Band-Aid

The U.N recently announced its decision to send $ 38 Million in emergency aid to the victims of Sumatra earthquake. Sumatra reportedly is receiving aid from 30 countries in the aftermath of the earthquake measuring 7.9 on the Richter scale that struck on September 30.  As of October 12, 809 deaths have been confirmed. Extensive damage has been reported and the immediate needs are that of family tents, water pumps and generators according to a report issued by OCHA. Stark images from the disaster captured by The Boston Globe are currently doing the rounds on Twitter and provide a sense of loss and gravity of the situation.

In the aftermath of the 2004 Tsunami in the Andamans, we all remember seeing pictures of gigantic piles of clothing that had arrived on the shore for those affected. Mostly discarded clothes, the islanders were furious at being expected to sift through aid being dumped by the boat-loads in the islands. Pictures of food-packets being air-dropped in flood-stricken areas abound. Dramatic they seem, as men and women clutching at the hems of their dhotis and sarees run after the planes with outstretched hands, trying to reach a food packet before others. If only delivering aid were so easy. It seems as if some action is taking place when leaders announce x amount of money, aerial surveys, dropping of food packets and medicines. The media seems to restrict itself to only reporting on these aspects and also ceases to report after the news becomes stale. However the question always lingers in the minds of people, where does the aid go?

In a recent series of articles at the IFRC (International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies), the labour and planning behind the aid delivery are detailed. Contrary to the popular belief that aid is instant, or at least should be instant, reality concerning aid distribution is far different. Spreading relief at disasters and in war torn areas is a major operation and isn’t easy at all.

“Aid delivery isn't as simple as loading a truck with supplies and dropping it off in a village”

Great efforts go into organizing manpower and transport, especially as these areas are often cut off and are without access after the disaster.  Careful assessments of data are carried out to pull together a distribution plan as planning logistics is enabled better. Volunteers fan out across the affected areas to help communicate to the aide organization the intensity of the damage in an area. NGOs are categorized according the work they look into for example, water, hygiene, relief etc. The UN or other national and international bodies act as co-ordinators to link the NGOs together. Much of the aid also gets stuck at the district level and doesn’t reach the people.

There is desperation, fear and panic at the site of a disaster and war. Everything is in disarray and chaos. Massive aid pours in and volunteers from scores of international organizations are teeming over the place. In this situation, relief workers essentially organise the bare minimum for basic survival. Their aim is to get temporary shelter, food and clothing materials as soon as possible.

Pages from aid worker Patrick Fuller’s diary as he toured afflicted areas in Sumatra are up here on the IFRC website: here, here, here and here. They provide a sense of what an aid worker’s day is like. The media reportage definitely has to direct attention to the plight of the people to gather attention and pro-activity. But more reportage on aide work and progress, far beyond simply accounting for aerial dropping of food packets, needs to be followed up with. A greater accountability emerges in case of aide. Fuller writes:

There is something seriously askew in the way that governments and the media respond to different disasters regardless of the needs.

There is also the question of dramatism and visibility. Fuller comments:

"Earthquakes are visually dramatic and invariably attract huge international sympathy. I can't help thinking about other disasters around the world where we are struggling to get visibility, such as the current food crisis in the Horn of Africa where over two million people are living on the edge."

Thus, immediate aid pumped into a country in the aftermath of a disaster or a war elicits little attention. Much more aide over long term is poured into African and Asian countries. Where does this aide go, especially accounting for the fact that barely any development has taken place over the past decades, the standard of living remains low and the civil wars continue?

Think about it.