In the right direction............. The death toll has, so far, risen to nearly 1500, and there may be many more unaccounted for... And still UN aid agencies haven't moved a finger to sign any cheques, but the are appealing for donors.... As mentioned briefly in another thread, such delay in gathering help, would not have occurred if the country affected was in another latitude, followed a different creed, or the people were of a lot darker skin colour... It seems that the British taxpayer is always at the top of the ladder for charity.... And we are still asked for more.... If only this money was used more wisely, for real relief work, by volunteers, rather than overpayed and corrupt local officials, we would see some kind of benefit reaching the real people that need it most.
Incredible, 2 giant countries, the US £6m & China half a million, with a small country like the Netherlands way above them at £54m. Something wrong somewhere.
I listened to the BBC news earlier today. Seems that the UN cannot respond fast as it just does not have sufficient funds. Countries are very good at making pledges but not good at paying up-front for yet-to-happen disasters. Looking at the pledges for 2012 there are (as has been mentioned) some notable rich countries that are very poorly representing themselves. On a positive note, I have seen on TV Patrol and been informed by family and friends that most of those affected do not critise the local authorities. It seems that despite conditions there is plenty of clean water being made available, and also everyone has access to food and clothing. Of course, things could be better.
