If you've been listening to the news at all, you will know exactly what to expect from the charities you support: Myanmar and/or China-based pleas for your money. It is worth your while to do a little research into these causes, but to also bear in mind that occasions like these can qualify as "extenuating circumstances" for some organizations who would normally not be considered "relief agencies."
My thoughts probably add to the confusion in this matter, but I raise my voice among the fray because of my wife. Three years ago she visited sites where the tsunami took a terrible toll, but nobody bothered reporting because (a) the local governing body is, by Western standards (and here I shudder) a disaster of its own, and (b) no-one from the West is terribly keen on vacationing there (shudder again). The fact remains, however, that the organization my wife works for has workers "on the field" in these remote places. And when a natural disaster of this, or any, magnitude strikes, every able-bodied person is enlisted for "relief" -- especially people with medical expertise.
These field workers are, like the people they serve, overwhelmed.
These are anxious times for us all, and finances are getting tighter for everyone across the board. But please do give this matter your serious consideration. CBM (my wife's employer) is just one worthy organization: World Vision and World Relief are two of many more. And perhaps it's worth adding that none of these are "Bibles and rice" outfits.
Post-script: wup -- I nearly forgot the Mennonites!
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