July 7, 2005: Headlines: COS - Thailand: Tsunami: Iowa City Press-Citizen : Thailand RPCV Scott McNabb is working with Friends of Thailand, a group from San Francisco that is raising money for scholarships for survivors

Peace Corps Online: Directory: Thailand: Peace Corps Thailand: The Peace Corps in Thailand: July 7, 2005: Headlines: COS - Thailand: Tsunami: Iowa City Press-Citizen : Thailand RPCV Scott McNabb is working with Friends of Thailand, a group from San Francisco that is raising money for scholarships for survivors

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Thailand RPCV Scott McNabb is working with Friends of Thailand, a group from San Francisco that is raising money for scholarships for survivors

Thailand RPCV Scott McNabb is working with Friends of Thailand, a group from San Francisco that is raising money for scholarships for survivors

"We channeled the money into something that was worthwhile," said McNabb, who is fluent in Thai and has visited Thailand 12 times since 1968, when he was a volunteer teacher in the Peace Corps. "The most effective way is to channel money through Thais. Outsiders don't know Thai culture that well. It's a much wiser way to work."

Thailand RPCV Scott McNabb is working with Friends of Thailand, a group from San Francisco that is raising money for scholarships for survivors

'The problems are still there'

By Rob Daniel
Iowa City Press-Citizen
Iowa City, Iowa
July 7, 2005

Scott McNabb considers himself lucky to be alive.

He, his wife, Terry, and his children were vacationing in Thailand on Dec. 26, 2004, when an 8.9-magnitude earthquake struck in the Indian Ocean. The earthquake triggered a tsunami that washed onto shore in 13 countries in south Asia and eastern Africa, causing massive destruction that saw more than 200,000 people confirmed dead or missing, according to the Red Cross and local governments in the region.

Fortunately for McNabb and his family, they were on Phangan Island in the Gulf of Thailand, on the opposite coast of where the tsunami struck. More than 5,300 people have been confirmed dead in Thailand, including more than 2,200 foreigners from 36 countries.

"I felt the rumblings that morning," said McNabb, a University of Iowa associate professor of planning, policy and leadership studies. "Over here, I watched it on CNN. The story kept getting worse. I just feel incredibly lucky."

Six months after the disaster and a visit to Thailand in March, McNabb is working with Friends of Thailand, a group from San Francisco that is raising money for scholarships for survivors. About 100 scholarships have been distributed, mostly to locals in Phangna province, a hard-hit area about 150 miles north of the popular resort island of Phuket, Thailand.

"We channeled the money into something that was worthwhile," said McNabb, who is fluent in Thai and has visited Thailand 12 times since 1968, when he was a volunteer teacher in the Peace Corps. "The most effective way is to channel money through Thais. Outsiders don't know Thai culture that well. It's a much wiser way to work."

Other local organizations also are still actively soliciting money or supplies to help tsunami victims.

The Salvation Army and United Way of Johnson County have links on their Web sites listing where people and businesses can send contributions. The Grand Wood Area Chapter of the American Red Cross stopped actively asking for contributions in January, when the International Red Cross announced it had all it needed, said Carla Jesse, director of public support for the Grand Wood Red Cross chapter. Locally, the Red Cross raised more than $762,000, she said.

"We just received an overwhelming response," Jesse said. "The Red Cross is viewed as an organization you can trust."

Jesse said there are still those in the Iowa City area who are interested in helping, though the local Red Cross has turned its attention to raise support for local disaster relief.

The Iowa United Nations Association lists six U.N. organizations working in the affected regions, including UNICEF, the U.N. Refugee Agency, and the U.N. World Food Programme.

Katy Hansen, executive director of the Iowa U.N. Association, said the local group collected almost $5,000 from deductions from UI faculty and staff paychecks, Horn Elementary students and the Thai Student Association.

The group is now focusing on encouraging people to lobby their governments to give up to 0.7 percent of their gross domestic product for relief efforts, poverty relief in Africa and land mine removal in parts of the world, Hansen said.

"This is a goal for donations to official agencies," she said. "It's more of an educational thing."

During his March visit, McNabb brought money and school supplies donated by Lucas Elementary students. He said he plans to return in August, bringing more school supplies collected from students at Shimek Elementary. He also hopes to work to help rebuild homes, businesses and psyches.

"The problems are still there," McNabb said. "Not just rebuilding, but the psychological. To rebuild that community is going to take some time."





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Story Source: Iowa City Press-Citizen

This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - Thailand; Tsunami

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