Our founding members have filled coordinator and project manager positions working with the Tsunami Volunteer Center, Hands On Disaster Response and Burners Without Borders. In their various roles they've built schools in Peru and homes in Thailand.
The following programme links and project descriptions highlight some of the achievements of our directors when they were working these organisations.
Tsunami Volunteer Center (TVC)
The TVC was formed in reaction to one of the biggest natural disasters in recorded history - the tsunamis of December 26th 2004. Founded and led by Thais, the organisation focused its efforts on the area hardest hit in Thailand, the province of Phang Nga which lost over 4,000 people and 2,000 homes.
Many of our key volunteers were heavily involved in its Post-Tsunami Reconstruction Programme
Hands On Disaster Response (HODR)
HODR was founded when director David Campbell went to Thailand after the Tsunami in 2004 to see if he could help. He planned to stay a week, but instead wound up founding his own organisation. Since then the list of HODR's programmes has grown rapidly. In 2008 alone HODR volunteers worked in Cedar Rapids and Palo Iowa, USA after flooding, Missouri and Arkansas, USA after tornados and Bangladesh after a Cyclone. HODR differs from both The TVC and Burners Without Borders in terms of its focus. The organisation concentrates on the most immediate needs after a disaster - clearing rubble after the earthquake, clearing mud after flooding, and working with local NGOs to provide temporary housing. It lays the groundwork for further recovery.
The deployment we at EDV remember best is their Pisco, Post-Earthquake Response Programme
Burners Without Borders (BWB)
BWB was born in the Nevada Desert in the USA. Every August thousands gather, build a city for 10 days, live and display their art there, and then they leave. It's called Burning Man, and those who attend are Burners. After hurricane Katrina, which devastated the Southern Coast of the U.S., some burners decided to take the skills they learned building their city for a week and see what they could do to help. It turned out that they could do a lot.
Many of our key volunteers were heavily involved in their Pisco, Post-Earthquake Reconstruction Programme.
