Fund

 
FOREIGN FUNDS
 
1    BANK TRANSFER via SWIFT following details :
 
Bank Name                                State Bank of India
Branch Name                             Auroville International Branch
Branch Code                              03160
Beneficiary Account Name       AV Fund Foreign
Beneficiary Account Number    01000060095
Details / other Information         Village Flood Relief OR Auroville Beaches Relief
SWIFT CODE                            SBININBB474
 
** Under Details please specify if you want the funds to go for the Village Relief Works or for Auroville Beaches Relief. You could  also give a percentage allocation.
 
2    FOREIGN CHEQUES
 
Please make your cheques payable to "Auroville Fund - Foreign"
and send to the address below
 
Please note: on the AVwebsite www.auroville.org/crisis.htm 

two online donation options are active.
One can also donate via an Auroville International Centre in one's countries. Contact details can be
found on www.auroville.org/organisation/avimain.htm
 
 or obtained via avi@auroville.org.in
 
 
INDIAN FUNDS
 
1    CHEQUE / DD to be made payable to "AUROVILLE FUND"  On the reverse of the Cheque please write for Village Flood Relief OR Auroville Beaches Relief.
DDs payable at Pondicherry
 
Please send the cheques to :
Auroville Tsunami Rehabilitation
Opposite Aurelec, Kuilapalayam 
Auroville - 605 101
Tamil Nadu, India
 
For email contact : tsunami@auroville.org.inPhone : 0413 - 2622184
 
Please note that Indian donations are exempted under Section 80G of the Income Tax Act.

From: "Vivekananda Centre"

Dear Friends

If you wish to donate funds for the relief work in India, you may want to
visit RK Math site and contribute quickly and easily using a credit card.

The Ramakrishna Movement is held in very high esteem for their
disaster relief activities.

Sri Ramakrishna Math, Chennai site for making contributions

http://www.sriramakrishnamath.org/news/tsunami.shtml


jay
Vivekananda Centre London

plus you can donate to the following:



ACTION AGAINST HUNGER
247 West 37th Street, Suite 1201
New York, N.Y. 10018
212-967-7800 x108
www.actionagainsthunger.org


AMERICAN JEWISH WORLD SERVICE
45 West 36th Street, 10th
Floor
New York, N.Y. 10018
800-889-7146
www.ajws.org


AMERICAN JEWISH JOINT DISTRIBUTION COMMITTEE
South Asia
Tsunami Relief
Box 321
847A Second Avenue
New York, N.Y. 10017
212-687-6200 ext. 851
www.jdc.org



AMERICAN FRIENDS SERVICE COMMITTEE
AFSC Crisis Fund
1501 Cherry Street
Philadelphia, Pa. 19102
215-241-7000
www.afsc.org


CARE
151 Ellis Street
Atlanta, GA 30303
800-521-CARE
www.care.org


CATHOLIC RELIEF SERVICES
Tsunami Emergency
P.O. Box 17090
Baltimore, Md.
21203-7090
800-736-3467
www.catholicrelief.org


DIRECT RELIEF INTERNATIONAL
27 South La Patera Lane
Santa
Barbara, Calif. 93117
805-964-4767
www.directrelief.org


INTERNATIONAL MEDICAL CORPS
Earthquake/Tsunami Relief
1919 Santa Monica Boulevard,
Suite 300
Santa Monica, Calif. 90404
800-481-4462
www.imcworldwide.org


INTERNATIONAL ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN
CHARITIES
Asia Disaster Response
P.O. Box 630225
Baltimore, MD 21263-0225
877-803-4622
www.iocc.org



ISLAMIC RELIEF USA
Southeast Asia Earthquake Emergency
P.O. Box 6098
Burbank, Calif. 91510
888-479-4968
www.irw.org/asiaquake


MERCY CORPS
Southeast Asia Earthquake Response
Dept. W
P.O. Box 2669
Portland, Ore. 97208
800-852-2100
www.mercycorps.org


UNICEF
General Emergency Fund
333 E. 38th Street
New York, NY 10016
800-4-UNICEF
www.unicef.org


MORE BELOW!!

Earthquake: How to Help
Donation:

Online donations through Amazon.com

India: Prime Minister's National Relief Fund

Sri Lanka: Reliefweb (United Nations office)

Tamilnadu Government: Refer : http://www.tn.gov.in/misc/cmprf2003.htm
Contributions to the Chief Minister's Public Relief Fund are most welcome

Wikinews.org

www.reliefweb: South Asia: Earthquake and Tsunami



Information, First hand accounts and Blogs:

From: News by chanakya
A list of relief efforts in India for tidal wave relief

Photos at Yahoo.com

http://blog.rajanr.com/

http://www.kiruba.com/

http://www.sumankumar.com/

World Health Organization Situation Reports

Indonesia HELP http://indonesiahelp.blogspot.com/) - Aid, support, donation information and updates for earthquake and tsunami victims in Indonesia (Aceh & North Sumatera)

55,000 Dead: The Role of U.S. Criminal Negligence on a  Global Scale
Casualties of a policy of war, negligence, and corporate  greed

Statement from the International Action Center


December 28, 2004--While earthquakes and tsunamis are natural disasters, the  decision to spend billions of dollars on wars of conquest  while ignoring simple measures that can save human lives  is not.

At least 55,000 people were killed by the tsunami that  devastated coastlines from Indonesia to Somalia.  Almost a  third of the dead are children.  Thousands are still  missing and millions are homeless in 11 countries.    Hundreds of thousands have lost everything, and millions  face a bleak future because of polluted drinking water, a  lack of sanitation and no health services, according to UN  undersecretary Jan Egeland, who is in charge of emergency  relief coordination.

Egeland said, "We cannot fathom the cost of these poor  societies and the nameless fishermen and fishing villages  and so on that have just been wiped out. Hundreds of  thousands of livelihoods have gone."

The South-East Asia Earthquake and Tsunami

The SEA-EAT blog for short. News and information about resources, aid, donations and volunteer efforts.

Crisis press release

Following the sudden devastation that struck the Tamil Nadu coastline Sunday morning Dec 26 th as a result of the earthquake off Indonesia , the Auroville community finds itself confronted with the task of sheltering and feeding hundreds of homeless from the adjacent shoreline villages as well as rebuilding its own devastated beach communities.


It is estimated that 7000 are homeless in the Auroville bioregion and two thousand huts/ homes have been destroyed. The Auroville community of Eternity has been totally destroyed and the communities of Sri Ma, Waves and Simplicity devastated.


It is estimated that each refugee immediately needs a minimum of one plate, tumbler, blanket and mat per person. The overall cost of feeding and sheltering each refugee and the renting of materials is estimated at 20 US dollars per person. Help is needed to deal with refugee crisis as well as rebuild the devastated Auroville communities.

How can you help?

one of the most direct ways to help the victims of the recent Tsunami in East India is through the Sri Ramakrishna Math, Chennai, India Donate now!!

Aid groups accepting donations for victims


(CNN) -- International aid organizations are accepting donations to help victims of the powerful earthquake and resulting tsunamis that caused widespread destruction in parts of Asia and Africa. The groups include:

Doctors Without Borders


U.N. World Food Programme


UNICEF


Mercy Corps


International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies


CARE


AmeriCares


Action Against Hunger


ADRA International


American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, Inc.


Christian Children's Fund


Church World Service


Direct Relief International


Food for the Hungry, Inc.


International Aid


International Medical Corps


International Rescue Committee


Lutheran World Relief


Oxfam America


Project Concern International


Save the Children USA


World Concern

Transgender Activists Celebrate Victory in New York City
For Immediate Release December 22, 2004

Transgender advocates and activists are celebrating the release of Guidelines Regarding Gender Identity Discrimination from the New York City Commission on Human Rights this week. These guidelines interpret the Human Rights Law and are designed to educate the public about the prohibition on discrimination based on gender identity and expression that became part of New York City human rights law with the passage of Int. No. 24, the transgender rights bill signed into law by Mayor Michael Bloomberg as Local Law 3 of 2002 in April of that year.

"These guidelines are a vital step toward preventing discrimination against transgender people in New York City," said Matt Foreman, executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, and a member of the working group that worked on the guidelines with staff of the Commission on Human Rights. "Many employers, landlords and business owners do not understand let alone know how to avoid discrimination based on gender identity and these guidelines provide real education and guidance."

"The transgender community still faces persistent and severe discrimination, being turned away from housing, health care, and employment on the basis of gender identity and gender expression," says Carrie Davis, a working group member and coordinator of the Gender Identity Project (GIP) at New York's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center. "These guidelines will help our community know its rights and make this law more effective at preventing a systemic discrimination, one that frequently affects our most needy and least powerful members."

The Guidelines come after a two-year process of drafting undertaken by a working group of community advocates, legal experts, and Commission staff. "The release of these guidelines brings New York City into line with other cities across the country that are ensuring equality by both passing laws to prohibit discrimination, and providing detailed guidance to prevent discrimination," said Melissa Sklarz of New York Transgender Rights Organization.

"This is an historic accomplishment for New York City," said Pauline Park, co-chair of the New York Association for Gender Rights Advocacy, Inc. (NYAGRA). "It is inspiring to see transgender community representatives working closely with city government to achieve such an important step forward."

The Human Rights Law prohibits discrimination against transgender people in employment, housing and public accommodations, including city agencies. The group was eager to see these guidelines put into action to improve transgender access to basic services throughout the City. "The transgender community is excited to continue working closely with New York City agencies such as the Department of Homeless Services to use the guidance provided by the Commission this week to improve policies city-wide and help transgender people access the basic goods and services that every New Yorker is entitled to," said Dean Spade, founder of the Sylvia Rivera Law Project and a member of the working group.

"These guidelines are a powerful new tool for advocates working to end discrimination against transgender people," said Michael Silverman, executive director of the Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund. "While much education and advocacy work remains to be done, the guidelines add tremendous depth to the Human Rights Law."

"The clarity that these guidelines give this important law will be felt throughout New York State and the country, articulating an understanding of what equality looks like for the transgender community," said Moohhawk River Stone, co-chair of the New York Association for Gender Rights Advocacy, Inc. (NYAGRA).


Contact info for Working Group:

Moonhawk River Stone, M.S.
Co-chair, New York Association for Gender Rights Advocacy, Inc.
(518) 393-7577; HawkRStone@aol.com

Dean Spade
Sylvia Rivera Law Project
322 8th Avenue, 3rd Floor
New York, NY 10001
(212) 337-8550 x 3, 2
Available December 22-January 1 at (415) 621-2960
dean@srlp.org

Carrie Davis, MSW
Coordinator, Center CARE Group Services
Coordinator, Gender Identity Project (GIP)
The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center
208 West 13th Street, New York City 10011
W:www.gaycenter.org

T: (212) 620-7310
F: (212) 924-2657

Michael D. Silverman
Executive Director & General Counsel
Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund, Inc.
40 East Ninth Street
Suite 4C
New York, New York 10003-6422
msilverman@transgenderlegal.org
917.292.1495

Melissa Sklarz
Director
New York Trans Rights Organization (NYTRO)
New York Chapter
212-869-8926, ext. 5 (work)
347-886-7961 (cell)

Matt Foreman, Executive Director
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
90 William Street, Suite 1201
New York, NY 10038
(212) 604-9830

Pauline Park
Co-Chair
New York Association for Gender Rights Advocacy (NYAGRA)
24 W. 25th St., 9th floor
New York, NY 10010
(212) 675-3288, ext. 338
(718) 424-4003 (h)

From: L Ramakrishnan- LBGT-India


To friends and listmembers who have written in asking how they
can help, here is one effort being put together by a coalition of folks
in Bangalore led by the Environment Support Group. I happen to know
some of the folks involved in this effort (Servelots) and can
vouch for their credibility.

They have information on cash, medical supplies, clothes
and other donations below. Write to tsunami@servelots.com with cc
to esg@esgindia.org for queries on out of town donations.

Ramki

From: Leo Saldanha, ESG India
Sub: Appeal to assist victims of tsunamis in South India and Sri Lanka

In response to the tsunamis that swept through the eastern coast of India, Sri Lanka, and elsewhere in South East Asia, and the devastation caused by them, Environment Support Group (ESG), Community Health Cell, India Together, Association for India's Development (Bangalore Chapter) and Servelots are putting together a handy list of ways in which concerned citizens and organisations can contribute in cash and kind.

In addition to suggestions for contributions, ESG is also collecting contact information for government and non-government institutions who are directly involved in relief operations.  All this information will be present and continually updated online at Tsunami Relief information:http://www.indiatogether.org/relief/tsunami.
Please send any critical information you would like to be listed on this website to editors@indiatogether.org to help keep this page current and readily supportive of emergency and relief operations.

We encourage citizens to liberally contribute to the relief of the affected communities.  A list of items immediately required is enclosed.  Material can be dropped off at the ESG office (address given below) or at Servelots, 3354, "Pankaja", KR Road, Bangalore, 560070 tsunami@servelots.com - +91-80-2676-2963.  Please call before you come to the office to drop off your contributions.  More drop off points will be identified in coming days.

In addition to contributions in kind, ESG will also accept monetary
contributions by cheque/DD in favour of 'Environment Support Group' payable at Bangalore.  Please clearly mark the back of the cheque with words "Tsunami Relief Fund".  Receipts will be issued.

We encourage citizens to come forward to join this effort and to assist people in devastated areas in their time of need.

It is extremely critical that we coordinate efforts of organisations and networks from the Bangalore region in collecting relief material and reaching the same to affected areas.  In this regard, it would be helpful if we could meet tomorrow (Tuesday 28 December 2004) at St. Joseph's College of Arts and Science, Langford Road, Bangalore at 4.30 pm.  Please encourage others to come.

To enable a point source dissemination effort of critical information, a daily newsletter will be sent out with updated information.

LIST OF MATERIAL TO CONTRIBUTE:

FOOD:

.  Food - dry and ready food is preferable as it takes a long time by road to reach the affected areas and food should not spoil. Biscuits, dal, rice, and grains are also needed. Grains should be ground into flour. Tea, sugar, salt, oil etc, will also be in demand.   PLEASE PACK ALL FOOD WITH NEAT LABELS IN ENGLISH (Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam if additionally possible).

.  Clothes - all types. Especially warm clothes, blankets, durries, chaddar, etc.  PLEASE GIVE CLOTHES IN AGE GROUP PACKS OF 0-1; 1-3; 3-7; 7-10; 10-15; 15-18; 18+.  KINDLY LABEL THE AGE GROUPS AND WHETHER IT IS FOR GIRLS, BOYS, MEN Or WOMEN.  ENSURE ALL BUTTONS ARE SEWED, NO TEARS, AND THAT CLOTHES ARE CLEAN.   Sarees and full blouses and lungis are particularly required.

.  Lamps - Functional torches with cells for the same, kandil (kerosene lamps), and candles and matches packs.

.  Medicines - we are trying to get a list of the medicines that are most needed, but any good doctor can help such a list to be put together.

Meanwhile, friends have suggested that the following medicines will be required.
*       Pain Relief - Ibuprofane, Asprin, Dclofenac, Paracetamol
*       Infection Prevention/Antibiotics - Amoxicillin
*       Injuries Dressing - Cotton, Bandages etc.
*       Dysentry - Diaorehha - Oral Rehydration kits (ORS), Furazolidone,Metronidizole
*       Anti-Bacterial - Cotrimoxazole
*       Chloroquine
.  Carbouys / buckets for fetching water from distance.

This is a quick list, which will be further updated soon.

In solidarity,

Leo F. Saldanha/Environment Support Group;  Dinesh/Servelots; Ashwin
Mahesh/India Together; Prasanna/Community Health Cell/Association for
India's Development (Bangalore Chapter); Subramanya Sastry

Contact Address:

Environment Support Group R
S-3, Rajashree Apartments, 18/57, 1st Main Road, S. R. K. Gardens,
Jayanagar, Bannerghatta Road,
Bangalore 560041. INDIA
Telefax: 91-80-26534364/26531339/26341977
Fax: 91-80-51179912
Email: esg@esgindia.org or esg@bgl.vsnl.net.in
Web: www.esgindia.org

From: Ulash Greene

Hello friends,

Blue Diamond Society, the only institute exclusively dedicated to the protection of sexual health and equal rights of the sexual/gendered minorities in Nepal, will soon be lauching its own weekly paper "BLUE DIAMOND WEEKLY", the first of its kind in Nepal that will be an exclusive LGBT paper.

BLUE DIAMOND WEEKLY is open to all genres and all types of works related to LGBT issues: Short Stories, poetry, essay, how to articles, book excerpts (Published), STD and HIV/AIDS materials, anything...

Works both in English and Nepali languages are accepted from any corner of the world.

Please submit your work at the following address: (Do not send attachments; attach your work in the body of your email)

email: bluediamondsociety@yahoo.com

By Post:
Blue Diamond Weekly,
Blue Diamond Society,
GPO Box: 8975
EPC No: 5119
Kathmandu,
Nepal

Fax: +977 1 4438600

Thank you,
Blue Diamond Society.
www.bds.org.np
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LGBTNepal/