I usually don’t make posts like this, but I haven’t seen many posts about it so I wanted to tell you all that my home state of Kerala is currently experiencing the worst floods it’s ever had since 1924. Out of the 14 districts in Kerala, 12 have been affected by the floods.
Much of the rescue efforts have been done (and can only be done) via boats, as pictured below (x, x):
Many other people have had to swim to find boats and bring them to family members who have been stranded, and even with rescue attempts, as of writing this, about 357 people have died. Thousands – if not hundreds of thousands – of people have also been stranded.
And the flooding is severe. Many dams have had to be opened due to fear that they would burst otherwise and cause more damaged. The people have been forced to evacuate and many have been left without any service or way to connect with their families – my relatives included, who we have been unable to contact for the past few days. Other friends have been able to contact family members who are housing neighbors, but they are quickly running out of food and the situation was expected to get worse over the weekend.
How can I help?
Amazon India has an entire donations page right here. You can donate products through Habitat for Humanity, World Vision, and GOONJ. This can be done by anyone, not just people who live in India!
If you don’t want to support via Amazon, the CM’s Disaster Relief fund has a donation page right here.
There has also been a Kerala Fund Relief on Facebook; the largest one from the US (note: usually FB takes a 2.6% fee, but as one of the posts explains on the page, that will not happen for this fundraiser).
This site contains more links on donating and the different ways to do so.
There are also multiple hospitals and organizations (at least in the UAE that I’m aware of) collecting clothes and other products for the people affected by the flood so please check out any local hospitals you have!
One example that I saw was that the Universal Hospital Wings of Wellness Association is collecting blankets, clothes, shoes, soaps, mugs, and more for the people of Kerala.
Any little bit helps, and if anyone has any more information, other donation sites, ways to contact family members, or anything else please share, and I ask that you just signal boost this post please!
The state of Kerala, India, is experiencing one of the worst floods since 1924. Over 20,000 houses have been damaged completely and 10,000 km of roads have been destroyed. Essential services have taken a hit, with shortages in medical supplies and drinking water reported from several places. A red alert has been issued in 11 of the 14 districts.
324 people have lost their lives since the rains started on May 29. Over half of them – 190 across 14 districts – have died in the last few days. Over 314,000 people have been moved to relief camps across the state with many more still missing or unreachable.
AnboduKochi is a non-profit organisation that has been one of the largest groups to provide relief support in Kochi, they need cash to transport all the donations they have been getting and make sure it gets to the relief camps.
keralarescue.in is an initiative by Govt. of Kerala, Kerala State IT Mission and IEEE Kerala Section for effective collaboration and communications between authorities, volunteers and public
Google has put out a consolidated and pin-dropped list of centres providing rescue ops, including shelters, food and water, medicine and essentials, volunteers, Jeep rescue and ambulances, among others.
In case you are looking for someone stranded in Kerala or have information about someone, use the Person Finder, which crowdsources information, to help.
Below are some ways to donate and help rebuild the lives of those affected.
The Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund (CMDRF)is 100% exempt from tax and “is an emergency assistance release mechanism granting immediate relief to families and individuals distressed by calamity, loss of life due to accidents and chronic diseases.”
Amazon lets users donate to one of three NGOs: Goonj, Habitat for Humanity and World Vision India. Once you select one of the three NGOs, you can choose what you want to donate by going through their wishlist
for those who aren’t aware, the australian government has abandoned the manus island offshore detention facility where it’s been indefinitely holding over 600 refugees. they have no food, water or electricity and are at risk of malaria. you can donate here to the RISE refugee welfare organisation, and here for the asylum seeker resource centre #bringthemhere
As of 11/5/2017, this was one of the most recent news stories:
“The United Nations human rights office called on Australia on Friday
to restore food, water and health services to about 600 interned
refugees and asylum seekers in Papua New Guinea, which Canberra cut off
three days ago.
The detainees in the Manus Island Centre have defied attempts by the
governments of both Australia and PNG to close the camp, saying they
fear violent reprisals from the local community if they are moved to
other “transit centres.” […]
For four years, Australia has paid Papua New Guinea, its nearest
neighbour, and Nauru to house asylum seekers who attempt to reach the
Australian coast by boat. They include Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar,
Afghans, Iranians, Sri Lankans and other nationalities, and are almost
entirely men.
The impending closure of the camp is part of an Australian government
plan to push refugees and asylum seekers to either return to their home
country, settle in PNG or move elsewhere, thereby disbanding part of
Australia’s controversial and expensive offshore detention program. […]
New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Friday repeated her country’s offer to take up to 150 refugees.
New Zealand citizens are typically allowed to work and live in
Australia, a pathway that Australia fears could be used by the refugees
to move to Australia.”
As of July 17, 2018, refugees have now been suffering on Australian prisons on isolated islands
for 5 long years.Here
are the links
again to help by donating to RISE or ASRC.
hi! I’ve been homeless for a while because my family disowned me for being trans. I wish there were a way for me to instantly stop being homeless but right now I don’t see a way out. i stay at an LGBT shelter but there’s a lot that my shelter doesn’t provide for its clients.
I’m still in college so I can’t have a year round job. I can, however, program websites and mobile apps! It’s hard for me to get freelance jobs, however, because I don’t have a degree or experience, even though I’m literally able to do the work.
Stolen from my Bangladeshi friend’s story on instagram. I haven’t seen much awareness on Tumblr, but I don’t see any harm in spreading the word.
If you have Twitter, please use the hashtag #WeWantJustice to spread information.
We are helpless,all we can do is thank you for what you are doing. Our brothers and sisters and getting beaten,murdered and raped,and we are standing here helplessly. And we are grateful that you chose to spread our words.
I am so sorry that you and my friend and all the people you know and love are experiencing this utter terror. I don’t know how much good spreading the word can do for you now, but I am happy to do it.
Please, followers, consider doing the same. I know the world is full to bursting with exactly these kinds of terrible things, and sharing it all–let alone actively working against it–seems impossible and overwhelming. But for this Tumblr user and my friend in Dhaka and many more, please consider helping me to share what is happening in the hopes of, at the very least, letting the world outside of Bangladesh know of these people’s pain.
Please don’t leave them feeling alone and unheard.
“I never learned my Navajo language and I was never inspired to learn it. As I got older, I realized how valuable our language is to the livelihood of our Navajo Nation. ” -Dr. Shawna L. Begay
Our Navajo or Diné language is in danger of becoming extinct. Help us create and develop the first Navajo-English educational media TV puppet show, “Diné Bí Ná’álkid Time” which means ‘The Navajo Movie Time.’ It will inspire and teach our youth basic language skills using media as a technology tool. Parents, grandparents, children and grandkids can learn to speak Navajo fluently together within their own homes.
Long-time friends and educators, Dr. Shawna L. Begay and Charmaine Jackson have teamed up to create this new TV pilot for an all-ages audience or for anyone who wants to learn the Navajo language.
With your support, it’ll be the first educational Navajo and English puppet show that will teach and preserve the Navajo language and culture through digital media.
After several years of extensive research on the Navajo Nation, Dr. Begay recently completed her PhD from the University of Nevada-Las Vegas with her doctorate thesis, ‘Developing A Navajo Media Guide: A Community Perspective.’ As project director, she quickly realized she was a pioneer on the topic.
“When I decided what topic to study I realized there existed very little research in Indigenous educational media, especially with our Navajo people,” stated Dr. Begay. “As Navajo people, we have our own learning objectives and Navajo way of knowing is completely different for Euro-Western schooling. I decided that I had to research and develop our own curriculum guide that is meant to teach Navajo through media.”
Dr. Begay and Jackson, co-writers of the show, developed the first 3-puppet characters and plan for many more. The pilot features Nanabah-a young Navajo girl, Gáh (Rabbit) and Dlǫ̀ǫ̀ (Prairie Dog) who will go on endless adventures learning about language, gardening, the environment and the importance of family values. Nanabah is fluent in Navajo and likes to teach children about life on the reservation with her animal friends and special guests. Children who want to learn Navajo will also be an important part of the show by interacting with Nanabah, her friends and storyline.
Dr. Begay’s research concluded there exists very little research in the area of Indigenous educational media. Currently media is a very powerful tool that can be used to teach. She is cognizant of the digital age we live in and the opportunities to utilize media to revitalize the Navajo language.
“Star Wars and Finding Nemo,” dubbed in Navajo, was a great place to start and it has garnered national exposure of our language. However, we need a show based on our own Navajo learning principals our ancestors set out for us to learn and live by. I don’t think a non-Navajo, non-Native or non-Indigenous person can do that for us, nor should they. We, as Navajo, need to produce this show ourselves, if we are to be truly sovereign,” added Dr. Begay.
Both educators, Dr. Begay and Jackson, of Naalkid Productions have been talking about this educational language project for about the past four years and still have a long way to go to finance their dream.
“With the support of Navajo TV Anchor Colton Shone, our team of Navajo artists, filmmakers, family and friends, this video pilot is a huge step forward,” said Jackson. “Our journey has just begun and the big next step is finding financial support to create a whole new puppet TV series.”
We aim to raise $50,000 with this project which will allow us to continue with pre-production and production aspects of making this digital media project become a reality. We need your help to save our language by teaching Navajo to our future generations.
Pre-Production: -Script writing for the pilot show -Puppet Development/Creation -Casting for puppeteers and other talent that will be on screen -Hiring of all key cast and crew
Production: -Locations and permits -Rental of Studio space -Equipment: cameras, sound, lights, etc. -Cast and Crew budget
Despite all the notes on this post, they’re still at $13,155 of their $50,000 goal.
I have been beside myself about the emergence of child concentration camps so I want to give a shout out to all the immigration attorneys doing your respective deity’s work right now
How can the rest of us best support you? I know of RAICES and KIND, and am trying to find the best local legal services groups to donate to
Update, friends–
My law school just emailed alums a bunch of information if we’re interested in helping immigrant families who have been separated at the border.
Here’s the gist.
Opportunities to assist with family separation:
Immigration Justice Campaign (**for attorneys only** powered by the American Immigration Council and American Immigration Lawyers Association)
Donate to organizations that have hosted Pro Bono Caravans and/or In-House Pro Bono Projects and are assisting immigrant families and unaccompanied minors:
KIND – Kids in Need of Defense https://supportkind.org/ They are supporting kids directly at the border and beyond through legal and social services.
RAICES is a nonprofit that provides free and low-cost legal services to immigrant children, families and refugees in Texas. Donate generally or specifically to the RAICES bond fund: https://actionnetwork.org/fundraising/bondfund
