can I add sanitary towels to the list of things needed? that is what we have been asked for.
as for the british government not releasing numbers - the british embassy here first of all needs to get itself much more organised - we have given details of my friends family 3 times and they still haven;t got it right. i don't think that there are enough embassy personnel on the ground in the affected areas. the ambassador himself did come to school the other day though!
don't know if i should post this bit here or not, but here is some more information on how you can donate directly to the DIC fund;
Dulwich International College in Phuket, Thailand, is right at the hub of the disaster area in South East Asia caused by the earthquake and subsequent tidal waves which devastated such a vast area on Boxing Day.
Dulwich links with Thailand are very close. DIC opened as a franchise of Dulwich College London eight years ago since when staff and pupils alike have taken advantage of exchange opportunities with Phuket so the community as a whole feels directly affected by recent events.
The Master, Mr Graham Able, decided immediately to set up a fund to help the stricken people in southern Thailand with the knowledge that, with DIC as a focal point, we could guarantee that all contributions go straight to where they are most needed.
?Given our links with Thailand, we have opened a relief fund which will channel all contributions directly to relief and reconstruction in southern Thailand. We are already immensely proud of the role Dulwich International College Phuket is playing. The school has opened up its boarding houses to provide accommodation and a relief centre for those who have been affected, many of them foreign tourists who have lost all their possessions. A large number of the DIC staff are involved in this undertaking in Phuket while others have joined a volunteer force to cope with the very distressing situation further north in Khao Lak. Mary and I will be in Phuket for a week from January 8 th and I have already agreed with David Cook, Headmaster of DIC, that he will help form a committee to ensure that every penny contributed to the Fund will go directly to relief and reconstruction work. The Fund will be audited by our own Director of Finance and a full account showing how the money has been used will be made available to all contributors. Many of the parents of children at DIC have suffered major losses and face considerable uncertainty over the coming months. Thankfully we have no reports so far of any students, parents or staff who have lost their lives although many will have lost relatives in this disaster.?
If you would like to contribute directly to relief and reconstruction in southern Thailand, please make cheques payable to DCE (Disaster Relief Fund) and send them to The Bursar, Dulwich College London SE21 7LD. As soon as they are available we will also give details of how donations can be paid directly into the Disaster Relief Fund bank account.
happy new year to you all