PSAid Contest Data Points
Providing Clean Water
- 100,000 liters of water can hydrate 40,000 people for one day.
- 100,000 liters of potable water can be produced and delivered by USAID OFDA for about $261.
- 100,000 liters of bottled water purchased by a donor will cost about $50,000.
- Transportation for 100,000 liters of bottled water costs $303,000 from Miami, FL to the Dominican Republic.
- Transportation for 100,000 liters of bottled water costs $342,000 from the US to Central African Republic.
Why Cash is Best
- Cash is flexible
- Provides for culturally, nutritionally and environmentally beneficial support
- Can be used immediately in response to a crisis
- Allows disaster relief organizations to purchase exactly what is needed, when it’s needed
- Procures supplies near the affected area, which cuts down on transportation time and cost
- Supports local economies and ensure that businesses can operate when relief supplies diminish
For a complete list of reasons for why Cash Is Best, click here.
Greatest Good Donation Calculator
To calculate donation costs click here.
Study on Drug Donation in Indonesia
On December 26, 2004, a massive earthquake measuring 9.3 on the Richter scale triggered a tsunami that devastated southern Asia. Indonesia, particularly the province of Aceh, was the most devastated among the tsunami-affected countries. In view of the scale of the disaster, the Government of Indonesia opened the province – which had been closed to foreigners – to international assistance, which helped to ensure prompt delivery of aid in the early days of the disaster.
Although no medicine was asked for, more than 4,000 tons of drugs were received for a population of 2 million people. The inappropriate drug donations included:
- Drugs not listed on the national list of essential drugs
- 60% of the drugs were not on the national list of essential drugs.
- Drugs unknown to health care providers
- 70% of the drugs were labelled in a foreign language, including Arabic, Chinese, Danish, Dutch, English, French, German, Hindi, Japanese, Korean, Pakistani, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Thai, and Turkish.
- Drugs with an inadequate expiry date
- 25% of the drugs had an inadequate expiry date (already expired on arrival, due to expire less than 6 months from the date of donation, due to expire less than 1 year from the date of donation, no expiry date).
As a reminder, between 1992 and mid-1996 in Bosnia-Herzegovina, an estimated 17,000 tons of inappropriate donations were received with a disposal cost of USD 34million.
Source: Pharmacists Without Borders, “Study on Drug Donations in the Province of Aceh In Indonesia”