View from the front lines

For seven days last week, I had a chance to view what nonprofits do from the other side of the mirror. I was in a disaster zone, slogging through mud and demolished houses looking for victims of a natural disaster. I witnessed total destruction of neighborhoods, ruined homes, smashed possessions. People who had so much less than me before the disaster now had nothing.

What 'third world' country was I in? New Orleans, Louisiana. As a search and rescue volunteer, I was asked to lead three cadaver dog search teams from Virginia and Maryland through the lower 9th ward of New Orleans, which had not yet been thoroughly searched for victims of Hurricane Katrina six weeks before. We found quite a few.

We packed what we thought we'd need and drove 1000 miles in vans with the dogs. We gathered as much intelligence as we could along the way, armed with wireless internet and cell phones. We started seeing destruction 150 miles north of New Orleans, and winded our way past demolished homes and broken trees to cross Lake Ponchatrain on the only bridge still standing.

The day we left is the day the earthquake struck Pakistan. I couldn't help but think about those disaster response professionals who were heading into far more dangerous areas than we were. We never felt in physical danger, except for the heat, flies, jagged metal, broken glass, loose nails, rotting animal carcasses, packs of stray dogs, and downed wires.

If relief workers in Pakistan face more harsh conditions than we did, I don't envy them. If they face more chaos and less support from local officials, I'm in awe of their ability to do anything! At least we had meals served by the Salvation Army and the Red Cross (though the firemen we were partnered with found us better tasting food). We had beds to sleep in and the comfort of regular phone calls with loved ones.

In the coming weeks I'll reflect more on lessons learned and on my new views of the partnership between fundraising at home and program work on the ground. In the meantime, let's all put our hearts into raising money for the world's most important purposes.