Americans rush to aid tsunami victims

From children collecting money at their schools to a New York man who donated the winnings from his newspaper lottery ticket, Americans are donating money to the victims of the Asian tsunami at a pace unlike anything since the attacks of 11 September 2001.

Private donations are set to overtake the US government aid of $350m.

Already private US donors have given $322m, and groups say additional pledges of aid push the total to almost $355m, according to the Centre on Philanthropy at Indiana University.

And that figure does not include the Salvation Army, one of the largest charitable organisations in the US.

Children rush to help

School children have responded strongly to the catastrophe that took the lives of so many their age.

At one school in Bethesda Maryland, students made a paper chain, adding a link for each dollar raised.

In Winchester, Kentucky, school children held a "Crazy Dress Up Day" where for a donation of a dollar or more, they were allowed to wear whatever outrageous outfit they wanted.

Children in Detroit shovelled snow after a massive winter storm to raise money for the tsunami victims.

IMMEDIATE NEEDS

• Shelter: $222m
• Food: $215m
• Health: $122m
• Economic recovery and infrastructure: $110m
• Water and sanitation: $61m

Who's giving what

Do warning systems work?

In New York, students at the UN international school remembered how children around the world had sent them letters in the wake of the 11 September 2001 attacks.

They have started a letter writing campaign to return the kindness.

Indeed, many in Washington, New York and across the US pointed to the attacks as the reason why they wanted to give to the victims of the tsunami.

The charitable response is second only to the outpouring after the 9/11 attacks.

In the first two weeks after 11 September 2001, Americans gave $658 million with a final tally of more than $2 billion.

Celebrities lend their support

Celebrities, politicians, businessman, shop owners and millions of average citizens are working to raise money for the relief efforts.

• Seven basketball players including Kobe Bryant pledged to donate $1,000 for every point they scored in a game this week to Unicef. They hope to raise $250,000.
• Steven Spielberg will give $1.5m to Save the Children, Care and Oxfam
• Film star Sandra Bullock has pledged $1m to the American Red Cross
• Leonardo DiCaprio said he will give a "substantial amount" for aid to Thailand where he filmed the 2000 movie The Beach. He set up a link on his website for fans to follow his lead and make donations.
• Television network NBC will simulcast a telethon over its broadcast network and six cable channels on 15 January.

Immigrants send relief home

Many of the aid efforts were spurred by local immigrant communities with ties to the region.

In Los Angeles, the Thai community was coming together to hold a fundraiser that included a Buddhist prayer ceremony, traditional music and a live telethon.

Diyana Sanders lives just outside of Washington, but her brother runs an orphanage in her native country of Sri Lanka.

He and 28 orphans were miraculously spared by the tsunami.

Mrs Sanders is holding a fundraiser at a local church and hopes to raise $400,000 to help her brother rebuild the orphanage.