How you can help

While the government is still slow with publicising details of how people can help those affected by tsunamis that hit south India on Sunday morning, bloggers in India and elsewhere seem to be doing their bit.

Some like this one, are educating potential donors and volunteers on the options before them. Notably, it does not focus on India alone.

According to messages posted on this site, Médecins Sans Frontières is among the NGOs organising volunteers, financial aid and experts for affeted areas in Asia. Some individuals have also got into the act.

Also See:
PM seeks contributions for relief work
Red Cross accepting aid for victims

The Bharatiya Janata Party announced an Emergency Relief Fund for Indians affected by the tsunami, in New Delhi on Tuesday. A central committee has been appointed to oversee the operations. People who wish to contribute can contact local BJP offices, which will send the material to the party's headquarters in Delhi.

Indian Americans too have started organising aid efforts. The National Federation of India Organizations has already collected about $10,000 from its charitable accounts and is aiming for $100,000. Those wishing to send money toward relief efforts can do so to the following organisations:

1. BAPS Care International
Contact: Shailendra Adroja; 1-732-744-1744

Checks payable to: BAPS Care International

Address:
195, Main Street, Suite # 304
Metuchen
New Jersey-08840

Payments can also be made online (beginning later this afternoon, EST) at

2. Association for India's Development:
Contact: Aniruddha Vaidya, 1-650-996-8249, 1-888-TALK-2-AID or (301) 422-4441
email: info@aidindia.org

Contributions to AID can be made through secure on-line credit-card deductions from AID's website (www.aidindia.org), where further details and updates will also be posted. Please indicate that your contribution is for the "Relief and Rehabilitation Fund".

Checks payable to "AID" can be mailed to:

AID Zone 3,
P.O. Box 4801
Mountain View, CA 94040-0801

(Please indicate "Relief and Rehabilitation Fund" in the check memo)

3. The National Federation of India Organizations

Contact: Rajen Anand (703) 642-3156, (562) 537-1077

Checks (tax-deductible) will be sent to the International Red Cross for the use of ALL victims in all countries.

Checks payable to: NFIA

Address:
6912 Winter Lane,
Annandale VA 22003.

4. The Hindu Temple Society of North America

Contact: Dr Uma Mysorekar (718) 460-8484

Checks (tax deductible) payable to: The Hindu Temple Society of North America

Address:
Hindu Temple Society of North America
45-57 Bowne Street
Flushing
NY-11355

5. American Hindu Association, a tax-exempt organization under Internal Revenue Code, Section 501(c)(3), has set up a fund to raise money for the victims from India and Sri Lanka. The full amount of contribution is tax deductible.

Please make the check payable to, American Hindu Association. In the memo, please mention Tidal waves victims.

Address:
American Hindu Association
Tidal waves victims
P.O.Box 55405
Madison WI 53705

Contributions to AHA can be made through secure on-line credit-card deductions from AHA's website (www.americanhindu.net/donation), where further details and updates will also be posted.

6. India Development & Relief Fund (IDRF), USA

IDRF has already released $10,000 towards immediate relief efforts and will match dollar-to-dollar your donations up to $50,000. It will channel your generous contributions to Sewa Bharati (Panchvati, Chetpet, Chennai), Jana Sankshema Samiti (Vijaywada, Andhra Pradesh), Vivekanand Kendra and other voluntary NGOs providing relief and rehabilitation to affected families including:

· Medical services

· Distribution of fishing nets, assistance for purchasing and repairing fibre boats

· Repair of diesel engines and supply fuel

· Distribution of textbooks, notebooks and uniforms to students.

· Construction of houses, repair and construction of community infrastructure

Please make check payable to "IDRF" (mention "Tsunami" in the memo) and mail it to: IDRF, 4807 Phebe Ave, Fremont, CA 94555

Contact:

* Suresh Deopura (510) 573-5100, suresh@dewsoftware.com

* Shri Narayan Chandak (309)- 662-8353, Idrf_blg@yahoo.com

* Raghu Verabelli 781-270-2349, idrfboston@yahoo.com

* Vijay Pallod (281) 568-4995, pallod@aol.com

Or email idrf@aol.com

Donate on-line through your VISA/MasterCard or Direct Debit from checking account.

IDRF is administered by volunteers without any honorarium or overhead. Thus, 100% of your contribution will be disbursed directly to the NGOs working in the field. Please check out our website https://www.idrf.org for latest information.

7. Sewa International, in association with local organisations, is planning to work for the rehabilitation of families affected by the tsunami waves in India by providing them:

Please send your donations to:

a. Sewa Bharathi Tamil Nadu

Shakti, 1, M V Street, Panchvati, Chetpet, Chennai- 600031,

Tamil Nadu

Ph: 044-28361049, 28360243 E-mail: sevabharthitn@yahoo.com

b. Jana Sankshema Samiti

Madhava Sadhan, Kaleshwara Rao Road, Vijaywada- 520002,

Andhra Pradesh

All donations from outside India should be sent to:

Sewa International

Apte Bhavan, 10196, D. B. Gupta Road,

Jhandewala, New Delhi- 110055, India