Posted on 06/24/2005 8:11:21 PM PDT by motorola7
Edited on 06/24/2005 8:19:46 PM PDT by Sidebar Moderator. [history]
Six months after the Asian tsunami, a leading international charity says the poorest victims have benefited the least from the massive relief effort.
A survey by Oxfam found that aid had tended to go to businesses and landowners, exacerbating the divide between rich and poor.
The poor were likely to spend much longer in refugee camps where it is harder to find work or rebuild lives.
Oxfam has called for aid to go to the poorest and most marginalised.
They must not be left out of reconstruction efforts, the charity said.
The tsunami in the Indian Ocean on 26 December killed at least 200,000 people in countries as far apart as Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka and Somalia.
David Loyn, the BBC's developing world correspondent, says it is perhaps not surprising that the poorest suffered the most from the disaster itself.
Living in frail shelter, on marginal land, they were literally swept away by the waves, and the survivors among the poorest communities had less access to medical help than richer people did.
Intolerable gaps
The survey points to the marginalisation of dalits - outcasts in India - and specific problems in Sri Lanka where aid has gone to businesses and landowners rather than the landless.
Six months on, vast swathes of Aceh have not been rebuilt
This poverty gap is worst in Aceh, the Indonesian province which was the most badly affected area, already impoverished by conflict before the tsunami hit.
Half a million survivors were homeless.
Yet the wealthier among them have already been able to move out of temporary camps.
Another survey by a group of British academics monitoring the delivery of aid has found that, six months on, there is little evidence of permanent accommodation being built for most people.
It says starkly that these failures would not be tolerated after a disaster in the developed world.
All aid agencies, as well as regional governments must share some blame for this failure, our correspondent adds.
The unprecedented international response to the tragedy means that the immediate humanitarian demands could be fully funded.
Failure to deliver assistance effectively to the poorest, or to plan properly for the future, reveals fundamental weaknesses in the system.
The poor were likely to spend much longer in refugee camps where it is harder to find work or rebuild lives.
Oxfam has called for aid to go to the poorest and most marginalised.
They must not be left out of reconstruction efforts, the charity said.
The tsunami in the Indian Ocean on 26 December killed at least 200,000 people in countries as far apart as Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka and Somalia.
David Loyn, the BBC's developing world correspondent, says it is perhaps not surprising that the poorest suffered the most from the disaster itself.
Living in frail shelter, on marginal land, they were literally swept away by the waves, and the survivors among the poorest communities had less access to medical help than richer people did.
Intolerable gaps
The survey points to the marginalisation of dalits - outcasts in India - and specific problems in Sri Lanka where aid has gone to businesses and landowners rather than the landless.
Six months on, vast swathes of Aceh have not been rebuilt This poverty gap is worst in Aceh, the Indonesian province which was the most badly affected area, already impoverished by conflict before the tsunami hit.
Half a million survivors were homeless.
Yet the wealthier among them have already been able to move out of temporary camps.
Another survey by a group of British academics monitoring the delivery of aid has found that, six months on, there is little evidence of permanent accommodation being built for most people.
It says starkly that these failures would not be tolerated after a disaster in the developed world.
All aid agencies, as well as regional governments must share some blame for this failure, our correspondent adds.
The unprecedented international response to the tragedy means that the immediate humanitarian demands could be fully funded.
Failure to deliver assistance effectively to the poorest, or to plan properly for the future, reveals fundamental weaknesses in the system.
Well, that certainly clears up any questions we had about aid to Africa. DUH!!!
headline leads me to believe Clinton's been skimming; has he ever been around a pile of money that he didn't stick his filthy hands in?
I knew that this would happen. That is the precise reason that I, along with my co-workers did not contribute to any general funds.
We sent our collection of cash to Sri Lanka with a co-worker who was travelling to Sri Lanka to be with his family and organize efforts to rebuild fishing village homes.
We built 30 homes @ $1000.00 each.
Oxfam, stop complaining and call your pal Kofi Annan.
Perhaps all those UN "peacekeepers" could tear themselves away from their heavy schedule of raping and pillaging in Africa long enough to build a few houses in the tsunami area...
Shocked I tell ya.
It's Bush's fault....Bush Sr. of course!
I read somewhere that a lot of those supplies were still on a dock somewhere just going to waste. They can't get it distributed.
The aid money will find its way back into Hitlery's campaign war chest.
"Clinton's been skimming"
My thoughts exactly. Which makes me think of George, who hired him for this job and seems not to notice that by whitewashing this rapist, he is helping probably the first carrying communist in history (I'm not sure on FDR)into the Presidency (I mean Hillary).
OK, I worked my butt off to elect Bush and I'm not sorry. But time to lay down some rules in the White House.
1) No more books. This guy is not an intellectual. In his hands, books are dangerous.
2) Talk to God less, Rove more.
Which is exactly why all they got from me were heartfelt prayers.
reply on some thread a few days ago estimated Chelsea's "trust fund" approaching $4 billion.
Foreign aid takes money from poor people in rich countries and gives it to rich people in poor countries.
maybe your tagline tells the tale on Bush favors to Clinton
4 Billion for Chelsea's "trust" fund......WHERE did you see that.....I find that Indredulous!!!!
I think it was only a rough estimate; better take it as a joke. It is interesting,though, that The American Spectator very early in Clinton administration had an article by James Ring Adams predicting that Clinton would be mining business ventures in Indonesia for megabucks graft.
OXFAM is a commie organisation. Just putting that out there.
headline leads me to believe Clinton's been skimming; has he ever been around a pile of money that he didn't stick his filthy hands in?
-----
He was probably skimming when the commie Chinese were funding his re-election (Chinagate)...
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.