East-West Center's tsunami fund spent
Two years and $507,000 after the deadly Southeast Asia tsunami, the East-West Center in Manoa is closing its books on its relief fund.
Center officials announced yesterday that they will be distributing the final 2 percent of donations made by many local residents, including students and businesses state- and nationwide.
However, aid work in the area will continue, they said. Contact with educational institutions in the region has established ongoing projects, including teacher and scholar exchange programs studying social and economic issues, according to a center news release.
"We are grateful for the aid and cooperation, and we are confident that this relationship will be a lasting one for both of our institutions and countries," said Rusjdi Ali Muhammad, former rector of the Ar-Raniry State Institute of Islamic Studies in Aceh.
"Of 500 foreign delegations to have visited after the tsunami, only two have followed up with specific ongoing support. The East-West Center is one," he said.
Shortly after the disaster, which killed more than 200,000 people, the Hawaii-based think tank sent staff and students to aid recovery efforts.
After surveying the damage, the center funneled private donations of about $507,000 to nonprofit organizations.
As a result, 50 senior undergraduate students in Aceh were awarded scholarships, allowing them to move to Jakarta to finish their teacher training, according to the news release.
The center also helped to repair or replace lost school equipment, and supplied fishing nets and boats. About 80 Thai students were given bicycles to use to travel after resettling away from their schools.
East-West President Charles Morrison stressed that none of the money was used for the center's administrative costs or otherwise.