For immediate release:
April 2nd, 2005
Today in Bangkok, amid the buzz of
Asian Dive Expo, the Ecotourism
Training Center, presented the model for a long term disaster
relief
project to the dive community. Along with the presentation
came the
official support of PADI, the world's largest SCUBA certification
organization. PADI's marketing manager Shahram Saber stated
at the ADEX
presentation; " the project aims are to be commended
and the ETC will
have PADI's long term support. I will be working with regional
director Hans Ullrich and others at PADI to discuss the ways
PADI can
best ensure the success of the program" The project will
be located
Khao Lak, Thailand, which is one of the nations most devastated
regions. The focus is on providing immediate employment and
training
for displaced workers in the dive and supporting industries.
The
initial group of 25 young Thai men and women will form a sponsored
marketing initiative to bring new tourism to the area. Their
marketing
effort will be supported by many international new agencies,
travel
organizations, diving and tourism publications, and other
industry
sponsors including PADI. The idea is to make the group of
trainees into
ambassadors for the region's economic recovery. The group
will market
through main stream media and co-market with other environmentally
conscious organizations, and will document the program's charter
with
video, audio, and written production in the modern style of
a reality
series. The world will get to know their faces, their stories
and their
efforts to rebuild, and receive a personal invitation to visit
the area
and support the relief effort with their patronage as a volunteer
tourist.
Along with the announcements at the
ADEX conference, other dive
industry professionals came forward with commitments of support.
Holger
Saupe, Managing Director of Dive Supply has spearheaded an
effort to
assist the program in obtaining ScubaPro dive gear for the
program.
Roel van Leeuwen, and Sharon Loh, of Suntec Integrated Media
(the
organizers for the ADEX show) are considering ways to assist
the
program with their dive recovery fund. Scubazoo, an expert
media group
of marine biologists has offered a range of support, including
contacts
with media giant BBC, and fund raising knowledge with hard
hitting
media creation. Scubazoo's Managing Partner, Simon Christopher
said:
"the program is aligned with our love of the ocean and
we will support
the ETC in whatever ways we can." Many Scuba oriented
magazines and
travel publishers have promised long term coverage of the
project as it
progresses. Reid Ridgway, the director of the ETC project,
commented
that other main stream media groups in the USA have shown
interest in
sponsoring the program and in fund raising for the program's
media lab.
Pascal Hernikat, manager of the ETC is working with the European
media
to insure the program has the same success across the globe.
The students themselves will receive
a living wage to attend the
program, and will be given the opportunity to upgrade their
skills to
include mass media communications, computer and language skills,
diving
certification, and environmental education. They will also
learn from a
variety of community experts giving their time to the program
as guest
lectures, and participate in community projects such as underwater
clean-up efforts and coral reef regeneration projects. The
program will
be self sustaining after its initial charter by functioning
as an
booking agency to supply the area's hotels, resorts, and tour
operations with new customers. The goal is to run the program
indefinitely as a bridge between the tourism industry and
training
young Thailand young people to become industry leaders.
For more information on the project
contact:
Reid Ridgway
Managing Director
Watershed Communications, Inc.
mobile 07 263-6016
international 66 7 263-6016
home 66 (0)76 289-101
Email reidridgway@yahoo.com
Address 80/34 Baan Sai Yuan
Moo # 7, Soi Samakkea 2
Tamboon Rawai
Ampur Muang Phuket 83130
Journal entry February 17,
2005
Hello Everyone,
Well it's been about meetings and presentations
and government red tape. I knew it was coming, no way around
it. It's easy to give food out and hand out emergency relief
in the beginning. It's not easy to create a long term strategy
and get the blessing and support of the Thai Government. We
are among the few private relief groups who are still making
progress, but it has been a lot of work and will continue
to be for a while. We do have some high level support, but
it is fragile and so we must constantly gather community support.
We have been very much like a lobbying organization for the
past few weeks. Meeting with Press people, and government
officials and business leaders and so forth. So far so good,
but it's a challenge. On the positive side, we have been negotiating
with Apple Computer to donate several new computers to create
a student lab for our program. We have gotten a lot of press
attention locally and abroad. We will soon be interviewed
on Singapore TV and we have a BBC connection coming on Saturday.
We also have 17 young Thai people who want apply to the program,
and we have some dive gear and other resources coming in now.
We've picked up very little money in
the past 2 weeks and it seems that we can not expect more
from private donors at this time. Small amounts continue to
trickle in but we need more to run our program. We are hoping
to get the support and attention of corporate funds, NGO funds,
and governmental funds to get our start. If we achieve the
support of the TAT (Tourism Authority of Thailand) it should
open the doors to the money we need. But in the mean time
we must continue to raise money on our own. We have about
one quarter of what we need. If anyone has ideas or contacts
to additional funding sources, we would very much appreciate
assistance in presenting our project to anyone interested.
Other news. In Khao Lak there have
been some issues with certain villages that aren't getting
supported by the Thai Government and Army. These are mostly
minority fishing villages of sea gypsies. We sent another
sortie with food and water to these camps and are monitoring
the situation to make sure that people are getting what they
need. I could not attend this mission personally and so have
no pictures as usual. But Cougar's mother, and friends drove
up and did the job anyway. They've agreed to go up again if
necessary if we just help with the supplies and the truck
rental. Mostly people have what the need in the camps, and
there are a lot of groups monitoring them, but some fall through
the cracks. The government is cracking down on work permits
for Tsunami relief workers and has caused us to scramble to
stay current on all our documentation. They've shut down some
very good people that were doing good things. And worse, they've
started threatening people with deportation and jail time
for working without permits. Even if they are working for
free. This is typical of Thailand, and some very backward
and crazy logic sometimes applies here. But fortunately, like
every country, there are ways to get around the system and
we've lived here long enough to know our way through the haze
of politics. However it is sad for those who have come here
with the best of intentions and hard work and are being treated
so poorly. Thailand has a lot of pride, and is anxious to
remove the 3rd World label from the world's perception. Most
of this stuff is just posturing to say "we don't need
anybody to help us." But it' isn't the people affected
and homeless and jobless that are saying this. It's the minority
of wealthy and powerful people who really could care less
about the poor or the suffering. To these people, opportunity
lies in suffering, and cheap land deals, buyouts, and power
grabs are attractive possibilities. As usual, these are the
ones who control the political arena, and the national media.
Never thought I'd be so involved in
all this stuff. It's been a long hard month and a half. We've
worked and worked on this, and we appreciate everyones support.
Everyone on this list is a hero to me, and I hope that everything
we are currently having to do subsides and we get on with
the business of helping people with our project. Some days
I feel like we make huge strides forward and other days I
can't see the light at the end of the tunnel and we crank
along in the dark anyway. But hopefully next journal will
be brighter with some radiant break through. My daughter Yevonne
is scheduled to be here soon, and I'm looking forward to showing
her around and enlisting her help to keep making forward progress.
The best news of all, it that we've got a great idea and program,
and it will eventually win out on the strength of the plan.
Thanks to everyone
Love
Reid Ridgway
Pascal Hernikat
Cougar Pongrangsard
Wanisa Gaidho
and the many others now working on
our team
Journal Entry 02/07/05
Hello Everyone,
I wanted to give you a follow up
report on things here. I'm deeply involved now with a group
called Thai-together, which is the community of private
relievers, volunteers, and funding sources. Thai together
was formed to bring communication between various groups
and to provide support for various efforts. It has been
an open forum, of every nationality, and type of person
and some very dedicated people have turned up to say what
they are doing and how others can support them.
As most of you know, I have a proposal
to help up to 25 homeless, jobless people and their families,
by providing an on the job training program. The program,
which will launch in May, provides a living wage to the
students and new training in a variety of subjects. Collectively
the subjects are focused on Eco-friendly tourism and the
hospitality industry. We are gathering steam and it looks
promising at this point. However there is a billion and
one things to be done, and one of the biggest aspects is
fund-raising. I have about one fourth of the money I need
for my program currently, and I hope to have it all by May
1st. There are many funding sources that I'm meeting with
and I hope to get matching funds for what I currently have
which will allow us to start the program, and hope to pick
up more as we promote our track record. I have high hopes
at this time to be selected by other fund raising sources
as a worth while and well planned project and to receive
some additional funding this way. I am also looking at the
NGO's that have promised cooperation with rebuilding here,
and hoping to get their attention and support. But it is
not likely to happen in the time frame to start the program
on schedule.
I attended an Emergency Counsel meeting
of the World Tourism Organization (WTO) and the government
delegates of 43 nations. The Prime Minister of Thailand
spoke and I had the opportunity to shake his hand after
his speech. He pointed me to the Regional Chairperson of
the Tourist Authority of Thailand and said my proposal would
interest her. Tourism employ's 60% of the population in
Phuket Province and it a gigantic part of the national economy
of Thailand. The tourists are gone and the economy here
is in grave danger without a serious campaign to bring back
tourism as quickly as possible. The Counsel drafted a plan
of action that centered around, direct relief for victims
through job creation and training, and an focused effort
to bring back tourism to the area. Having lived here for
a long time, being involved with tourism, both as a dive
instructor, and a journalist, my plan is not surprisingly
magically in step with the governments assessment of what
needs to happen to recover. I'm pleased to say that I was
asked to present to several top people charged with implementing
the adopted resolution and Phuket Action Plan, and it was
extremely well received. However, now I have my work cut
out for me with all the red tape that goes along with getting
the governments blessing. I have some people who will assist
with this part, but it is daunting.
I went to Trang Province for the
last two days and surveyed the damage there and met with
some of the people who are heading up recovery there. Some
of you will know Trang from the news about all the violence
with a Muslim Uprising ongoing. I found the place at peace,
but it is a troubled spot and became more so with the Tsunami.
I won't be working in Trang, but I wanted to at least understand
what the situation is there. If our program gets it's wings,
I may try to recruit some people from that area for the
student body.
I will be back in Khoa Lak next week
to survey the camps we have already helped, and bring a
load of fresh fish and vegetables to the people there. Other
than that, I'm now firmly committed to my proposal and will
concentrate on doing what ever I must to make sure is launched
and successful. More as I have progress to speak about.
As always, I thank you all on behalf
of the many people you have helped here in Thailand, and
hopefully, I will get the chance to help many more in a
very substantial, even life changing way.
Reid Ridgway
Journal Entry 01/18/05
Tracy and Steve,
Thank you for you generous spirit
and your caring. We are so grateful that people like you
have responded to our call here for help. At first there
was only our labor and now there is the ability to make
a big difference in people's shattered lives here. Karen
asked that I let you know how we are implementing your money
here, so let me try to explain the two devisions of our
planning and executing. We have joined forces with another
group that has a larger fund and some good organization
folks. Our focus with them has been both to contribute to
their convoys by purchasing needed emergency supplies, and
then donating labor and transportation to deliver the supplies
to the many camps of homeless survivors in the Koh Lak and
Takuapa area of Phangna Province. Over the past few weeks,
the convoys we have participated in have brought relief
to some 350 families in the form of basic living, cooking,
personal hygiene items, bedding, and food and water. We
continue now to monitor all the camps through the orbitor
of the province and we will maintain the food and water
for the coming months. You can see a photo essay of our
work there on the following website:
http://tsunami.greenote.com
The other side of our relief effort
is a bit more complicated, and involves personal interviews
to determine if we can assist individuals with getting back
to a self sustaining position. Usually we will help them
to find and rent housing for their families and then help
replace their lost tools or principle way of making a living.
We have helped some with tools to repair dive equipment
and will employ them to help the many people who have damaged
dive gear free of charge. This helps employ them in the
short term and helps others who sustained losses as well.
We are in the midst of building a
construction crew formed of men who have skills but have
lost their tools and trucks and employment as a result.
There is plenty of re-construction work, but without the
tools they can not participate in the rebuilding effort.
We are thinking we may purchase the basic tools set and
a pick up, and then run a 3 month service to pay them a
living wage to volunteer to help people rebuild their damaged
housing, businesses, and boats. At the end, if they've worked
well together and been successful, we will allow them to
keep the tools and start a for profit business of their
own.
We are also involved in a plan to
help supply building materials to an entire island which
is home to 3 villages of fishermen and their families. We
will only be a small part of this financially as we don't
have the resources to make it happen on our own, but we
are working with other groups who may. But we are helping
to drive the process and made it clear that we are willing
to add labor and organizational support, and what financial
resources we have to the big plan.
Finally, everyone is now in discussion
about the long term relief effort and I have been asked
to participate in drafting a proposal to create a non profit
school for Thai people who want participate in rebuilding
and re-engineering the dive tour/hospitality industry. We
are in talks with some very big players that may be interested
in supporting our idea. Just now the idea is not ready for
release, but we are rapidly trying to get our arms around
it and form a board of quality people to put the strength
we need behind it. The idea has been met with enthusiastic
support from a variety of important people here in Phuket.
It will involve the construction and operation of an eco-tourism
resort on a remote island, and will be run by the graduates
of the program we are hoping to create. It will serve as
the real world training ground and internship for our students,
and prepare them to enter the tourism industry with a greater
skill set, and greater stake in the industry itself. It
will also re-create jobs, income, and a new kind of sustainable
and socially responsible tourism.
As it is difficult to communicate
personally with each of the many kind contributors, and
this information is, I'm certain, something that everyone
is interested in hearing and knowing about, I have taken
the liberty to send it out as a journal entry. However,
I do want to extend my personal thanks to you both, and
my warmest regards. So thank you very much Tracy and Steve.
And thank you to everyone else following along as well.
I look forward to working hard to bring these ideas forward
and let everyone know what their are making possible here.
All the best,
Reid Ridgway
January 15, 2005
Hello everyone,
Our latest mission was to the
Ranong area near the Burmese border. The group we are working
with had organized a fact finding mission to a remote island
that we heard had suffered tremendous damage and was still
in need of emergency supplies. We took 6 pickup trucks and
one large flatbed and a couple passenger vehicles and loaded
them with our family packs. We added a couple of things
this time that were requested, such as fans which cool the
tents that are being supplied by the Thai army. The tents
are unbearable hot without them. Other items were rice cookers
and grinding bowls which Thai people use to prepare many
traditional dishes, mostly for making things incredibly
spicy.
We served 70 families in the
camp. Some of these people have no national identity, because
they are sea gypsies and fisherman, many are indigenous
to the area, but have migrated on the sea for centuries,
living a very traditional way, and rejecting much of the
modern world. Their culture is marginalized and endangered
as the modern world encroaches upon them. So they seek out
the remote places in order to carry on their traditional
lives.
The island we visited, had 4
villages, 3 were hit extremely hard, and one remains intact
but the people have fled. 600 people lived on the islands
prior to the 26th of December, 200 have survived. During
the week after the wave hit, they had no assistance from
the Thai army (or the helicopters that flew over but only
surveyed the damage.) Most of their dead were washed far
out to sea and remain missing and undocumented, but the
60 or 70 bodies they recovered by themselves were transported
to the mainland in the few remaining fishing boats that
had not been destroyed.
After providing the family packs
and food delivery, we went out with the orbitor of the province
to survey the damage and see what the long term issues are.
They live in very simple housing that consists mostly of
wood. The houses are built on stilts of wood with cement
footings. There were a few cement structures, usually community
areas, such as the village center or water pump or school,
or the small jetty to bring in their boats and catch. All
is gone. The power of the wave here was enormous and unforgiving.
We saw one tree, with deep finger marks scratched into the
bark marked with gold foil where a survivor clung for his
life and returned to thank the tree and God for sparing
his life.
We are now in talks and fund
raising initiatives to help rebuild the island. The people
want and need to return. For these people, there is nothing
for them on the mainland, and their way of life is deeply
ingrained in the culture of the sea. The Thai and Burmese
governments have in the past, argued over the responsibility
to these marginal cultures so many remain as undocumented
aliens in both countries. Some speak a native language called
Moken, and have difficulty making themselves understood.
The people that we are working with think that this might
be a central project for their funding and are researching
the costs. One idea is to supply all the building materials
and let them do all the construction themselves on houses
and boats and the jetty, which the orbitor agreed would
be fine since they are skilled and can do the job. However
we would have to continue to supply relief until they can
fish again. For now they are safe and in a camp and the
Thai army is busy building temporary shelters. We have supplied
the emergency food and basic living supplies to all families
there. I will post again as I know more. As the project
progresses, I will be personally involved and will contribute
money and labor to this cause. Photos of the mission are
in the camera still, but I will be making an effort in the
next few days to post and organize them with captions so
that people know what they are viewing. My brother Todd
has put up a better web site, please click on and bookmark
the link below, and watch it as it progresses. It will become
the central way which I communicate as we move along. Thank
you Todd!
http://tsunami.greenote.com
Along with the emergency projects
of supplies, we also are continuing to provide relief to
individuals that we identify with special needs. We conduct
interviews and try to help with housing for 2 or 3 months,
we give some cash grants, but mostly are interested in what
we can do to help them work again and become self sufficient.
We have helped about 10 families in a substantial way, and
will continue to adopt more as we are able. We help with
medical bills, and with replacing the tools of their trade
so that they can work again and feed their families. All
of these people are extremely grateful to you and wish me
to thank all of you. So thank you so very much from them,
and my thanks to you for enabling me to so much good work
for my community.
All the best,
Reid Ridgway
Journal entry Jan 11th
2--5
Hello everyone,
We are sending convoy number
3 tomorrow for emergency supplies, but there are some issues
that I would like to tell everyone about. First of all,
there are now many families who have received emergency
supplies in the camps that are organized by the Thai's,
but there are many people that still need them. The difficulty
is in the way that the camps have been set up. The problem
is that many people who need help are not in camps. The
camps are typically organized by one village, and the families
are all from that village. If a person migrated to Koh Lak
or Takua Pa to work from outside the area, they do not get
put on the roster list for the village, and have no central
place to go. Many are burmese workers many are indian, and
many are Thai with out family documentation. We are busy
trying to get the government to address the building of
another camp that is for anyone who needs shelter, then
we can deliver supplies
The second part of this issue
and most important is for many people once everyone has
a tent and a camp stove, and some rice that everything is
solved and that the aid doesn't need to come anymore. However,
that is not the case. We will have a shattered economy and
many problems will stem from poverty and desperation if
we don't find ways to employ these families and get them
self sufficient again. That being the case we are trying
to interview people and provide a more substantial form
of assistance. It's a long uphill battle ahead and what
needs to happen is to find ways for people to support themselves.
We are employing people that lost their principle means
of support such as their tools and vehicles, their boats,
nets, and restaurants. And some who have lost their spouses
and need to design a way to carry on without the person
who supported the family. Yesterday we purchased two months
of housing for several families and bought a motorbike food
cart for a woman with two daughters who was a cook on a
liveaboard boat destroyed in the waves. She now has a way
to feed her children without further hand outs. I think
in the bible Jesus was saying "give a person a fish
and you feed them for a day, teach a person to fish and
you feed them all their lives." This is our philosophy.
There is no amount of aid reaching us here that will go
unused or to waste. 10,000 people just in the Patong area
are out of work. But Patong is just the tip of the iceberg
and not even the area that we are working in. In Koh Lak
and Takua Pa, there are many many more serious problems
and loss of life and support.
The dive industry here is shattered
and is the source of half my own income. Besides the destruction
itself, there are few tourists here and even the companies
which didn't sustain damage are now facing economic ruin.
We are in talks on how to repair and rebuild the industry,
especially for the Thai community. I'm working on a proposal
to open a community school and help the Thai dive community
take charge of repairing the damage, both to companies that
will eventually employ them again, and the environment,
the reefs and dive sites. There are so many things that
need doing, and it has to happen rapidly, and prepare the
area to bring back the tourism here. More on this as it
develops.
We are trying to find ways to
help in big ways, substantial ways now. And to continue
support for the people in the camps. They can not remain
there for the long term. And as long as they are stuck in
camps they will not be able to survive without continual
aid. So that is the shifting challenge here. We are looking
hard at, and keeping tabs on how the Thai government is
planning to help or already helping, but we are here to
fill the gaps and there are more than many.
Thank you for all the love and
support that your money has offered so many families here.
But please don't fall prey to the short sighted media, and
short attention span of the big media, who have released
reports saying that there is so much aid that much of it
can't be used. From being here and being directly involved
that kind of thinking is utterly ridiculous and sad. There
is no surplus of aid here. We are just climbing out of the
food and shelter question. Please continue to spread the
word to others and let people know that your support is
being used to repair lives and re create self sustaining
people, not simply to bring clean water and food to refugees
for a few weeks.
In a short period of time I will
write up and list the proposals and projects that still
need support. The think tank for the long haul and the people
with wisdom that we have met and would like to join forces
with. And the thinking of the community itself. Bear with
me, and once again from everyone who is helping me, and
everyone we have helped. Thank you so very much. Please
read the new information below on banking details and update
anyone considering donating.
The very best to all of you
Reid Ridgway
anyone still trying to deposit a check to BofA should ideally
send it to Amistad for a receipt and tax deduction see below
or if not
the memo of the check should be left blank. If it says donation
or something like that, the bank flags the checks automatically
and they are held up or returned
(under the guidelines of the new Patriot Act and counter
terrorism measures it seems that they are worried terrorist
organizations may try to obtain funding)
Anyone sending in AMERICA or
paying by check should send now send a check to:
*Important! Please indicate Tsunami/Phuket
in the memo area of your check. Make checks payable to:
Amistad International
P.O. Box 455
Palo Alto, California
94302
USA
