Oxfam questions some tsunami aid work

Mayabird · Post by **Mayabird** » 2005-01-26 11:45pm

BBC News wrote: Oxfam questions tsunami aid work
One month on, the region's inhabitants are still clearing debris

Some of the aid agencies operating in Asia after the tsunami disaster lack the skills needed, charity Oxfam says.

Exactly a month on, Oxfam praised the international response but the agency also highlighted problems with the quality of the aid that had been given.

Millions were affected by the disaster, in which more than 280,000 people are believed to have died.

A UN spokeswoman has told the BBC that two-thirds of the aid money pledged worldwide had already been delivered.

Of a "flash appeal" for $977m (£522m) requested by the UN for immediate emergency operations, $775m has been received, the UN's Office for Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) told the BBC News website.

In other developments:

* Indonesia says it is sending a top-level delegation to Finland for talks with the exiled leadership of Aceh's separatist rebels

* Schools are reopening in Aceh on Wednesday

* The US navy is surveying waters off Indonesia to determine how the tsunami altered the sea bed

* Firefighters are battling a blaze fanning across 3km of Banda Aceh

Quality issue

Oxfam pointed to difficulties co-ordinating the aid, saying that some inexperienced aid agencies were working in the disaster zone without the necessary skills and competence.

In particular, it criticised the way that some houses had been rebuilt in Sri Lanka, saying they were too close together, causing sanitation problems.

In its report "Learning the lessons of the tsunami: one month on", it said governments in the region should accredit international agencies and ensure their work was suited to their experience.

"The amount of money raised means that governments and aid agencies must address issues of the quality, not just quantity of aid," said Oxfam Britain Director Barbara Stocking, quoted by AFP news agency, ahead of the report's publication.

Ms Stocking also said the victims of the tsunami "will never escape poverty" unless issues like Third World debt and trade were properly addressed.

Oxfam also expressed concerns that pledges of aid would not be lived up to.

However, the Red Cross said it was winding down its appeal after raising sufficient funds for its aid efforts.

More than 70 Red Cross societies around the world are involved in the campaign.

Details of how much money they raised are expected to be announced on Wednesday.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4207683.stm

Stormbringer · Post by **Stormbringer** » 2005-01-27 12:03am

Why do so many of these things sound like deja vu?

Mayabird · Post by **Mayabird** » 2005-01-27 01:51am

It basically is. I just didn't want to perform any necromancy on the old thread.

Stormbringer · Post by **Stormbringer** » 2005-01-27 02:28am

Mayabird wrote:It basically is. I just didn't want to perform any necromancy on the old thread.

No, no. There's nothing at all wrong with this thread. I'm just pointing out that it pretty much confirms the sort the general thrust of that article and pretty much crushs the claims of those that argued the previous article was all a vindicative put up by an angry conservative.

It's not at all suprising in an endavour like this that people ill prepared, under trained, and just generally clueless. Such has been said and proven before and it's not at all suprising that it's happening here. When you consider the scale and the sheer number of acronym-organizations it's not suprising at all, it's actually rather depressing forseeable.

It doesn't mention the showboaters and publicity-seekers. But I suspect that's just a matter of perspective and tact.