Philanthropic Response to the Cyclone

May 16 Teleconference on the Disaster in Myanmar

A summary and a recording are now available for download.

A second emergency teleconference was held on Friday, May 16th at 11:00 AM ET to brief donors on the latest relief and recovery needs and effective philanthropic strategies in response to the crisis in Myanmar. The following speakers were on the call:

Marcus Prior

Public Affairs Officer, Cyclone Nargis Response Team, Bangkok

Jonathan Mitchell

Emergency Response Director, CARE International, Geneva

Wyndham James

China Country Director, Save the Children, China

Ronna D. Brown

President, New York Regional Association of Grantmakers, New York

Regine Webster

Arabella Disaster Philanthropy Advisor, Nashville

Disaster Recovery Fund

for Myanmar

At the request of our clients and with the support of many donor networks across the country, a Disaster Recovery Fund, which is open to all donors, has been established to support long-term recovery efforts in the aftermath of Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar. The fund will support organizations helping communities devastated by the storm rebuild the agricultural, health, education, environmental and other infrastructure systems on which they depend. Long-term recovery aid is as critical as humanitarian relief but attention to it often lapses as information about a disaster slips out of the news and the public consciousness. Many strong organizations with on-the-ground presences are providing immediate humanitarian relief, and donors are also encouraged to support these critical efforts.

The fund is advised by disaster-recovery experts with decades of experience in this sector. A volunteer Board of Advisors will provide oversight and represent the corporations, community foundations, private foundations and donor networks of the philanthropic community. Arabella Advisors, through its Arabella Legacy Fund, a 501(c)(3) organization, will donate its services to administer the fund. All donors will receive regular reports on fund activities.

Contributions can be made out to “Disaster Recovery Fund” and mailed to:

Arabella/Disaster Recovery Fund
1816 Jefferson Place, NW
Washington, DC 20036

For more information, please call (202) 533-1817 or send an email to myanmarrecovery@arabellaadvisors.com.

May 12 Teleconference on the Disaster in Myanmar

Please click here for a summary of the May 12 Teleconference.

An emergency teleconference to brief donors about relief and recovery needs and effective philanthropic strategies in response to the crisis in Myanmar took place on Monday, May 12th at 3:00 ET. Relief NGO, governmental and multilateral leaders around the world provided an up-to-date status report of the situation. Experts in disaster philanthropy reflected on lessons learned from past disasters as participants considered their own approach to assistance.

The following speakers offered their insights into philanthropic responses to the disaster:

Eric Kessler
Principal and Managing Director, Arabella Advisors

Washington, DC

Rashid Khalikov
Director, UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance
UN Headquarters, New York

Kurt MacLeod
Vice President for Asia and Eurasia, PACT
Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Rein Paulsen
Senior Director, Humanitarian and Emergency Affairs, World Vision
Washington, DC

Sam Worthington
President, InterAction
Washington, DC