Hopedance

Some truths about the tsunami clean-up
by Carol Pimentel


This article is a brief account of what my companion and I learned about the situation “on the ground” in Phuket, an island in the south of Thailand that was affected by the tsunami. It’s also an invitation to join us in assisting one family to rebuild their lives. In case you have wanted to contribute but, like me, have been wary of unintentionally flushing funds down a bureaucratic black hole, read on.

Mei Ling Belsom and I traveled to Phuket with the intention of finding a reliable channel through which to donate funds that would go directly to those in need, without middlemen taking cuts, but with provisions for oversight on how money would be spent. We had met two weeks earlier through a friend who knew we each wanted to go to Thailand, and when we met for lunch, we discovered we were both motivated by a desire to serve. I had been planning a post-cancer global “walk about” to explore the larger dimensions of my world family. I hoped to find ways to offer my skills as a social worker, counselor and teacher while meeting people in other lands.

Mei Ling has family in Thailand and has hosted several tours to the Phuket area. She was still suffering from jet lag from an extended visit there when news came of the tsunami and its devastation. Her family in the US asked her to return immediately and assess what was needed. “You know the area, the language and the people,” they urged her. “We don’t know what to believe from the news media, and you can tell us how to assist most effectively.” So we decided to join forces for a few weeks to learn what we could.

After one day of recovery in Bangkok we proceeded directly to a hotel in the north of Phuket and started asking questions. It was slow going. We followed several leads. Some sounded promising but failed to reveal much; others proved to have adequate funding. One TV anchor woman promised to send us the list of organizations she had personally investigated, but never followed through. It took us ten days to find an organization that fit our criteria, but we finally found it in the Seventh-Day Adventist Church School in Phuket Town. Our inquiries were welcomed and we were invited to attend Sunday services and afterwards to lunch with the congregation to meet and speak with local people.

We were impressed with Pastor Nipitpon who comes from a devout Buddhist family. As a young man, he met an Adventist couple who saw his potential and assisted him to learn English and attend university. He subsequently worked for the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA), the international social service arm of the Adventist Church, and later decided to become a pastor. He is not an evangelist, however, and respects other traditions, viewing spiritual service in a broad and inclusive context. We also met two staff members of ADRA working in the area. Being a social worker, I was interested in their perspective as workers for a global NGO (non-government organization, or non-profit.) They reported that in the early weeks and months following the tsunami, money and assistance poured in from businesses, governments and NGOs around the world. Their biggest problems were dealing with well-intentioned volunteers inexperienced in disaster relief, and the unavoidable chaos when calls for help resulted in ten or more groups showing up in the same place, duplicating efforts and stepping all over each other. Families were drowning in clothing and food they didn’t need, while their homes were in ruins. And of course, many folks took advantage of the situation, asking for help from several sources at once. Only now is communication in place to establish who will work where, doing what and with whom. Their advice was to wait six months and check back to see what will be needed in Thailand for long-term recovery. But locally there is an immediate an obvious unmet need, and together with school manager Mr. Nonparat, Pastor Nipitpon is working to fill it.

Not far from Phuket Town, the beautiful beach of Kamala is a well known resort area which was hard hit by the tsunami. It was here that the King of Thailand’s grandson was killed. Commercial recovery in the area has been phenomenal with most hotels and resorts repaired and operating, but the tourist industry, economic backbone of Phuket, has taken a beating. Hardest hit are the service people: hotel and restaurant workers and taxi drivers, many of whom are still without homes and without the means to recover.

The local population of Kamala is largely Muslim with a small enclave of Buddhist families. Several youngsters of both religions attend the Adventist school. Knowing from his own experience what a difference can be made person-to-person, Nipotpon’s strategy is to directly connect affected families to groups who will assist them to rebuild their destroyed homes. The church school has opened an account through which tax deductible donations can be earmarked for, and distributed to, specific families. So Nipitpon and Nonparat spent their Sunday afternoon taking two American women on a tour of the area and introducing us to people. We learned that the Thai government ordered people in the area not to rebuild until new zoning laws can be enforced, and proposed to relocate the Buddhist families elsewhere. However no one wants to move, and after long delay they can no longer wait for government aid. The Muslim family we spent the most time with has been particularly devastated. In addition to losing a small child and their livelihood in the tourist trade, (driving a “tuk tuk,” or small taxi) they recently took out a bank loan and had just completed building their modest home when it was swept away before they could “register” it with the Thai government. This means that their house has no official status, in effect it never existed. So they now owe a whopping mortgage on a home that they never inhabited, and do not qualify for the 30,000B in government relief that might (and I do mean ”might”) otherwise have come to them eventually had the house been registered.

Debriefing over dinner that night, Mei Ling and I agreed that we had found a way to meet our goal to contribute directly as global neighbors, person to person. Many other foreign visitors have been deeply moved and quite generous. A group of Swiss quickly bought materials and helped to rebuild one family’s home. A group from Kansas City is assisting another, and the pastor of a church in San Francisco is now raising funds to help a third. We propose to do the same.

Now Mei Ling and I invite you, our family, friends and community, and the circle of connections that spreads out from us all, to join in contributing any amount to help this family get back on its feet. The family showed us their plans for a smaller house, with costs for materials being $10,000 and labor estimated at $3,500. Addie Pederson of Pederson Realty is setting up an account at MidState Bank to collect funds. Contributions will be tax deductible. Any amount over the $13,500 will be donated to the library for materials to help local children cope with the trauma they have undergone.

If it were me, I would hope someone would there to help. As it happens, the shoe is on the other foot, and it is we who have the means to make a difference. Long term recovery will take years, but one large step will be to have a home again.

For further information about this family and how to make a tax deductible contribution of ANY amount, contact Addie Pedersen, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Carol Pimental is an irregular contributor to HopeDance. She can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .