Is there a calm after the storm...?

There is very little being said about the cyclone that hit India and Bangladesh recently. The death toll was probably not high enough...but then again, even Cyclone Nargis which hit Myanmar in May 2008 (and killed around 100,000 people, while displacing 250,0000) was soon out of mind.

BuildBurma's coverage of the days soon after Cyclone Nargis saw that one of the biggest hindrances to recovery was corruption. International aid through food and necessities weren't being passed down the chain to the survivors and instead government officials were stockpiling these supplies. I wonder where all the money for re-building went...

In the same vein, for those who want to help out victims in India and Bangladesh, do some research into local organizations on the ground who understand the people and have a track record for some years. When you're spending your time and your money, you really want it to go all the way down to that father in a fishing village, that child for school...We are looking into organizations we can recommend to IndiaUnite readers, so stay tuned.

We can't afford corruption, it costs lives.

Click here for AlertNet's coverage of this disaster.