Oxfam: Where do donations go? "We have committed €150,000 to programmes in Sri Lanka and €150,000 to programmes in Aceh, Sumatra, Indonesia," says chief executive Brian Scott.
"The €150,000 for Sri Lanka is part of a larger €3.5 million programme and is providing 50,000 households with clean water and latrines. We are also in charge of distributing food and income to these families and of providing roofing materials for 15,000 families. As part of the UN coordination of activities, Oxfam is responsible for providing clean water and sanitation for 250,000 people in Banda Aceh and hygiene kits, plastic sheets for roofing and privacy and mosquito nets for 10,000 families."
How quickly does the money get there? "We are part of a global network, so we already had five offices in Sri Lanka with materials stockpiled following floods there two months ago. This meant that we were able to distribute immediately plastic sheeting for shelter, hygiene packs, candles, matches and treated mosquito nets. We have been training people in Indonesia for the last two to three years, so we had three teams of local people in Aceh on hand to survey what was required."
How much of the donations to the disaster fund reaches the people who need it? "All of the donation money goes directly to the disaster areas. We take nothing for our administration."
Key figure: €100 donated, €100 reaches disaster area.
Donations: 1890-606065. www.oxfamireland.org
GOAL: Where do the donations go? "GOAL is working in 75 villages along 120 kilometres of coastline in the Nagappattinam district of Tamil Nadu," says chief executive John O'Shea. "We are distributing food, blankets, cooking utensils, mats, candles and soap to 65,000 people there. We are providing emergency relief assistance in three areas of Sri Lanka, in Ampara on the west coast, Hambantota in the south-east, and Matara. In these areas, we are cleaning debris, retrieving bodies from the beaches, constructing shelters and distributing food and other provisions. GOAL is the only international non-governmental organisation providing relief on the Andaman Islands. In Indonesia, we have a team of 40 GOALies working alongside local people. We are spending €100,000 in all of these places on a daily basis."
How quickly does the money get there? "The money goes straight away to where it is needed, but we won't spend it all immediately as this disaster will continue for several months. So once emergency work is completed, we will begin rehabilitative work, purchasing boats and building houses."
How much of the donations to the disaster fund reaches the people who need it? "We are very proud of our track record that in the first 11 years of our 26 years in existence, we didn't spend a penny on administration. Now, our average administration costs are about 5 per cent."
Key figure: €100 donated, €95 reaches disaster area.
Donations: 01-2809779. www.goal.ie
Concern: Where do donations go? "To date we have received close to €2 million from the Irish public," says director of fundraising Caroline Hickson. "When we receive donations, they are banked the same day and a running total is made available to the finance department, which responds to requests coming in from various countries. Our first relief efforts are in India, where we are giving out survival kits to 16,000 families in 53 villages. These kits include food and basic shelter materials. In Sri Lanka, we have a total budget of €5 million for rehabilitative work of rebuilding houses and boats."
How quickly does the money get there? "Funds were sent out to these projects on Wednesday. When people respond rapidly by donating money, it means that we also can respond rapidly. In Sri Lanka, assessment teams started work days after the tsunami disaster and then our own teams, led by Father Jack Finucane, started work on Wednesday."
How much of the donations to the disaster fund reaches the people who need it? "Disaster funds are fully restricted funds, which means all the money goes directly to the projects we are working on."
Key figure: €100 donated, €100 reaches disaster area.
Donations: 1850-410510. www.concern.net
Irish Red Cross: Where do donations go? "Donations - which have been over €4.5 million to date - are sent to Asia Appeal at the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in Geneva, Switzerland," says secretary-general Carmel Dunne. "This money then goes towards work carried out by the national Red Cross and Red Crescent societies in the countries affected and the international Red Cross teams who were among the first workers on site after the disaster struck. In Indonesia, this work included setting up a field hospital and distributing tarpaulins. In Sri Lanka, Red Cross health materials and relief goods were flown in from all over the world."
How quickly does the money get there? "National Red Cross or Red Crescent societies were already present in 11 of the countries affected, and once the disaster struck teams from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies joined them to deliver aid and provide additional skills and capacity to deal with the emergency. The funds raised by the Irish Red Cross go to the Geneva office of the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies for the Asia Appeal."
How much of the donations to the disaster fund reaches the people who need it? "One hundred per cent of people's donations go the disaster areas."
Key figure: €100 donated, €100 reaches disaster area.
Donations: 1850-507070. www.redcross.ie
Trócaire: Where do donations go? "They go to emergency relief work projects in the Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh states and Andaman islands in India; in Jaffna, Mullaitivu, Galle and Batticaloa in Sri Lanka; and the Aceh province in Indonesia," says emergency coordinator Mary Healy. "Trócaire is part of an international federation of sister agencies around the world, so all our donations go to the local Caritas agencies in these areas. Initially, our work is about supplying clean drinking water, medicines, food, shelter and clothing. Now, we are also beginning to get primary education back up and running in Sri Lanka and initiate trauma counselling."
How quickly does the money get there? "We have raised more than €1.8 million and we have approximately €1 million of that in the bank. We have already transferred €500,000 and will transfer another €500,000 by this weekend. One or two other European federations have also made loans to local Caritas agencies in the disaster regions while fundraising continues."
How much of the donations to the disaster fund reaches the people who need it? "Ninety-one per cent of all donations goes directly to the disaster areas. The other 9 per cent goes towards administration, fundraising, publicity and management."
Key figure: €100 donated, €91 reaches disaster area.
Donations: 1850-408408 www.trocaire.org