South Asia, Hurricane Irma, Mexico, Myanmar: A Signpost to Giving

Home > Blog > South Asia, Hurricane Irma, Mexico, Myanmar: A Signpost to Giving

In the past month, various places around the world have been thrown into a state of turmoil due to civil unrest and violence, earthquakes, floods and severe weather events. It is overwhelming: the death toll, the despair and the widespread devastation to homes and infrastructure that will impact the social and economic well being of millions of people for decades to come. But you are not helpless to help. You can give, and here’s how.

South Asia Floods

For a month now, people in Bangladesh, India and Nepal have been struggling amidst severe flooding. In some cases, whole villages are submerged and rainfall of up to one metre has been recorded. Forty million people – or thereabouts – are struggling to rebuild their lives, 1000 have died as an immediate consequence of the floods, and the broader health complications and loss of life as a result of exposure, malaria, dengue fever and other water borne and mosquito borne diseases are yet to be tallied. Until about a week ago the world’s media had barely murmured about this crisis, but they are now speaking up.

Which charities are taking action on the South Asia Floods?

Australian charities are running appeals and campaigns to support the people of South Asia impacted by the flooding. You can find out more and take action in many ways:

Your actions:

  • If your company has Good2Give’s Workplace Giving platform, you can login and search for ‘2017 South Asia Floods’ then donate here.
  • If you don’t have workplace giving where you are employed, you can donate directly through the charity’s website.
  • You can share this story on social media and raise awareness for this issue #Floods.

Myanmar

According to this article published by Al Jazeera, the Rohingya are often described as “the world’s most persecuted minority”. Earlier this month it was reported that Rohingya children were being ‘beheaded and burned alive’, people were being shot, and an estimated 60,000 refugees are believed to have fled over Myanmar’s western border into Bangladesh in a just a week. Bangladesh has already accommodated 400,000 displaced Rohingya people (according to The Independent). Myanmar’s State Counsellor, Aung San Suu Kyi, is being called on to denounce the attacks but the Nobel Peace Prize laureate does not have any executive control over the country’s armed forces and has stepped away from calling the outbreaks of violence ‘ethnic cleansing’.

Which charities are taking action to help with the Rohingya Refugee Crisis?

UNHCR in Australia is calling people to make donations and organise fundraising activities to support the plight of Rohingya Refugees. The funds will be used to support the two already overcrowded refugee camps established by UNHCR in Bangladesh with the following supplies:

  • Plastic tarpaulins for emergency shelter.
  • Clothing.
  • Mosquito nets.
  • Jerry cans.
  • Sleeping mats.
  • Solar lamps.

Updated on 19 September 2017: Care Australia is calling for donations for the Myanmar Bangladesh Crisis. Care Australia has stated that the Rohingya refugees arriving in Bangladesh are hungry, sick and exhausted. Over 80 per cent are women and children. “The situation of the refugees is worsening by the minute. They came to Bangladesh with nothing but the clothes they were wearing”, says Zia Choudhury, CARE Bangladesh’s Country Director.
The funds will be used to purchase

  • Food packages.
  • Emergency shelters.
  • Hygienic latrines.

Updated on 31 October 2017: Save the Children Australia is calling for donations to support their work on the ground in Bangladesh. They say those arriving in Bangladesh have travelled long distances by foot and are exhausted and traumatised. They lack food and clean drinking water, and hundreds of children have been separated from their families in the chaos of leaving their homes.
They are providing

  • Food
  • Water and shelter
  • Safe spaces for children
  • Hygiene kits to stop disease spreading.
Care Australia, Rohingya, Myanmar, Bangladesh
Image courtesy of Care Australia: refugees flee over the border from Myanmar.
Care Australia, Rohingya, Myanmar, Burma, Bangladesh, refugee crisis
Image courtesy of Care Australia: tens of thousands of refugees flee over the border to Bangladesh from Myanmar.

Your actions:

Hurricane Irma

Hurricane Irma developed as a severe weather system near the Cape Verde Islands in the final days of August. The storm caused catastrophic damage in Barbuda, Saint Barthélemy, Saint Martin, Anguilla and the Virgin Islands as a Category 5 hurricane, and made landfall at Florida Keys in the United States of America as a category 4 hurricane. The death toll, as of 12 September, stands at 47 and the hurricane has caused widespread and catastrophic damage, most of which was caused in the north-eastern Caribbean. If you are still following this story, The Guardian is running live coverage.

Which charities are taking action to provide rescue, relief and aid following Hurricane Irma?

Donate to the following charities via the Good2Give Workplace Giving Platform:

Your actions:

  • If your company has Good2Give’s Workplace Giving platform, you can login and search for ‘Hurricane Irma’ then donate here.
  • If you don’t have workplace giving where you are employed, you can donate directly to the charity’s website.
  • You can share this story and raise awareness for this issue #HurricaneIrma.

Mexico

As Hurricane Irma raged off the coast to the north, Mexico’s southern states rattled with the force of an 8.1-magnitude earthquake. The quake has claimed the life of at least 90 people to date, and damaged tens of thousands of homes. Read more here.

Which charities are taking action to support communities impacted by the earthquake in Mexico?

Caritas Mexico is on the ground and in communication with the dioceses to assess the situation. You can support Caritas Australia’s Overseas Aid Fund via Good2Give’s Workplace Giving Platform (search ‘Mexico’), or via the Caritas website.

You can share this story and raise awareness for this issue #MexicoEarthquake.

If your charity is taking action on any of the issues covered in this article, please contact Good2Give and let us know. We’re happy to provide support where we can.

 

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