Thursday, June 29, 2006

You don't have to be Warren Buffett

This blog is usually not about fundraising for a specific initiative. But given the situation in Indonesia, where the May 27 earthquake has faded from the headlines, I am going to bend that rule.

The good news is that there are some absolutely outstanding groups working at the village level to help people recover. The bad news is that not enough money has been getting to them.

As you may know:

  • Over 360,000 homes were damaged; at least half of these were destroyed completely.
  • As many as 1.5 million people are living in tents and shelters made from debris.
  • The health system is under enormous strain.
You don't have to be Warren Buffett or Bill Gates to make a big difference in a situation like this. $25 can buy a school kit to help get a kid back in school, $100 can help re-stock the books in the school library, and $250 can provide emergency shelter to 5 families. If you are in a position to do more personally or raise more in a group, then $4,750 will provide tools for 45 families to clean and rebuild their houses.

One of the most valuable members of the GlobalGiving community has come forward to say she will match the first $5,000 that come through in the next few days.

To give or to see what the options are, go here.