CYCLONE: Helping Victims of Bangladesh Cyclone
The death toll continues to rise in the aftermath of last week's devastating Cyclone Sidr in Bangladesh (see SAJAforum's coverage). Below is a message we received from Moushumi Khan, a leading Bangladeshi American lawyer, who's getting a grad degree at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government.
Dear Friends,
Please forgive the mass email. By now you may have heard of the
devastating cyclone that has hit Bangladesh causing over 3,000 people
to lose their lives, and suffering to countless more.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/11/19/bangladesh.cyclone/If you would like, please consider donating something towards the
relief efforts.Here are some options:
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies: http://donate.ifrc.org/?navid=02_02Save the Children - US: https://secure.ga4.org/01/bangladesh_cyclone_1107
Naeem Mohaeimen, a SAJAer, filmmaker and activist, who is one of our go-to folks for all things Bangladesh, has also sent in a suggestion:
Drishtipat is a source for various updates on Cyclone Sidr, and how people can help: http://www.drishtipat.org/blog/
The folks at BRAC have sent along some info, too, on how you can help.. You will find it below.
Meanwhile, Naeem also has some stats that should shame Americans into doing more to help:
During Hurricane Katrina, Bangladesh (pop: 140 million) offered to send $1 million to help the people of New Orleans.
After Sidr, USA (population: 300 million) has offered to send $2 million to help the people of southern Bangladesh.
UK offered $5 million. Saudis have offered $100 million
See BBC's Bangladesh Makes Fresh Aid Plea:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7102982.stm
Post your suggestions, news links and comments below.
From Santosh Ramdoss:
Sree,
Thanks for your mail indicating how people can help with relief efforts for Cyclone Sidr in Bangladesh. I'm involved with BRAC (www.brac.net), which is currently in the front lines of providing relief, rehabilitation and support for the Cyclone victims.
Below is a personal message from the President and CEO of BRAC USA requesting support for its relief efforts. It would be great it you can forward it to the SAJA Forum and also post it in the Sajaforum website, with other links.
-------------Dear Friends,
Many of you may be wondering what has happened to BRAC in the wake of Cyclone Sidr in Bangladesh. F.H. Abed, Chairman and Founder of BRAC, wanted me to tell you that he appreciates your solidarity and messages of support.
Upon hearing of the impending cyclone, 2,500 BRAC field staff were immediately mobilized to help evacuate people ahead of time, resulting in a much lower death toll than expected. Despite moving quickly, field staff reported that over 446,000 houses have been damaged or fully destroyed, and that almost half of these (over 215,000) are homes of BRAC members. Most low-income Bangladeshis live in homes made of bamboo, thatch, and jute stick, which were not able to withstand the 155 mile an hour winds. In addition, 344 of BRAC's 3,054 offices were severely damaged by the cyclone.
Unlike other relief organizations, BRAC has an ongoing relationship in these communities and is in a position to effectively provide both relief and rehabilitation support. BRAC will assist 150,000 families with emergency livelihood support through in-kind inputs for agricultural, poultry, and livestock micro entrepreneurs at an average cost of $15 per family. They will repair and restore 1,520 schools and centers destroyed by the cyclone at an average cost of $150 per school. In addition, BRAC will undertake a wide range of restorative programs and issue a weekly report to senior management on the performance and progress of all cyclone-related efforts. You can trust that funds will be used in the most efficient and effective way possible.
BRAC estimates that it will need $4 million in the next month to effectively respond to the cyclone damage. They are contributing $1 million themselves from savings and staff donations, and request the remaining $3 million from friends like us. I encourage you to be part of BRAC's response by making a contribution of any size either by mail or directly on our website at www.brac.net/usa, or by sharing this with others.
To stay current on post-cyclone news see the BRAC blog at http://blog4brac.blogspot.com/
Best wishes,
Susan
Susan Davis
President & CEO
BRAC USA
11 East 44th St. Suite 1600
New York, NY 10017
Ph: (212) 808-5615
Cell: (646) 239-4411
www.brac.net/usa
A note from Babu Rahman, president of Agami, cdnhoser[at]msn.com:
Agami is helping to drive Sidr relief efforts out on the west coast (Bay Area). I am hoping that you will see fit to highlight Agami and its work on your web page. Please take a minute to review our work (www.agami-us.org). Our mission is promoting basic education of underprivileged children in Bangladesh. However, given our position and contacts in the community here and in Bangladesh, we absolutely had to jump in on the
Sidr relief efforts.
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