About Donations

Like other aid agencies, AusAID has been overwhelmed by the generosity of Australians. It has received hundreds of phone calls from people around the country volunteering help or wanting to send goods to tsunami victims.

Since 26 December 2004, AusAID has registered more than 500 offers of assistance, ranging from goods and services to donations and semi-commercial proposals. Handling donations and delivering aid is not as straightforward as people might imagine.

'Aid must be targeted to meet the priority needs of countries,' says Alan March, head of AusAID's Humanitarian and Emergency Response section.

Unloading a UNICEF aid consignment, Maldives

'Offers of food, clothing and livestock are often declined because they are inappropriate, too costly or bulky to transport and, in the case of livestock, do not meet quarantine standards.

'Medicines and pharmaceuticals are accepted if they have been requested. They must be checked for quality and have a shelf life of nine months or more. Cash is usually the best form of donation because money can be spent on items that are urgently needed. Where possible these items are sourced locally. This is quicker and cheaper than transporting goods from other countries.'

It's regrettable that sometimes would-be donors feel disappointment and even frustration when their offers of help are not accepted. 'This is understandable,' says Alan, 'but most people would agree that there is little point filling up storage warehouses with goods that are of little or no immediate benefit. It's also counterproductive to coordinate and distribute goods that are useless.

'Of course, needs and priorities constantly evolve so things that weren't needed previously may be later. As we come to the end of the emergency humanitarian phase of the relief effort, with its focus on sustaining life, attention is now shifting to medium term reconstruction. As priorities change, the list of what is needed, and who will be needed, will also change,' says Alan.

2005