Corpses dot waterways (and) Charity Scams

[uppityperson]

http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSBKK5157020080509?pageNumber=1&virtualBrandChannel=0

Bloated corpses bobbing in canals or spread eagled on riverbanks dot the Irrawaddy delta, the most somber symbol of devastating Cyclone Nargis and the military government's struggle to respond.

"I have been looking for my wife and three daughters for six days," said farmer Tei Lin in Bo Thin, one of the hamlets struck last Saturday by a cyclone and huge waves in Myanmar's worst natural disaster.

He said he was far away from the family boathouse at the time and when he raced home, there was nothing and no one left. Reuters witnesses saw seven corpses along a 5 km (3 mile) stretch from the delta town of Labutta, which is 120 km (75 miles) southwest of Myanmar's biggest city of Yangon.

Tei Lin said he has seen hundreds of bodies in the past week. "It's so difficult. Many of them are badly decomposed," he said through an interpreter. In the tropical heat and humidity of Southeast Asia, bodies decay within a few days and can quickly become unrecognizable....(more)

Charity Scams. IF you give to Red Cross, PLEASE make sure it is RCInternational, NOT RC usa, if you wish any of the money to get used for this disaster.

The Federal Trade Commission is urging consumers to be cautious of potential charity scams in connection with the devastating cyclone in Myanmar. Scam artists may take advantage of this situation by creating bogus fund-raising operations. The FTC has issued a Consumer Alert, the “FTC Charity Checklist,” which lists precautions consumers should take when donating to charities.:
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/alerts/alt114.shtm

Thinking about donating to a charity? The Federal Trade Commission advises that you consider the following precautions to ensure that your donation dollars benefit the people and organizations you want to help. They're good practices whether you're contacted by an organization's employees, volunteers or professional fund-raisers, soliciting donations by phone, mail, or in person.

* Be wary of appeals that tug at your heart strings, especially pleas involving patriotism and current events.
* Ask for the name of the charity if the telemarketer does not provide it promptly.
* Ask what percentage of the donation is used to support the causes described in the solicitation, and what percentage is used for administrative costs....(more)

[mrreowwr_kittty]

1. I stick with Doctors Without Borders and UNICEF. nt

[uppityperson]

2. Me too, esp after Katrina and getting burnt by Am Red Cross

Yes, I met some individual RC workers who were doing wonderful jobs, but the organization took lots of money and didn't use it in appropriate ways. I support MSF also.

[mrreowwr_kittty]

3. I know, I usually don't even take the full tax deductions for my charitable giving.

Because I believe I should give for its own sake, and not to get a personal reward. But I made darn sure I took it for my Red Cross donations in 2005. They won't get another penny from me until they clean up their act.

[Better Today]

4. No matter who you might donate to, since the aide isn't being allowed in

don't you worry about where your donation is really going to go? I know on network news last night they were saying that aide donations were pouring in. I couldn't help but say to myself that I'll donate when I know that what I donate is actually going to make a difference in Myanmar, ie after the aide blocks are truly cleared. I would hate for my donation to buy supplies that are seized by the government or stalled in cargo bays.

[uppityperson]

5. It is always a risk when you donate, what will happen to the stuff/$

Stuff is getting in to the country for distribution (or not) there, and other countries are being allowed in also.

[Better Today]

6. Yes other countries, so perhaps one should donate to their orgs,

is RedCross International getting through?

[uppityperson]

7. I'm not sure if they are. There are some groups that are, some not.

My warning was just a general one re RedCross. I've seen this list several places of who is accepting donations:

The following aid agencies are accepting contributions to help those affected by the cyclone in Myanmar. The list is from InterAction, a coalition of aid agencies, which can be contacted at InterAction at [phone] or www.interaction.org.

ADRA International

Myanmar Cyclone Fund

12501 Old Columbia Pike

Silver Spring, MD 20904

(800) 424-ADRA ext. 2372

http://www.adra.org

Action Against Hunger

247 W. 37th St., 10th Floor

New York, NY 10018

[phone]

http://support.actionagainsthunger.org/donate

American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee

JDC: Myanmar Cyclone Relief

P.O. Box 530

132 East 43rd St.

New York, NY 10017

[phone]

http://www.jdc.org

American Jewish World Service

45 W. 36th St., 11th Floor

New York, NY 10016

[phone]

http://www.ajws.org

American Red Cross

International Response Fund

P.O. Box 37243

Washington, DC 20013

(800) HELP-NOW

http://www.redcross.org

American Refugee Committee

430 Oak Grove St., Suite 204

Minneapolis, MN 55403

[phone]

http://www.arcrelief.org

AmeriCares

88 Hamilton Ave.

Stamford, CT 06902

[phone]

http://www.americares.org

Ananda Marga Universal Relief Team

6810 Tilden Lane

Rockville, MD 20852

[phone]

http://www.amurt.net

Baptist World Aid

Myanmar (or Burma) Relief

405 North Washington St.

Falls Church, VA 22046

[phone]

http://www.bwanet.org

CARE

151 Ellis Street N.E.

Atlanta, GA 30303

[phone]

http://www.care.org

CHF International

8601 Georgia Ave., {nldr}800

Silver Spring, MD 20910

(866) 779-2CHF

http://www.chfinternational.org

Christian Reformed World Relief Committee (CRWRC)

2850 Kalamazoo Ave., S.E.

Grand Rapids, MI 49560-0600

(800) 55-CRWRC

http://www.crwrc.org

Church World Service

28606 Phillips St., P.O. Box 968

Elkhart, IN 46515

[phone]

http://www.churchworldservice.org

Concern Worldwide U.S.

104 East 40th St., Suite 903

New York, NY 10016

[phone]

http://www.concernusa.org

Direct Relief International

27 South La Patera Lane

Santa Barbara, CA 93117

[phone]

http://www.directrelief.org

Episcopal Relief and Development

815 Second Ave., 7th Floor

New York, NY 10017

[phone]

http://www.er-d.org

Food for the Hungry

1224 East Washington St.

Phoenix, AZ 85034

[phone]

http://www.fh.org

Habitat for Humanity International

Cyclone Nargis

121 Habitat St.

Americus, GA 31709-3498

(800) HABITAT

http://www.habitat.org

International Medical Corps

1919 Santa Monica Blvd.

Suite 400

Santa Monica, CA 90404

[phone]

http://www.imcworldwide.org

International Relief Teams

Attn: Myanmar Cyclone

4560 Alvarado Canyon Road, Suite 2G

San Diego, CA 92120

[phone]

http://www.irteams.org

International Rescue Committee

(Note on checks: Myanmar)

P.O. Box 96651

Washington, DC 20090-6651

(877) REFUGEE

http://www.theIRC.org

Latter-day Saint Charities

50 East North Temple, 7th Floor

Salt Lake City, UT 84150

[phone], ext. 23544

http://www.lds.org

Lutheran World Relief

P.O. Box 17061

Baltimore, MD 21298-9832

[phone]

http://www.lwr.org

MAP International

Donor Member Services

Myanmar Assistance

P.O. Box 7020

Albert Lea, MN 56007-9931

[phone]

http://www.map.org

Operation USA

Memo "Myanmar Cyclone"

3617 Hayden Ave., Suite A

Culver City, CA 90232

[phone]

http://www.opusa.org

Project HOPE

255 Carter Hall Lane

Millwood, VA 22646

[phone]

http://www.projecthope.org

Relief International

1575 Westwood Blvd., Suite 200

Los Angeles, CA 90024

[phone]

http://www.ri.org

Save the Children USA

54 Wilton Road

Westport, CT 06880

[phone]

http://www.savethechildren.org

United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR)

{nldr}3019674 Myanmar Emergency

P.O. Box 9068

New York, NY 10087

[phone]

http://www.umcor.org

Unitarian Universalist Service Committee

UUSC-UUA Burma Cyclone Relief Fund

P.O. Box 845259

Boston, MA 02284-5259

[phone]

http://www.uusc.org

U.S. Fund for UNICEF

125 Maiden Lane, 11th Floor

New York, NY 10038

(800) 4UNICEF

http://www.unicefusa.org

World Concern

19303 Fremont Ave. North

Seattle, WA 98133

[phone], ext.7706

http://www.worldconcern.org

World Emergency Relief

P.O. Box 131570

Carlsbad, CA 92013

[phone]

http://www.worldemergencyrelief.org

World Vision

P.O. Box 9716

Federal Way, WA 98063

(888) 56-CHILD

http://www.worldvision.org

AP-ES-05-06-08 1532EDT