10 January 2005

NPC's response to the Indian Ocean tsunami disaster

New Philanthropy Capital extends sympathy to all those who have suffered in the Indian Ocean tsunami disaster. The global community has shown unprecedented compassion and support, demonstrating its solidarity with all the victims of the tragedy. NPC takes heart from this outpouring as regional governments and the international community share in the responsibility to bring aid and support to the victims and begin the next steps to rebuild this shattered region.

As individuals consider their response to this crisis, it is useful to think of two phases in the aid required.

The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) is a UK umbrella organisation that launches and coordinates the national appeal in response to major disasters overseas. It is well placed to direct short-term humanitarian aid of the kind that has been flowing to the region since the tsunami occurred. The web link is: www.dec.org.uk

While immediate humanitarian aid is essential to the area, as in any crisis, the support for and commitment to long-term development issues are critical. If these and other communities in the less developed world are to survive, and to thrive, that focus must not be lost, especially when media attention to the region inevitably fades in the coming months.

Donating to the DEC is a good response to the immediate problems and needs. Should funders wish to support the critical long-term development needs in Asia (or indeed elsewhere) NPC recommends that they provide unrestricted funds to aid agencies that have a good track record of working in the region.

At this time of extraordinary need, charitable organisations play a key role in delivering humanitarian aid and developing poor communities. In the long term, they also work with local governments and lobby for changes in unjust policies, such as terms of trade, that put people in less developed countries at a disadvantage.

The collective power of the media and the internet has contributed to the overwhelming international response. In the reactions to the tragic impact of the tsunami, it is also striking and heartening to see the potency of the UK charitable sector. The sector has provided a focal point for individual donations, raising substantial sums to date. In acting so promptly, the sector has shown both its ability to react more swiftly than governments and the effective use of local knowledge and contacts in tackling problems. Additionally, the sector has shown its ability to work with government but also as a force to lobby governments to do more to improve the lives of people in poorer countries.

NPC seeks to foster more effective giving. The response to the tsunami has seen an upsurge in charitable giving in the UK in all strata of society. It is imperative that we not lose sight of the importance of helping those who survived the tsunami but whose lives are indelibly scarred. It is our additional hope that one by-product of the disaster might be a sustained increase in philanthropy supporting organisations throughout the world who tackle deprivation and disadvantage.

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