Our first recipient: Direct Relief International
Wednesday, April 20, 2011 at 5:41PM 
Like most people, we didn't really know much about which organizations to donate to when we started Solid Ground Initiative. We really didn't even know how to begin our own due diligence regarding which organizations needed and most deserved the money.
Over the past several weeks, we've been reading as much as we can about the background finances and logistics of major relief efforts, and we've been talking with a number of organizations about budgets, transparency, and direct actions in Japan.
We're happy announce our first recipient will be Direct Relief International, a California-based nonprofit that is working with fast-moving and effective groups in Japan. We chose Direct Relief International because they are on the ground, efficient, accountable and well-respected.
The money we donate to Direct Relief's Japan efforts will be allocated to these groups (we took these descriptions directly from Direct Relief's website) :
- Service for Health in Asian and African Regions (SHARE), which will focus on providing emergency medical and healthcare support. It is sending a team of doctors, nurses, and logisticians to the Tohoku International Clinic and operating a mobile clinic in areas where all health facilities have been destroyed. The SHARE team will re-establish a visiting nurse care center in Kesen Numa City, one of the areas hardest hit by the tsunami, to serve the elderly population not living at the evacuation centers. While most large evacuation centers offer medical services, this area is home to many elderly people who have remained in their damaged homes.
- Shanti Volunteer Association, which will transport relief supplies to remote and scattered evacuation centers in Kesen Numa City, provide hot meals for people living in and out of evacuation centers, help clear debris from homes, and transport people to bathing areas to maintain sanitation. Water and power services have not been restored, so cooking and bathing remain a challenge, especially for the elderly.
- Shapla Neer, which is operating in the area immediately south of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear reactor, where other NGOs aren’t working. It has partnered with the local government to establish the Iwaki City Nakoso District Volunteer Center, where each district’s response is coordinated with local government entities and nonprofit groups. Shapla Neer will establish a needs-analysis system for people who need support, create a mechanism for matching volunteers with people in need, and establish a volunteer intake system. Because each district is responsible for its local response, a well-coordinated and supported volunteer center is vital to guarantee that no one in need is overlooked.
- Japanese International Volunteer Center (JVC), which started as an agricultural support group, will launch a nutritional support program to bring vegetables and other nutritious foodstuffs to distribution sites. This initiative will support local farms while supplying displaced people with fresh vegetables. JVC also will work with the Kesen Numa Municipal Welfare Council and the Disaster Volunteer Center to coordinate and match volunteers with people who need support.
One of the things we liked about Direct Relief is that nearly all of their operating budget goes toward direct efforts, and only 0.4% goes to advertising and 0.6% goes toward administrative expenses. We got those figures from Direct Relief's public financial statements, as reported by charity watchdog Charity Navigator's website.
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