IDEP’s appeal to assist survivors of the Padang Earthquake

www.idepfoundation.org

Dear Friends of IDEP,

Thank you so much to everyone who has sent questions about whether IDEP will be working in the Padang area to assist with the ongoing recovery efforts after the recent earthquake. Following is an overview of IDEP’s plans to work with our local partner in the area KOGAMI to assist some communities that seem to have been “forgotten” to start recovering their lives.

Background

At 10:49 am on March 6th 2007, West Sumatra experienced an earthquake which measured 6.2 on the Richter scale. The epicenter of the earthquake was 50 km from the major Indonesian City of Padang. A second earthquake struck at 12:49 pm. Tremors were felt as far away as Malaysia and Singapore, 430 km from the epicenter.


Map of the epicenter of the quake – people in Padang fleeing the area – example of one of the many destroyed buildings due to the quake

The most affected district was Solok, located 96 km northeast of Padang. Tanah Datar, Agam, Padang Pariaman, and the cities of Bukittinggi, Padang Panjang, Pariaman, and Padang were also affected by the earthquake. Thousands of buildings collapsed, glass doors and windows shattered, power lines toppled and phone lines were either cut or overloaded. Over 135,000 people were left homeless.

Padang is considered one of the highest risk areas in Indonesia for Tsunami and earthquake vulnerability. Please see the following TIME Magazine article which explains why: www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1139873,00.html

Considering the high level of infrastructure damage, the loss of lives from this massive earthquake was much less than expected with a little over 70 people reported deceased. IDEP believes that this result is partially due to the extensive disaster preparedness work and community evacuation drills that have been facilitated in the area over the last 2 years by our partner KOGAMI.  

KOGAMI are a highly effective group of volunteers tirelessly working to educate the people of Padang and encourage the local government to take the risk of earthquakes and tsunamis seriously. KOGAMI have been utilizing IDEP’s Community Based Disaster Management Kit in their efforts to educate the local population of Padang and have been a major catalyst and facilitator for education and training.  

KOGAMI has undertaken disaster preparedness training and socialization in every Kelurahan or area around Padang. Their continuing efforts have resulted in a noticeable growth in awareness, preparedness, and anticipation of disasters within local governance and the community. For more information about KOGAMI see: http://www.kogami.or.id/


IDEP’s local partner KOGAMI at work in the area - KOGAMI’s Director Patra explains plans to the Mayor of Padang - Area Evacuation Map

Immediately following the earthquake KOGAMI began working with The Fire Department of Padang to undertake extensive Search and Rescue while conducting a rapid needs assessment for the area.

The International response to the disaster was good with the International Civil Defence Directory, International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), UN Development Programme (UNDP), UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), UN Human Settlements Programme (Habitat), UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), UN Population Fund (UNFPA), UN Resident Coordinator, World Food Programme (WFP) and the World Health Organization (WHO) all working on the ground relatively soon after the disaster happened. Due to this fact IDEP / Kogami decided that it was not necessary to launch a direct emergency response initiative.

Due to the large number of organizations working on the ground after the earthquake IDEP / KOGAMI decided that it was not necessary to launch a direct emergency response initiative following the earthquake.

However, in the period after the quake KOGAMI continued to monitor the response and recovery efforts in the area and found that certain areas had been overlooked and did not have access to the support they needed. KOGAMI then conducted a detailed assessment of these seemingly “forgotten” areas and their findings are the basis for this appeal.

Our plans to assist Earthquake survivors in the Padang area

Buildings in the Padang area are particularly prone to the devastating effects of earthquakes due to their construction methods. The majority of buildings around Padang are highly prone to collapse during a seismic shift. With the reconstruction of thousands of buildings now needed in the area it is important that new appropriate technologies for earthquake proof construction be socialized in the area.


Examples of the many completely destroyed homes that KOGAMI has identified, these families need help to rebuild their homes & lives

IDEP / KOGAMI propose to:

Construct at least one ‘earthquake-proof’ house which will be used as a training and educational model for the community, local government, reconstruction agencies and key stakeholders in the Padang Pariaman area. The cost of this construction and training will be US $9,000. The wooden house that IDEP / KOGAMI plans to construct for demonstration and educational purposes, has been engineered to withstand movement during earthquakes and can be replicated by communities and agencies in the area. Please see the diagram below for the design of the earthquake proof houses.

Many people in remote areas on the outskirts of Padang have not had the support that they need to even start to cover the basic living needs.

IDEP / KOGAMI propose to:

Supply at least 9 complete sets of household needs kits for families who are having difficulty recovering from the quake. These kits will include basic food needs, bedding, and kerosene lamps. These sets (including cost of distribution to families in need) have a value of US$ 300 per set, minimum support needed to implement this activity is US$ 2,700.

People in the Padang area are extremely prone to disaster and ongoing community education and capacity building for disaster preparedness and management is a priority issue in the area.


The KOGAMI team at work conducting evacuation drills and teaching basic techniques for Search & Rescue & Emergency First Aid

IDEP / KOGAMI propose to:

Conduct community events and workshops which will increase awareness and understanding in local communities and local government about appropriate systems for building earthquake proof homes and Community Based Disaster Preparedness.

This project will not only provide rebuilding and relief to specific families in desperate need but also act as a working example of effective building techniques for earthquake prone areas.

Should support for this initiative be forthcoming the KOGAMI team will work in the area for 4 months to socialize the earthquake-proof building technology, build the demonstration home in conjunction with local community representatives and other stakeholders and ensure that the technology and information is disseminated to local communities and government agencies. KOGAMI will also distribute the household needs kits while documenting the entire process and reporting on the results.
 

How you can help...

IDEP is urgently seeking immediate support for assisting affected communities with some basic reconstruction while educating local stakeholders in earthquake proof housing technology.

To make a donation please go to our website: www.idepfoundation.org/idep_donate.php

Currently, IDEP can accept donations by two means:

1) Online Credit Card Donations through the National Heritage Foundation

Visit www.idepfoundation.org/idep_donate.php and select the ‘On-line Credit Card Donation’ option. You will be directed to the National Heritage Foundation website where you can process your donation through their secure site. Donations are accepted on our behalf by the National Heritage Foundation in the USA which is a registered 501-(c)(3) charity. Donation made through NHF are tax deductible in the United States.

Don’t forget, when you register your donation on our website, if you wish to earmark the funds for a particular project please indicate the project name.

2) Wire transfer to our bank account

[see website for details bank transfer details...]

If you are wire transferring funds please notify IDEP by filling in our donation registration form  on-line at: www.idepfoundation.org/idep_donate.php or emailing donate@idepfoundation.org. Please indicate the amount, the originating currency (i.e. US  dollars, UK pounds, etc), bank name and city from which the transfer was made, your name (as you would like to be listed on the donor list), and the date of the transfer. A receipt will be sent once the funds have arrived. Also, if you wish to earmark the funds for a particular project please indicate the project name.

Thank You so much to everyone who can help make this recovery project possible and for any support you are able to  provide.

Overview of Earthquake Proof Housing Technology that will be used as part of this project:

Today, from IDEP, in Bali Indonesia, with whom I worked very closely during the aftermath of the disastrous tsunami two years ago. This is urgent and not on their website yet:

IDEP’s Emergency Response to
Flash Floods in Aceh & North Sumatra

Dear Friends of IDEP,

Two years after the Indian Ocean tsunami devastated the province, Aceh is struggling with a new disaster.

Torrential rains over the past week have triggered flash floods and landslides which have forced around 300,000 to flee their homes on the island of Sumatra, with Aceh and North Sumatra provinces the worst hit.



As of yesterday reports showed that about 100,000 people were stranded by floods which have claimed at least 110 lives. Water levels, which rose to as high as five meters in some places, have been receding, but today the sky was dark again with clouds. We pray that the rains will not start again.

Officials say a combination of heavy rains and widespread unregulated deforestation are to blame for the flash flooding. By removing dense vegetation the ground is less able to absorb heavy rainfall, creating torrents of water that quickly overwhelm river systems.

---

About IDEP’s current response activities in the area



IDEP’s emergency response partner Yayasan Bahari’s rescue team have have been working around the clock for several days now. Today they found about 70 bodies.

They have been concentrating on Search and Rescue and evacuating as many people as possible from the still isolated regions while getting emergency supplies to thousands of stranded people who are short of water and food.

They are focusing on Tamiang Hulu which is next to Kuala Simpang / Sigli, Tamiyang / Pulau Tiga Aceh, Northern Sumatra, where three sub districts are still completely isolated. Whole villages have been swallowed by flood waters with residents escaping to find refuge on higher ground or trapped on the roofs of their houses. Roads leading to many of the affected areas are blocked due to both flooding and landslides, which is making access extremely difficult.

Today IDEP received a pledge of support in the form of urgently needed donated boats – however we need to repair or buy motors for them, which will cost about $1,000 US per motor x 2 boats we will be looking into options on this tomorrow – if anyone is able to help with this please contact us immediately.

---

How you can help…

IDEP is urgently seeking immediate support for family support kits, temporary shelters, field kitchens, water an sanitation supplies as well as distribution and search and rescue logistics.

For emergency supplies IDEP is working with our partners CV Sarawsati (CVS) who helped us with supplies and delivery for the 2005 Tsunami, as well as the Jogyakarta and West Java Quake responses earlier this year. CVS can supply us with aid kits such as the following immediately should support be available...



To make a donation please go to our website: www.idepfoundation.org/idep_donate.php

Currently, IDEP can accept donations by two means:

1) Online Credit Card Donations through the National Heritage Foundation

Visit www.idepfoundation.org/idep_donate.php and select the ‘On-line Credit Card Donation’ option. You will be directed to the National Heritage Foundation website where you can process your donation through their secure site. Donations are accepted on our behalf by the National Heritage Foundation in the USA which is a registered 501-(c)(3) charity. Donation made through NHF are tax deductible in the United States.

Don’t forget, when you register your donation on our website, if you wish to earmark the funds for a particular project please indicate the project name.

2) Wire transfer to our bank account

Our bank account details:


If you are wire transferring funds please notify IDEP by filling in our donation registration form  on-line at: www.idepfoundation.org/idep_donate.php or emailing donate@idepfoundation.org. Please indicate the amount, the originating currency (i.e. US  dollars, UK pounds, etc), bank name and city from which the transfer was made, your name (as you would like to be listed on the donor list), and the date of the transfer. A receipt will be sent once the funds have arrived. Also, if you wish to earmark the funds for a particular project please indicate the project name.

Thank You so much to everyone who can help make this emergency response possible and for any support you are able to  provide.

IDEP is the organizaton that I worked closely with after the devastating tsunami in Dec 2004. As a local organization, they were able to respond immedately and effectively to the worst affected area - Aceh Province. They continue their steady work in Aceh and the organization has grown. As soon as I read about the earthquake yesterday, the first thing I did was go look at their site to see if there was any news.

This morning, I received this email.

Dear friends of IDEP,
 
On Saturday the 27th of May at 5:55 am an Earthquake measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale hit Central Java with the epicenter in the sea south of the city of Jogyakarta. The earthquake lasted for over 57 seconds with a second smaller earthquake occurring at 10.15 am. It appears that Bantul area south of Jogyakarta bore the brunt of the damage with almost all buildings being flattened and deaths numbering in the hundreds also Klaten has been badly affected. In Jogyakarta the quake caused serious structural damage to many of the cities buildings.



The current death toll is close to 5,000 and expected to rise, injured 20,000, and countless people are still buried in the rubble. Over 200,000 people are currently displaced, many of whom lost everything when their houses collapsed.

Through our partners in the area IDEP has received reports of many people not having eaten since the quake struck. Stockpiles of food, medicines and shelter prepared for the impending volcanic eruption of mount Merapi, which is in the same area are being exhausted.

IDEP is responding to the crisis.

Today, IDEP sent a team of 6 volunteers, with a truck full of medicine and emergency relief supplies, to the affected area. They will assist with search and rescue, deliver much needed emergency supplies and offer assistance to the local teams that are already on the ground – who have been working around the clock since the disaster struck. The experienced team of volunteers from Bali are expected to arrive tomorrow midday, road conditions permitting.

Today, IDEP also emptied its bank account’s emergency reserve fund to initiate the purchasing of Aid Buckets and other Emergency supplies through two of our trusted local partners in the area:

• Yayasan IBU / Rakata – key partners in the delivery of aid in 2005 to the Tsunami struck Calang, and
• Kelompok Peduli Bencana / KAPPALA – A group of local volunteers headed up by Eko Teguh (expert advisor to IDEP’s Community Based Crisis response Program)
  

As with our Tsunami appeal, where IDEP channeled over US$ 1,000,000 of funds donated by people like you to help victims, we are again calling for donations to help victims of the Java Quake. IDEP will continue to collect funds and channel assistance to victims of the Java Earthquake over the next few weeks and continue to asses the needs on the ground as the situation unfolds. We will be sending out regular updates about progress on the ground.



If you are able to help

Please visit our website for complete donation details :www.idepfoundation.org/idep_donate.php

More information about IDEP’s activates in Jogyakarta will be posted on our website www.idepfoundation.org as of tomorrow.

For information about making donations contact : info@idepfoundation.org

Thank you so much for any help you are able to provide.

The Bali nightclub bombings of a few years ago were sadly how the team led by IDEP got their start and their experience that prepared them to be so incredibly effective in helping after the Tsunami hit Aceh Province last December. There were more bombings in Bali yesterday apparently linked to the same group of the previous and much more deadly bombings.

Don't Forget: www.acehaid.org

If you are curious where in Indonesia this was, it is Medan which is on the northeastern part of Sumatra - near Aceh Province

Here is a map where you can see  Medan.

The flight was departing Medan and headed for Jakarta, Indonesia's capital. It crashed in a residential neighborhood in Medan.

Don't Forget: www.acehaid.org

http://feeds.indonesianews.net/?rid=6b0d5bb186c32960&cat=f9295dc05093c851&f=1

www.acehaid.org

I just read this article which has a very unofficial estimate of 250,000 Indonesians lost in the tsunami in December.

www.acehaid.org

http://feeds.indonesianews.net/?rid=8bd09717ce894532&cat=f9295dc05093c851

This is a result of a reported 7.3 earthquake in the Nicobar Islands that was causing worry of potential Tsunamis in Indonesia. (http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=972471)

www.acehaid.org

TechEd Speakers Charity Auction http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5587400881

Help promote the TechEd Speaker Auction!

Put this image on your website along with the link to the auction

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5587400881

 

TechEd Speakers Charity Auction http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5587400881

There is another auction happening right now to benefit Aceh Aid at IDEP (now renamed to Aceh Recovery at IDEP). Twenty three TechEd speakers have put one hour blocks of their time on the auction block. The auction goes until Thursday, June 16th. We raised over $10,000 for this incredible organization in January and many lucky winning bidders got some great advice from some of the top consultants and brains in the industry. So whether you want to spend an hour asking Juval Lowy some tough architecture questions, learn about the future of communication with Don Box, get some of your tough VSTS questions answered by Richard Hundhausen or Joel Semeniuk, you can do that and lend some aid to help the people of Aceh Province Indonesia who still have a loooong way to recovering from the terrible disastrous Dec 26th tsunami (and consequent earthquakes).

HERE IS THE LINK!!

http://www.AcehAid.org

Aceh Aid is now Aceh Recovery. They are still doing amazing things. Aceh Province is still in a terrible state. It will take a LONG time to recover from the tsunamis and the enormous loss of life, land, infrastructure and sustainability. They have an amazing amount of information on their website now. Please go check it out.

So... I am REALLY excited to report that Microsoft and Stephen Forte have helped gather up 20 of the TechEd speakers for another EBay auction for my friends in Bali who are running Aceh Recovery.

The EBay site will be up soon. Stephen has the list of speakers, but just for google, I will list them here as well, (alphabetically)

Don Box
Andrew Brust
Michele Leroux Bustamante
Richard Campbell
Stephen Forte
Carl Franklin
Jackie Goldstein
John Goodyear
Kate Gregory
Scott Hanselman
Tim Huckaby
Richard Hundhausen
Patrick Hynds
Jesper Johansson
Tim Landgrave
Rockford Lhotka
Juval Lowy
Ingo Rammer
Joel Semeniuk
Kimberly Tripp
Clemens Vasters
Christian Weyer

There is a lot of effort that goes behind pulling this together. Last time Stephen and I spent many hours so I am very grateful for the support from Microsoft this time. And of course to all of the speakers and, in advance, to all of the bidders, whether they win the bids or not.

We will have the EBay site up soon and the rules & regs!

http://www.AcehAid.org

This time it is about 30 miles from Padang. 6.9. Here's some minimal info.

Padang is in southern Sumatra whereas the earlier disasters were in the northwest, in Aceh Province.

Here is a map on the AcehAid website (IDEP Foundation) so you can see where all of these places are relative to each other. IDEP continues to work night and day in response to the nightmare tsunamis that happened in December and continue to rely on financial support.

http://www.AcehAid.org

IDEP FLASH UPDATE #15 - April 12th, 2005  
From : Yayasan IDEP & Yayasan Andaru Selaras
Re : Tragic sinking of the Endless Sun Vessel

The Cahaya Abadi (Endless Sun), a private relief boat delivering aid to Aceh and Nias has sunk off the coast of Nias on April 11 at 14.00 local time.
 
The 700-ton vessel had just finished offloading a cargo of rice and aid to the village of Afulu on the south coast of Nias, North Sumatra, Indonesia when it struck an uncharted reef in a heavy swell. The boat sunk within twenty minutes. Some of the Indonesian crew of 15 and 5 volunteers swam safely to shore and the others were picked up by fishing boats. All are safe.
  
The Cahaya Abadi had delivered some of the Yayasan IDEP aid and 87 tons of rice donated by the World Food Program to four isolated communities in Nias before the incident occurred.  It had just completed its fourth rice delivery when the accident occurred. The vessel was still fully loaded with food, household and reconstruction aid intended for Aceh when it sank 600 meters offshore.
  
The vessel, leased by Yayasan Andaru Selaras (a Jakarta based NGO) was carrying relief goods from Yayasan IDEP, the World Food Program, Project Concern International and other donors.
  
“We are grateful for the good news that no one on board was seriously injured,” says Petra Schneider, Executive Director of Yayasan IDEP a Bali based NGO.  “We are committed to continue our Aceh aid and recovery projects with the help of our generous donors, volunteers and staff.”
   
The many major earthquakes in the immediate area since December 26 have created an unstable seabed situation with uncharted, difficult to navigate coral reefs.
 
“Crew and volunteers were aware that they were entering a dangerous and volatile situation,” says Chris Gentry, founder of Yayasan Andaru Selaras.  “I want to thank those who have put their lives at risk for the people of Aceh and North Sumatra. Despite the trauma and hardship they have experienced their commitment has not waned. Aid delivery in this difficult time will continue”.
   
 The crew is being evacuated by World Food Program helicopters now. The vessel was a total loss.


  
Among the tons of relief cargo lost undersea were the following items intended for IDEP’s project in Sama Tiga (Aceh) and IDEP is trying very hard to quickly replace these goods as the people there were promised that these items were coming soon aboard The Endless Sun.  Last week, the vessel, en route to Sama Tiga, was re-routed to Nias to deliver rice to isolated coastal communities in need of food, after the March 28 earthquake.

Please help us replace these items for the villagers of Sama Tiga:

• 3,000 Kerosene stoves,$3 each, for a total of $9,000
• 800 “Aid Buckets” total $16,000
• 361 Household kits total $7850
• 340 Food kits total $7540
• 100 Fishing kits total $1224
• 1 trail bike (for delivering goods to villages without roads): $1,500
  

If you can help, please contribute today.

How to help IDEP replace these items…
  
By CREDIT CARD  - Via PayPal, an internet payment system which allows you to make payments from 45 countries  (not including Indonesia - if your credit card billing address is in Indonesia this will not work).  Go to www.idepfoundation.org/aceh_aid.html and follow the instructions there. (Tax deductible for US taxpayers.)
    
By CHECK (in US)  - Via Tides Foundation. Make check payable to “Aceh Aid / Tides Foundation” and mail to Byron Miranda, Accounting, Tides Foundation, P.O. Box 29903, San Francisco, CA 94129, USA. (Tax deductible for US taxpayers.)
       
By WIRE TRANSFER (the quickest way to get funds to IDEP)
Account Name : Yayasan IDEP
Account Number : 034.001229576.003
Bank : BNI (Bank Negara Indonesia), Cabang Ubud, Bali  
Bank Address : Jl. Raya Ubud, Bali - Indonesia  
SWIFT Code : BNINIDJA DPS
    
If you send a wire transfer please send an email to : donate@idepfoundation.org telling us your name, date of transfer, currency and amount, originating bank - as well as how you would like the donation listed if it is not the same as the name on the wire transfer receipt.
     
For additional information about donating to IDEP please contact donate@idepfoundation.org
We will be posting more information on our website soon. www.idepfoundation.org

http://www.AcehAid.org

An aftershock - 3 months after. 8.2 earthquake in the SAME spot as before. Hits at midnight, everyone of course fears another tsunami. Banda Aceh is the target again. Horror. Waiting to hear back from the folks in Bali...will post anything I hear...

update - you all probably know from the news, the earthquake has done a lot of damage in places (high death toll on the island Nias) but at this point, the fear of a tsunami has faded. Thank god. It is now morning there. Got word from folks in southern Indonesia who are awaiting contact with their aid workers in Aceh Province...

http://www.AcehAid.org

yes, we (that's YOU, the .net community) have raised

$10,138

for Aceh Aid at IDEP to help with their phenomenal relief efforts in Sumatra.

Thanks to everyone who participated, consultants and bidders.

We are not going to list the winners for reasons of privacy.

Stay tuned for more auctions....

http://www.AcehAid.org

Sam Schultz is one of those amazing guys you  think only exist in the movies. BUt he's real. He is one of the amazing people that is working with IDEP to bring critical support into the horribly devastated areas of Sumatra. A reporter from the Christian Science Monitor traveled with Sam and wrote this story.

One man's mission to bring relief to cut-off villages

Galvanized by images of the disaster, Sam Schultz bought a plane ticket, hired a boat and crew, and was soon sailing down Indonesia's Sumatran coast to help survivors...

Here are the pictures that go with it.

http://www.AcehAid.org

The auction has ended. We had a lot of people bidding! The lowest winning bid was $152.50 so even if the winners only pay what eBay requires them to pay ($152.50), we have raised $4575 for Aceh Aid at IDEP. I have heard many people are planning to pay the actual maximum amount that they bid (which we can't see) so I expect the final tally to be much higher. This was great! Thanks for everyone's contributions - whether they were a bid, an hour, an offer for a future hour or some p.r. on their blogs.

Here is the final list. Perhaps we will translate it into real names at some point (with everyone's permission). We will let everyone know what the final true amount is!!

EBay sorts them in the order of the highest bid yet only shows the lowest winning bid. The draft will be based on what people actually pay (per consultant). It will be in one week. Check back for more info!

http://www.AcehAid.org

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=5552696499

Remember it's a CHARITY auction. Don't be nickel and diming those bids!!

It's all for www.acehaid.org

http://www.AcehAid.org

multi-item auctions are REALLY wierd on ebay.

According to EBay's algorithm (designed for the thrifty, not for the charitable) nobody is supposed to have to pay more than the lowest winning bid. So, though many have already bid more than $100, there are still not enough bids to push away the last of the $100 winning bids. Therefore all of the "winning bids" still are sitting at $100. I don't know what it will take to get these things moving. Lots of bids. Lots and lots of bids. EBay doesn't really like charity auctions, I think.

Here's from the eBay site about multi-item auctions:

Bids are displayed when you click on the "Bidders list" link. Bids that are not currently winning show their bid prices, but bids that are winning show the price that they would pay if the auction ended immediately. This means that, in the Bid History, all winning bids show the same price per unit – the lowest winning bid. To place a winning bid (a bid that wins at least some units), you need to exceed this price.

http://www.AcehAid.org

ObjectSharp is bidding on 5 consultants in our charity auction for Aceh Aid at IDEP. Owner (and  RD and auction item, himself) Barry Gervin lists what he will be asking of the consultants if he wins! It helps to understand that each of the people in his list have well known specialties and they are quite the opposite of what he is planning to ask of them.

http://www.AcehAid.org

http://offer.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewBids&item=5552696499

go BID!

http://www.AcehAid.org

I have been asked about the auction being tax deductible.

Absolutely!

So get your clients and your companies to bid!! I told my clients about the auction and said "hey, can you hire me some help for when I get really stuck on something?" Even an hour of having someone like Kimberly Tripp take a look at their SQL Server setup would be invaluable!!

The PayPal account (acehaid@tides.org) that the winners send their $ to is a U.S. 501c3 non-profit. If you want to donate a lot of $ to them (regardless of your eBay bid or even if you win) you can even send a check or wire money.

More info is on this page www.acehaid.org.

http://www.AcehAid.org

SO cool. Maybe we'll get a gazillion bids now. Looks like the poster (who is a hero in my book) was a little confused about Aceh Aid at IDEP's mission, but who cares! We got a positive post on slashdot.

Happy happy happy.

 

http://www.AcehAid.org

By bidding, of course.

read more from Stephen on how to help.

http://www.AcehAid.org

Doug Seven put our charity auction into the rotating ads on both the DotNetJunkies and SQLJunkies websites. Very kind. Go bid!!

http://www.AcehAid.org

feel free to use this button and link to our ebay auction!

Too busy to download and upload to your own blog? Here's the html which will use the image directly from my server. Remember to strip any excess formatting before you paste!

<A href="http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&amp;item=5552696499"><IMG src="http://www.thedatafarm.com/blog/content/binary/auctionimage.jpg" border=0/></A>

http://www.AcehAid.org

Drew Robbins got his bid in at Jan-23-05 06:00:14 PST! That's 14 seconds after it went live. I call that love!

Here's the link:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5552696499

http://www.AcehAid.org

and here is the link:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5552696499

http://www.AcehAid.org

Big thanks to the guys at thinktecture who found themselves a little late to reply "YES YES OF COURSE!!" to being in the first .NET Celebrity Auction to Aceh Aid at IDEP. They have offered to cover the eBay seller fees that Stephen and I have to pay for this auction. We have tried to contact eBay about removing the fee of 1.5% for any amount our auction recieves abouto $1,000 (that's the total not the 30 individual donations). eBay is very careful about trying to protect buyers from the many many fraudulent "charity auctions" and unfortunately it has made things extremely complex and difficult for Stephen and I in trying to make this thing fly.

http://www.AcehAid.org

One of the groups that is intimately involved with Aceh Aid at IDEP is the local surf guides from Sumatran Surfariis.

Okay - yes they are adorable and hunky young guys, but that's not my point. They are part of the amazing effort that is being made in Sumatra. They have been writing about what they are doing and seeing and it's really interesting reading. Right here.

http://www.AcehAid.org

Update 2/10/05: The auction raised an amazing $10,138!!!
Thanks to everyone who bid and helped us promote it.
We will hopefully be having another one soon.

---

1/23 9AM EST: WE WILL BE LIVE - GO HERE FOR DETAILS and LINK!

---

[I will put the start date here the moment we are able to and then I will put the link to the auction right here when it goes live, so if you are interested in the auction, bookmark this post!!]

PLEASE SEE STEPHEN FORTE'S BLOG POST REGARDING DETAILS OF THE 30 CONSULTANTS AND UPDATED DETAILS ON HOW THE AUCTION WILL FUNCTION.

30 of the top trainers and consultants in the .NET community will be auctioning off one hour each of their consulting time in a big EBay auction that will start sometime in the next few days (or early next week). Watch this space (and those of the auction items <g> for the date to be announced.

The auction is to benefit Aceh Aid at IDEP who is doing amazing disaster recovery work in Aceh Province Sumatra. All of the money goes DIRECTLY to helping the victims since Aceh Aid at IDEP is a local organization in Sumatra.

You can learn more about what they are doing from the above link, by reading Susi Johnston's weblog or by filtering on Asia in my own blog. This is the group that Keith Pleas and I have been working with so closely since the Tsunami disaster hit.

Who is in this auction?

Lots of INETA speakers, Regional Directors and Wintellects!!

From Wintellect: Jeffery Richter, John Robbins and Jeff Prosise

A slew of amazingly brilliant RDs: Michele Leroux Bustamante, Jonathan Goodyear, Andrew Brust, Richard Campbell , Kimberly Tripp, Adam Cogan ,Malek Kummou , Jackie Goldstein, Goskin Bakir, Hector M Obregon , Patrick Hynds , Fernando Guerrero , Kate Gregory , Joel Semeniuk , Scott Hanselman , Barry Gervin , Clemens Vasters , Jorge Oblitas , Stephen Forte, John Lam, Edgar Sánchez, Thomas Lee, J. Michael Palermo IV, Vishwas Lele

And if that's not enough, a few more brilliant stars: Deborah Kurata, Ted Neward and Kathleen Dollard 

This is a wonderful contribution by these people and demonstrates what I love so much about this community.

So open up your hearts (to enable Aceh Aid at IDEP continue with their phenomenal and necessary work - it is still a horror story in Sumatra and we cannot let up), open up your minds (to having access to some of the most talented .NET programmer consultants in the world) and warm up those credit cards!

Also, since there are many more wonderful and brilliant people in our community that I am sure will want to do this too (we just had to limit ourselves for this first one) I hope that we can do more of these in the near future!

How this will work

This will be ONE BIG FAT auction. The top 25 bidders will win. Bids start at $100. The auction will last 10 days. Unlike a typical "multi-item" auction, where the winners would pay the amount of the lowest winning bid, in THIS auction, the TOP bidder will get first pick of consultants and then on down the line. You will pay your winning bid directly to Aceh Aid at IDEP's PayPal account: acehaid@tides.org.

Due Diligence

Online Donations are made via PayPal donation to acehaid@tides.org. The Tides Foundation is a US-based 501c3 non-profit, permitting tax-deductible contributions and supported by many corporate matching programs. PayPal takes most credit cards. For people who cannot use PayPal , there are other ways to make the payment. Money can be wired directly to Aceh Aid at IDEP or (for the 501c3 payment) checks can be mailed to Tides or money wired directly to them. So don't worry about not being able to participate. If you can do any of these 4 options, BID BID BID!!!

http://www.AcehAid.org

From Chris Pels' blog:

The IRS has enacted a new law which allows individuals to deduct contributions to recognized charitable organizations for Tsunami relief on your 2004 tax return even if you make the donation through 1.31.2005. Usually those contributions would have to be made by 12.31.2004. Read the IRS guidelines on what determines if an organization would qualify before making your donation. This is a great opportunity to help so many people in need and qualify for a deduction as well.

http://www.AcehAid.org

http://www.AcehAid.org

Susi  Johnston posted a picture and an explanation of an elephant helping the Aceh Aid at IDEP volunteers in Aceh Province. Here's the picture.

http://www.AcehAid.org

give 'em a hand if you can

http://weblogs.asp.net/coltk/archive/2005/01/07/347718.aspx

http://www.AcehAid.org

If you are at CES, remember Aceh Aid (www.AcehAid.org).

Here is what they still need. It is GREAT p.r. for manufacturer's to donate stuff and it makes everyone feel like they have been able to do something useful to help in the wake of the horrible disaster.

http://www.AcehAid.org

Here's his promise.

right over here robert:

www.acehAid.org

we made it really easy for you.

 

http://www.AcehAid.org

My brother in law, Greg, works for Maxtor in Colorado. I knew from him that there was location in Singapore which is not quite as far from Indonesia. So with Greg's help, I contacted some people in the Singapore location and they overnighted two of their One Touch drives to the folks at www.AcehAid.org in response to this plea that Susi made on her blog for fear of losing all of the precious information they have to in conjunction with the work they are doing.

Thanks Maxtor!!!!

http://www.AcehAid.org