Located in some of the world's most beautiful and remote areas, small coastal communities are often marred by poverty and a lack of access to the basic essentials of life that many of us can take for granted. Clean drinking water, sanitation, and basic health care are often beyond the reach of many coastal communities in the developing world. Small coastal communities are also particularly vulnerable to natural disasters like hurricanes and tsunamis, and they are often over looked during major disaster relief efforts which tend to focus on easily accessible areas with larger populations.
While there are numerous international aid organizations intent upon assisting the developing world, these large aid programs tend to spend the majority of their budgets on research projects, equipment, and administrative overhead. All too often local villagers see little, if any real-world benefit from these projects despite good intentions. SeaAid takes a different tack by providing aid and assistance directly to coastal communities in need via the use of private and corporate yachts and hard-working volunteers. No middlemen, no government corruption or bureaucracy - just direct aid to the people who need it the most.
The underlying philosophy at SeaAid is that collectively small deeds can make a big difference in people's lives. For example, the World Health Organization states that limited access to clean drinking water is one of the primary causes of disease and illness in the developing world - particularly for children. Yet for only $5,000 US and 2 to 4 weeks of volunteer labor, SeaAid can design, deliver, and install a solar-powered water distillation system that can provide a small village up to 50 gallons daily of clean, fresh, and safe drinking water! Just a few thousand dollars can dramatically improve the lives of those living in a small coastal community.
By utilizing our exclusive network of boaters, anthropologists, ecologists, and other professionals who work directly with coastal communities worldwide, SeaAid can identify communities in need of aid. We establish personal contact with trusted community leaders, and ask them what we can do to help their community. SeaAid's Microdevelopment Project Coordinator provides the host community with detailed plans of 10 to 20 low-tech and low cost projects that have been successfully implemented in other villages. We then build the project of their choosing, teach the local people how to operate and maintain the project, and then we move on to our next project. Our goal is to leave the community with a renewed sense of pride and accomplishment while simultaneously reinforcing their independent and self-sufficient nature.
There are a variety of ways that you can help SeaAid to achieve our microdevelopment goals.
Donors can choose from a list of approved SeaAid projects and locations that have been developed in concert with local village leaders, anthropologists, and aid workers representing coastal communities worldwide. Donors can choose to fund a particular project in its entirety via our Project Sponsorship Program, or donors can partially fund a specific project of their choice. Lastly, donors can contribute to the SeaAid general fund which is used to fund our projects and cover our administrative costs.
All donors are both welcome and encouraged to participate directly in the project at the community level so as to be able to enjoy the immense satisfaction that comes from helping others in need.
For those donors who choose to fully fund a SeaAid project themselves, the SeaAid Project Coordinator can set up the project as a "Volunteer Vacation" for their family, friends, co-workers, etc. who would work on the project exclusively. This option is especially appealing for active boating families that would like to utilize their yacht for a SeaAid project. Most projects only take 2 to 4 weeks to complete, but the memories, strengthened bond, and sense of pride that you and your family leave with will likely stay with you for a lifetime!
At the end of each project, donors will receive a detailed report, including photos and video footage of the project village and people, photos and video footage of the project construction process, and letters and/or gifts from the community as tokens of appreciation to the project sponsors for their generosity.
For more information about sponsoring a SeaAid project, please call our offices or send an email to info@SeaAid.org.
