The San Diego Foundation Supports Donations to
the UN Tsunami Disaster Relief Fund at the International Community
Foundation
The San Diego Foundation has joined forces with numerous community
foundations and one regional grantmaker to promote the UN
Tsunami Disaster Relief Fund at the International Community
Foundation (ICF). Below is background information about the
work of these organizations and how individuals can support
relief and recovery efforts in Asia.
Background:
On December 26, 2004, an earthquake measuring 9.0 on the Richter
scale hit off the coast of Indonesia triggered a massive tsunami
that resulted in widespread death and destruction across South
Asia. Presently, there are over 150,000 dead across 11 countries
with Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India and Thailand being among
the hardest hit. Over 5 million people are homeless.
On December 28, 2004 the International Community Foundation,
a San Diego based organization (www.icfdn.org),
partnered with the United Nations Foundation (www.unfoundation.org)
to establish the UN Tsunami Disaster Relief Fund at ICF. The
UN Foundation has agreed to match ICF contributions on a 1:2
matching basis.
Since the establishment of the UN Tsunami Fund, a number
of community foundations and one regional grantmaker have
joined forces to promote the UN Tsunami Disaster Relief Fund
at ICF in their respective communities, including The San
Diego Foundation, San Diego Grantmakers, the Orange County
Community Foundation, The Community Foundation for Riverside
& San Bernardino, the Central Minnesota Community Foundation,
the Dallas Foundation, The Community Foundation serving Boulder
County, the Kansas City Community Foundation and Fundación
Internacional de la Comunidad in Baja California, Mexico.
Initially established with a matching cap of $50,000, thanks
to the success of the current fund raising efforts, the UN
Foundation has increased the cap to $200,000 with a new fundraising
goal for ICF of $400,000 for a total of $600,000 to support
Tsunami victims. Once this goal is reached, the UN Foundation
has indicated that they are willing to consider an additional
increase.
Where Monies Will Go:
The International Community Foundation will not assess any
fees on the funds collected. One hundred percent of all monies
raised from the UN Tsunami Disaster Relief Fund at ICF will
go to support the following UN agencies directly involved
in the relief efforts including: the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR),
UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), UN Population Fund (focusing
on women's health needs), the World Health Organization and
the UN Development Program. As noted above, every dollar contributed
to the ICF’s Fund will be matched on 1:2 basis by the
UN Foundation.
Current Needs:
The needs across South Asia are tremendous as hundreds of
thousands of lives have been impacted and the losses are in
the billions of dollars. Across South Asia there is an immediate
need for food, safe drinking water, body bags, water purification
equipment, proper sanitation, shelter, clothing, transport
vehicle, drugs and medical supplies, generator sets, mobile
medical clinics, blankets, shrouding cloth, tents, mosquito
nets, water buckets, mattresses, emergency lights, kitchen
sets, gloves, and masks. In Banda Aceh, Indonesia, all public
hospitals were demolished by the disaster.
Some of the UN Foundation’s early assistance
has been:
- Support to in-country teams to assist in first responder
action such as providing medical care, clean water and shelter
to victims in the affected areas.
- Support for the UN World Food Program to bring much needed
food supplies to communities impacted by the Tsumani.
- Support for UNICEF-led clean water programs specifically
ensuring that children have clean drinking water in the
affected countries, this will help reduce the chance of
sickness due to water contamination.
Why Support the United Nations?:
In every major natural disaster there are three critical phases
in disaster relief, the first responder phase with immediate
relief, the recovery or rehabilitation phase and then reconstruction.
While the short-term priority for the UN Foundation is in
emergency relief, as we move into the recovery and rebuilding
phases of this disaster, needs will change in each impacted
country. The capacity of the United Nations and the entire
humanitarian response system will be tested to the absolute
limit with this unprecedented regional disaster. The lessons
learned after the 2003 October Wildfires in San Diego through
The San Diego Foundation’s After-the-Fire Fund proved
that, to be effective, disaster philanthropy should support
first responders in the initial emergency relief phase of
a disaster. While there are several national governments and
many worthwhile nonprofits now working to address the needs
of victims and communities, the UN has been the leading first
responder and is currently making plans for its involvement
the recovery and re-building phases. Due to the important
role that the United Nations has played and will continue
to play, ICF has elected to support the UN’s disaster
relief mission in South Asia.
By supporting the UN agencies leading the disaster relief
effort, ICF is not in any way minimizing the importance of
the other humanitarian assistance nonprofits involved in the
disaster relief efforts, such as the International Red Cross,
Oxfam, Project Concern International, and CARE, which work
in close collaboration with UN agencies. Donors wishing to
support these organizations are encouraged to do so.
As South Asia moves into the recovery and re-building phases
of this humanitarian crisis, ICF will actively support grassroots
nonprofits working on the ground in the communities most directly
impacted by the tsunami.
(For more information on lessons learned from the San Diego
fire, please refer to the report published by TSDF entitled
“After the Fires.” http://www.sdfoundation.org/atfreport.pdf)
About the International Community Foundation (ICF):
ICF is a 501(c)(3) public charity committed to providing leadership
and strategically focused guidance to U.S. donors who want
to contribute to worthwhile non-profit groups and other charitable
organizations throughout the Americas and Asia in the areas
of education, health, human services, community development,
the environment and arts and culture. Established in 1990
through the vision of The San Diego Foundation (TSDF), ICF
is now an independent entity, which maintains a strong relationship
to its founder. Bob Kelly, President & CEO of The San
Diego Foundation, currently serves on the Board of Directors
at ICF. For more information visit: www.icfdn.org
About the UN Foundation:
The UN Foundation promotes a more peaceful, prosperous, and
just world through the support of the UN. Through grantmaking
and advocacy, and by building innovative public-private partnerships,
we act to meet the most pressing health, humanitarian, socioeconomic,
and environmental challenges of the 21st century. The UN Foundation
is a an independent U.S. public charity, established with
a $1 billion gift by businessman and philanthropist Ted Turner
in support of United Nations related causes. The UN Foundation
is a philanthropic institution that is independent of the
UN, the foundation’s primary mission is to support the
work of the UN and its various agencies in fulfilling its
Charter to encourage greater understanding of the promise
and purpose of international cooperation. For more information
visit http://www.unfoundation.org/index.asp
For more information and contributions:
Donors with charitable funds at The San Diego Foundation
who wish to support recovery efforts may make donations from
their funds. Those interested may contact their Donor Manager
at (619) 235-2300.
Direct contributions may be made to:
UN Tsunami Disaster Relief Fund
c/o International Community Foundation
11300 Sorrento Valley Road, Suite 115
San Diego, C A 92121
Or online contributions to the UN Tsunami Disaster Relief
Fund can be made: http://www.active.com/donate/UNtsunami
For further information, please contact:
Richard Kiy
President & CEO
International Community Foundation
11300 Sorrento Valley Road, Suite 115
San Diego, Ca. 92121
Tel: (858) 677-2912
Email: rkiy@icfdn.org
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