It was with nagging uncertainty that Shannon Moffatt of Whitehorse tried to contact his son, having talked to him Christmas Eve as he was about to leave Cambodia for Thailand.

Learning on Boxing Day of the horrific tsunami that killed an estimated 150,000 people in southeast Asia, Moffatt was unable to reach Matty Moffatt immediately.

Through his own calculations, Moffatt was relatively certain his 21-year-old son could not have reached the affected region before the tidal wave hit, though he could not be sure.

But an e-mail sent that day was returned with confirmation from Matty the next day that he was OK and en route to the area of devastation to help out as a volunteer.

In an e-mail correspondence with the Star that was received over the weekend, Matty, born and raised in Whitehorse, writes: 'The volunteer work so far has been dictated by region. In Phuket, it was mainly clearing debris from key areas (hospitals, police stations, military bases), helping with the slightly wounded (scrapes, scratches, cuts, broken limbs) and transporting goods and medicine.

'In the Khoa Luk area, it is a lot more hands-on. All the bodies on the west coast are being transported here for identification and removal. So far, I've spent time transporting bodies, disinfecting military, doctors and other staff, transporting goods and helping out wherever needed.

'It's a pretty gruesome job, but the bodies have decomposed so much now that they don't really resemble people.'

Matty writes the TV cameras have not captured the full extent of the deadly destruction because it is just so immense and all-encompassing.

Thailand, he writes, has set up a relief headquarters and dispatches volunteers to where they are needed most.

While in Phuket, he saw victims whose lives had literally been washed away, their loved ones gone, their home destroyed along with all their valuables.

'I'm holding it together pretty well,' Matty writes. 'It's a depressing time but there are a lot of people here really doing their best to keep you relaxed and content.

'It also helps to think of the reason I'm here. These people have lost their lives, livelihoods and family. I'll do anything I can to help.

'The reception and respect people show you when you're a volunteer is incredible. Regardless of how I feel, these people are in a far more desperate situation than I.'

Though thousands of kilometres away, Whitehorse teacher Keith Clarke and his family were also affected directly by the tsunami, having visited the area during a prolonged trip last year.

Through various contacts, the Clarkes have learned the people they came to know have survived, though one woman was hurt quite seriously.

It was Clarke's daughter, Aryn, who was among the handful of Grade 7 students who kicked off a fundraising effort at their Golden Horn Elementary School last week.

In a letter to Golden Horn principal Chris Wright requesting permission to undertake a fundraising drive, Aryn writes:

'I remember last year on New Years Eve in Phuket playing in the sand on a beach and at around three in the morning, climbing into a bamboo hut right on the ocean beach and falling into a restless sleep only to awake early and begin playing again. I also remember spending two beautiful weeks on the beaches of Ko Lanta, a little island near Phi Phi Island.

'Thinking that both places were destroyed makes me feel horrible. But I want to help; I want to give something to the many people affected by the tsunami.'

Information provided by the Department of Education suggests that pretty well every school across the territory is engaged in one form of fundraising or another.

At Porter Creek Secondary School, for instance, the Entrepreneurship 12 students have kicked off a fundraiser that will include the construction of an igloo on the soccer field Wednesday.

Blocks can be purchased for $10. In just two days last week, the Porter Creek students raised more than $700 in donations alone.

In a phone-in and drop-in effort, the local CHON-FM radio station raised $21,680 over the weekend. Listeners called in requesting songs to be aired.

There's also a concert benefit being organized for Wednesday at the High Country Inn, and the list goes on.

Carey Gray, the local outreach co-ordinator for the Red Cross, said this morning donations for the tsunami relief effort have hit $48,907.

'And that is just individuals and corporations, and does not include the government (which has announced a $25,000-contribution),' she said.

'I have a good feeling that number is going to jump drastically by the end of the week.'

Gray said the amount raised so far is documented money received. It doesn't include anything from the fundraisers she's heard about.

The Red Cross office is located in the Sport Yukon building on Fourth Avenue, next to the High Country Inn.

Gray asks that organizations undertaking fundraising efforts and planning to donate the money through the Red Cross should contact her, as there is some basic information that needs to be passed on.

'But we are really happy that they are doing it,' she said.

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