Can too much aid be a bad thing? In a sense, yes. Here is a true story from the Tsunami Volunteer Center (TVC) – but with a happy ending.

Some may remember that the outpouring of donations after the 2004 tsunami resulted in clothing donations, often much in excess of what locals could ever use, or quite possibly clothing inappropriate for any local season. Khao Lak, the worst-hit area in Thailand, was one of the locations that received lots of clothes; TCV says even after the clothing was distributed, much remained.

So what? Well, locals were concerned that heaps of clothing , especially in the rainy season, could lead to breeding of mosquitoes and the growth of mold. If this happened, malaria and other health concerns, on top of the problems already caused by the tsunami, would become worries.

But what to do? A resourceful volunteer came up with the idea of tsunami dolls: made by local women -who had lost either their jobs or businesses in the tsunami - from the excess donated clothing, the dolls are filled with sand, symbolizing those who lost their lives, those who survived, and those who came to help. The design of these dolls is simple but their value is highly symbolic, and their sale brought very concrete results.

At the time of the last website update, over 40 women at three different camps were earning income from this project. The donated clothes have been used up and the project continues using factory seconds and other scraps. There is no clear information on how to purchase a tsunami doll, but if you are interested you might try the general contact information for the TVC.