ATLANTA – As the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and other organizations continue to provide relief to areas affected by tsunami destruction in Southeast Asia, financial donations remain the best form of assistance that stateside supporters can provide

“Giving cash is something all of us can do,” said national CBF coordinator Daniel Vestal.

With monetary contributions, CBF Global Missions field personnel can purchase food and other supplies within the affected region, thus eliminating shipment delays and costs. “Cash is something we can use in country that we do not have to transport over borders, so we avoid shipping delays.  It makes it a lot easier,” said David Harding, the Fellowship’s international coordinator for emergency response and transformational development.

In addition to stimulating the region’s economy, local purchases ensure cultural appropriateness, particularly in regards to food.  “We’re buying food the people are used to eating.  It’s more palatable to them,” Harding said.

Relying too heavily on global shipments of food can be dangerous in the long run if survivors become dependent on outside aid.  “These emergency supplies are just temporary. We want to get them back into their own production systems as soon as we can,” Harding said.

Contributed funds are purchasing food in local areas, which helps restart area farming businesses, Harding said. Monetary contributions also give field personnel “flexibility to determine what the greatest needs are,” said Barbara Baldridge, CBF Global Missions acting coordinator. “We can assure donors that 100 percent of funds will go to relief.” 

Relief purchases to date include basic hygiene kits, food and utensils, water purifying tablets, supplies for shelters housing survivors, and water purification systems that cost $7,500 and an additional $3,000 to ship locally.

Approximately $28,531 has been donated online to the Fellowship’s Asian response fund.

By accessing the Fellowship’s Web site, http://www.thefellowship.info/, individuals can read up-to-date dispatches from the field, learn of the latest prayer needs or make a contribution online.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.