Tim Johnson's website

I have just been to Tim's website and I am reproducing some excerpts here.



With the hundreds of millions of dollars that has been given by individuals and governments for Tsunami relief, have you ever wondered where it all went and what else needs to be done? I did. Everyone visiting this website can help. Read on. . . .

On February 9, 2005 I embarked on a 15 day journey in Sri Lanka and India to see for myself the status of disaster relief efforts, how a person can help and how an individual or company more than 10,000 miles away can know their money actually reached the people who need it.

My personal fact-finding mission would not have been possible without the help of Rotarians in Sri Lanka and India who arranged meetings, provided the documents to support the charitable claims and, most importantly, made it possible for me to meet and talk with and share laughs and have tea with the refugees who will need our help for a long, long time.

What I found was truly amazing. The people of Sri Lanka and India have a positive spirit that will carry them through. One young man in a camp north of Trincomalee, Sri Lanka told me how he held onto his mother as long as he could and then watched as she slipped away and drowned. Their hearts are strong, but their wounds to the body and soul are deep.

How to help? In India, the Rotary Club of Chennai Kilpauk has a charitable trust, independently audited, tax exempt under Indian law and licensed by the Indian government to accept foreign charitable contributions. My home Rotary club, Medford Rogue, sent money to the Indian trust account. Every penny reached that account. The club there used some of the money to purchase rice and stoves. Then the Chennai Kilpauk club sent a person into the camps and pre-qualified each recipient before they received the supplies. On February 20, 2005 we delivered the supplies. Each person had a voucher which was turned in exchange for the goods. Complete accountability.