Aid organisations content with donations for Myanmar

Finns have been reasonably generous when helping the victims of Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar, the former Burma. By Tuesday the Finnish Red Cross (SPR) had already received financial aid worth EUR 466,000.
     
”The result of the Myanmar fund-raising campaign is very good”, says Outi Pärnänen, the chief information officer for SPR.
      In comparison, last year Finns donated a total of approximately EUR 200,000 to flood victims in South Asia and East Africa through SPR.
     
On the other hand, donations tend to increase exponentially if Finns themselves are somehow afffected by the crisis. This was evident in connection with the Asian tsunami disaster in December 2004.
      Moreover, the intensity of media coverage is likely to result in increased donations.
      Pärnänen also believes that the Myanmar crisis will continue in the headlines, partly because the international media are keeping a watchful eye on the actions of the military regime governing the country and slowing humanitarian aid to cyclone victims.
     
At the same time, there is a risk that the media will turn the attention from the cyclone tragedy in Myanmar to the earthquake which hit China on Monday.
      While rescue workers are struggling to reach the tens of thousands of people who remained buried in the aftermath of the earthquake in China’s Sichuan Province, aid has begun arriving from other countries, but it is too soon to evaluate the amount of donations for China as yet.
     
UNICEF Finland had gathered as much as EUR 60,700 for rescue efforts by Tuesday.
      ”Taking into account that this is a consequence of e-mail appeals and spontaneous donations, the result is good. But we are expecting a considerable increase in donations in the next few days”, notes Kirsti Dalman, the chief of media and communications at UNICEF Finland.
     
FinnChurchAid (KUA) has so far received EUR 14,000, and the sum will grow further when the donations from the Finnish parish unions are included. For example, the Parish Union of Espoo donated a total of EUR 30,000 on Monday.
      ”Maybe people are more cautious, while it is also true that the delivery of humanitarian assistance to the disaster zone is slow”, notes Merja Luukkanen, the Head of the Humanitarian Unit at KUA.
     
An experienced SPR volunteer, Timo Krook, was collecting donations at Helsinki’s Kamppi on Tuesday, saying that people are willing to help but many have asked about the delivery of funds and supplies as well as about the military junta in Myanmar.
     
Because of heavy rains, the deliveries of disaster relief aid were proceeding slowly in Myanmar. Moreover, a representative of the Myanmar military regime has announced that the junta accepts international aid, but not aid workers. Everything must be channelled through the military regime.
     
Donations to Myanmar can be sent through the following organisations:
     
      Suomen Punainen Risti/The Finnish Red Cross
      Suomen Unicef/UNICEF Finland
      Kirkon Ulkomaanapu/FinnChurchAid
      World Vision
      Caritas Finland
      Plan Finland
      Pelastakaa Lapset/Save the Children Finland
      Suomen lähetysseura/the Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Mission (FELM)
     
      Links are given below.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Finns respond to calls for assistance caused by Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar (9.5.2008)

Links:
  Caritas Finland
  FinnChurchAid
  Finnish Red Cross
  Plan Finland
  Save The Children Finland
  UNICEF Finland
  World Vision
  Suomen lähetysseura/the Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Mission (FELM)