Mennonite Central Committee

Tens of thousands joined tsunami relief drive

February 4, 2005

On the day after the Dec. 26 tsunami devastated coastal communities around the Indian Ocean, a stream of phone calls began at MCC offices in the United States and Canada as the first of tens of thousands of people made donations to help survivors.

"It was a compassion response," says Dave Worth, director of MCC's resource network. "Most of it was just people saying, 'I can see the pictures.' One gentleman said, 'I can see myself standing on that beach ... and I just wanted to do something.'"

As phones rang that Monday morning, an MCC disaster response team met to plan MCC's response and to channel funds to immediate relief work. Within days in some cases and weeks in others, MCC-supported organizations in Indonesia, India and Sri Lanka reached hard-hit communities with food, water, supplies and medical aid.

In all, more than 30,000 donors have contributed a total of $12 million Cdn./$10 million U.S., making the tsunami disaster response the single largest humanitarian effort by MCC and its constituents since World War II. The wide variety of contributors included churches and church members, factory workers, college students, children, food service employees, musicians, business executives, news organizations and many other groups and individuals.

In the first month after the disaster, MCC provided its partners with a total of $519,000 Cdn./$431,000 U.S. in funds and relief kits, sent assessment teams to Indonesia, India and Sri Lanka and placed seven additional staff in the region. The majority of MCC's response, planned to be more than $15 million Cdn./$12 million U.S., will be in recovery and reconstruction work over several years.

Large and small donations abounded, from benefit concerts, collection jars, checking accounts, fund-raisers and piggy banks. A chain of 21 radio stations operated by Golden West Broadcasting in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta spent a whole day encouraging listeners to make donations to MCC and the Red Cross at participating credit unions. One hundred fifty students at Goshen College (Ind.) went without a weekly cafeteria meal to save money for donations. Children at Grand View Elementary School in Dinuba, Calif., collected change for three days and donated 2,000 Cdn./$1,700 U.S. for tsunami relief.

Palliser Furniture, a manufacturer based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, encouraged its 4,300 employees to donate an hour's wages, promising that the company foundation would match up to $25,000 Cdn./$21,000 U.S. The employees far surpassed the goal, donating an average of two hours' pay per worker, or $51,000 Cdn./$42,000 U.S.

Two brothers in Lancaster County, Pa., Desmin and Cohen Peifer, ages 9 and 7 respectively, decided to sell decorations they learned to make in art class. Using popsicle sticks and yarn, the boys made colorful crosses called "God's eyes." These garnered anywhere from 60 cents Cdn./50 cents U.S. to $240 Cdn./$200 U.S. a piece and raised more than $1,200 Cdn./$1,000 U.S. in tsunami relief donations, which were matched by the boys' parents.

The tsunami relief drive spanned many countries. Mennonites and related church groups in Germany, Holland, Switzerland, France, Austria, Finland, Northern Ireland and Indonesia donated a total of $131,000 Cdn./$109,000 U.S. The international Bruderhof Community donated $120,000 Cdn./$100,000 U.S. in a single check. Mennonites in Indonesia, Germany, Holland, Canada and the United States are participating in a drive to donate 22,000 relief kits for tsunami survivors.

MCC is continuing to collect relief kits for tsunami survivors until Feb. 28 and is continuing to accept financial contributions for tsunami relief and redevelopment. However, MCC now recommends contributing funds for other worthy projects, such as providing clean water in many parts of the world, supporting disadvantaged children seeking education, working for peace and reconciliation in areas of conflict, helping people with AIDS and fighting the causes of AIDS, and also for much other work supported by MCC's general fund.