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In this camp, aid goes a long way

In a model case of how donations should work, tsunami victims in Thailand get the help they need in an orderly fashion.

By SUSAN TAYLOR MARTIN
Published January 19, 2005

[Times photo: Kathleen Flynn] Finding shade under piles of coffins, people enjoy a donated meal at the Cho Bang Muang Temporary Center. Piles of donated clothing are at top right.

[Times photo: Kathleen Flynn]t A drawing made by a child survivor of the tsunami echoes a common theme in the artwork: figures fleeing from a giant wave. Art classes are among the activities used to keep children busy and away from potential abductors.

[Times photo: Kathleen Flynn] A woman sits beneath a temporary home constructed by the government at the Cho Bang Muang Temporary Center.

NAM KHEM, Thailand - Ever wonder what really happens to the money you donate to people in need, most recently the victims of the Asian tsunami?

For dozens of Americans and Germans, the answer should be satisfying: It went directly to more than 60 poor Thai families whose homes were destroyed Dec. 26.

Here at Nam Khem, site of Thailand's largest refugee camp for tsunami survivors, a German couple and a Thai army officer with friends in America combined forces this weekend to dispense 180,000 baht - about $4,500.

"A lot of my friends worried about money not getting to people at the right time," said the soldier, who distributed 50,000 baht among 20 families. He did not want to give his name but said the funds had been collected by friends in Washington, D.C., and sent by international money order.

Accompanied by three colleagues, the officer focused on refugees living in a row of temporary housing erected by the Thai government. The elevated "houses," reached by rickety stairs, are actually 8 by 12 metal boxes with no plumbing, no electricity and only two small windows for ventilation.

During the day, the boxes get so unbearably hot most residents sit in the shade on the ground underneath.

At each house, the officer examined IDs of the adults present, then checked the names on the house to make sure the money was going to the people who lived there. As another soldier snapped pictures, the officer posed with the smiling recipients - he will e-mail the photos to his friends in America so they can see exactly who received the funds they collected.

"These people have big hearts to give money," said Sukjai Galiat, 23, who shares one of the tiny houses with her parents and two siblings. Part of the money will buy tools for her father, a carpenter, so he can get back to work.

Following closely behind the soldiers were Peter Hansig and Angelica Schneider, who live near Munich.

Hansig works winters in Thailand as a diving instructor, and asked friends back home to send money for the tsunami victims. But he and Schneider don't speak Thai, and were unsure how best to distribute their 130,000 baht, or $3,750 - they feared they would be surrounded by hundreds of refugees if they started randomly passing out cash.

So they asked the Thai officer for help. In the case of especially big or needy families, he suggested giving money to the same people as he had. They also donated 3,000 baht to dozens of other families.

That sum - $75 - might not sound like much to an American or a German, but in Thailand "it can buy wood and paint to repair a boat," Hansig said. "A little money here can help a lot."

Many of the 5,000 or so refugees in this camp lived in fishing villages in Phangnga Province, one of the hardest hit areas in Thailand. The government estimates as much as 80 percent of the fishing fleet was destroyed, and it could take months, if not years, for the industry to get back to normal.

Hansig and Schneider said they were trying to give their donations to the female head of household. Many Thai men consider it a sign of weakness to accept handouts.

Besides, "it's the woman who keeps life going," Hansig said. "The man needs a little push."

Apart from Saturday's cash contributions, the camp is awash in donations from all over Thailand and other parts of the world.

Scores of people stood in line this weekend for free pots and pans, compliments of Bangkok Airways. Dozens of others dug through a mountain of donated clothes. Saudi Arabia's Red Crescent Society planned to fly in tons of supplies, much of it intended for people in the Phangnga area.

As refugee camps go, this one has an unusually orderly, almost festive air, due in part to the brightly colored tents. Thailand is among the world's leading producers of camping tents, and manufacturers donated hundreds to house refugees.

"Each day, things are getting better here," said Denise Burns, a Las Vegas resident who works in Thailand with a Christian aid organization.

One priority has been protecting children in the camp. Southeast Asia is notorious for child trafficking, and though there have been no reported cases in Thailand of young refugees being abducted by sexual predators, "these people hide themselves pretty well," Burns said. "And we have a lot of children just wandering around here."

On weekdays, most of the children are in school. To keep them out of harm's way at other times, there are soccer games, movies and art classes.

On Saturday, several youngsters were busy with crayon drawings. A favorite theme? A huge wave curling over a house, and little stick figures running away.

Susan Taylor Martin can be contacted at susan@sptimes.com

[Last modified January 19, 2005, 00:33:17]