Hi I just joined this site. And I was interested in the letter Voyagers article on his/her conversation with the WBTS office.
I am Irish by the way. So Hi from the Emerald Isle. I thought it was nice of Voyager to try and find out how an emergency such as the Asian disaster is handled by this organisation. He started off telling us that he sincerly wished to know what happens.
It was also noteworthy that ' V ' did not treat the personal unkindly while posing his questions.
Unfortunatly the place he should have gone for this information would have been to a Branch headquarters nearer the disaster area. The personel answering the phones there would have been more in touch with what was happening and have updates as to all ongoing progress. What some of your readers may not know is that all of the work in any part of the world is performed by volunteers. Every so often people are moved around to gain other experiences within the Branches. Some volunteers are very green when moved to new departments and need to ask for assistence from those more experienced. There is a Branch office in Ireland with a larger one in London. This one has a printery too. However a lot of material is printed in Europe. All with the help of Volunteers.
Someone already pointed out that the WBTS are a bible based organisation who sometimes are able to send aid to area's where disaster hits, if it is within their power and is advisable and safe for all concerned. This method of assistance has been succesfull on several occasions in various places.
Depending on where it was needed a commitee would be set up to examine the situation and act accordingly with advice from the country or place concerned.
- example below from a flood in Spain
WELCOME rains began to fall over southeastern Spain, the rich agricultural areas of Valencia, Albacete and Murcia. The often dry region of Alicante also got its share. But the rain outstayed its welcome. In a few hours it rained more than it had in three years! A refreshing change was suddenly converted into a nightmare. The rivers began to flood as the rains swept down off the mountains.
Some 50 kilometers (31 mi) from the coast a new danger suddenly developed. The dam at the Tous reservoir began to crack. Too late for some, a warning was sent out. The dam gave way and a wall of water, in some places nearly 9 meters (30 ft) high, rushed down the valley of the river Júcar, swallowing up all in its path.
The flood left behind a trail of desolation: 60 towns were ravaged, 3,000 homes disappeared, another 8,000 were severely damaged and 5,000 vehicles were lost in the sea of mud. Some 140,000 people suffered loss in one way or another; in some cases it was the loss of dear ones. In the province of Valencia 42 dead and 19 missing was the count at one point. In the small town of Carcagente alone 11 people perished. More lives were lost in the provinces of Albacete and Alicante.
Local organizations, such as the fire departments and the Red Cross, as well as many other volunteers, swiftly rushed in to help the affected region. The day after the devastating flood, an aid committee, appointed by the branch office of Jehovah?s Witnesses in Spain, also managed to establish contact with some of the Witnesses in the affected areas. Two days later, with great difficulty, a truck entered Alcira loaded with food, clothing and other provisions. Because of the traffic difficulties and the danger of epidemics from the rotting carcasses of animals, the authorities controlled access to the worst-hit towns. However, the aid committee got permission to enter the blocked areas to attend to the most urgent needs of the congregations of Witnesses in the zone. In addition to a supply of food and clothing, it was necessary to clean the homes of the layer of mud that had entered. In the first weekend after the catastrophe, some 200 members of the congregations in Valencia city and province helped in that work . Others who were not Witnesses were also aided, such as neighbors and those who lived near Kingdom Halls. A commitee would get in touch with the nearest Branch headquarters to the Disaster. This Branch may need assistence If like the Tsuname disaster where the aid needed is widespread. Then they would advise maybe to send donations to particular Branch offices possibly with a list of where to send what you desire. Any Donations sent to the Headquarters in the U. S.are forwarded to these branches. In some cases there is a special box set up in Kingdom hall to accomodate all who wish to help within a congregation. I have assisted in counting these sort of contributions and co-signed the receipt for the record of the donation prior to it's being forwarded.Because we care for the members of our congregations we look after them. In any disaster they would be looking to us to help them.There were a number of Irish people on holiday during the disaster our country was holding its breath to find out if any survived. We all shared a great relief to see those who did survive, arrive at the airport.
Sadly one 27yr old beautiful girl was seperated from her boyfriend and died. He survived. But is broken hearted as is her family.
I received this e-mail from Concern an Irish charity run along with many others in Ireland for the poor of the world. The reason I recieved it was that I am already a monthly subscriber to this charity to help people in Sudan.
Dear Friends,
I am sending this email to update you on the action Concern is taking to help the victims of the Asia earthquake disaster. We are so grateful for the truly wonderful response of our supporters, which has allowed us to respond quickly and effectively. If you have not yet had the opportunity to give to the Earthquake Appeal you can do so by clicking here.
Within hours of the tsunami wave Concern teams were helping the rescue effort in Tamil Nadu state, India one of the worst affected areas. We spoke to Mrs Thangamma, a 62 year old woman from Thazankuda village in the region.
On Sunday 26 th December, Mrs Thangamma was helping her daughter-in-law sort fish to be sold in the daily market. Suddenly she saw that there was something approaching their village which seemed like smoke. As it neared, she realised it was huge waves. Together with her daughter-in-law she ran for safety. She said,
"I tried to run as fast as I could, but slipped and fell down and became unconscious. When I regained consciousness, I thought I am already dead".
Concern is assisting Mrs Thangamma and thousands more like her in Tamil Nadu. Working with partners in the region, we have provided Survival Packs containing locally produced food, basic shelter materials, blankets, fire wood, rice, buckets and basic items of clothing.
This has been possible thanks to the generous and prompt response of our donors and I am asking you, if you have not already done so, please respond to this appeal. You can donate now by clicking here.
A gift of ?50 could purchase one Survival Pack.
Our assessment team in Sri Lanka reported the following on New Year's Day:
'From all that we have seen and heard it is clear that the situation here is as bad as anyone would imagine from media reports - indeed worse. The intensity of the effect on people is difficult to comprehend. Many, many families have lost relatives, homes, livelihoods and are injured and displaced. For many the land on which their houses stood, no longer exists - to where do they go back? Who would want to go back to live where disaster and death came so suddenly, where the very source of their food and their means of earning a living turned against them so violently? Their fear is both real and strong.'
A Concern Rapid Deployment Unit arrived in Indonesia on 2 nd January. They have identified urgent needs:
- Equipment to bury the dead i.e. body bags, masks, breathing equipment, disinfectant, gloves etc.
- Food and shelter are also priorities - particularly food for children.
Please click here now to make a donation of ?50, ?100, ?250 or whatever you can afford.
Concern has over 30 years' experience of responding to disasters and needs at least ?8 million to provide relief and rehabilitation. If you have not yet had the opportunity to make a donation to the Asia Disaster Appeal please do so now by clicking here or by calling 1850 410 510. Thank you for whatever you can give and thank you if you have already given.
Yours sincerely
Tom Arnold
Chief Executive Concern
Dispite being pensioners like many others we live on a limited income. But of course I am going to contribute to this appeal. I found myself in a predicament where I was wondering who to support. Especially after hearing on news programmes of the difficulties in getting even food to some places. Now I know where my help is being directed I am at ease knowing it will be used in the best way. Concern always give a choice of ways to help.
I thank you all for being gracious enough to read all of my mail. Maybe it will help some not to expect The WBTS to be what they think it should be. After all one wouldn't expect to know how to do any task without first going to one who has experience in order to learn the tecnique. WT personal have to ask for help from those more experienced in any field and also from the authorities. Especially so in this awful and unusual tradgedy.
Thanks D. Rigg