While many, if not all, realms of media are reporting on the tragedy which has killed over 20,000 people and left a million homeless, I thought I'd report on how each of us can reach out and help.
"Our biggest fear is that the aftermath could be more lethal than the storm itself," said Caryl Stern, who heads the U.N. Children's Fund in the United States.
ADRA International Myanmar Cyclone Fund 12501 Old Columbia Pike Silver Spring, MD 20904 (800) 424-ADRA ext. 2372 http://www.adra.org
American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee JDC: Myanmar Cyclone Relief P.O. Box 530 132 East 43rd St. New York, NY 10017 (212) 687-6200 http://www.jdc.org
American Jewish World Service 45 W. 36th St., 11th Floor New York, NY 10016 (800) 889-7146 http://www.ajws.org
American Red Cross International Response Fund P.O. Box 37243 Washington, DC 20013 (800) HELP-NOW http://www.redcross.org
American Refugee Committee 430 Oak Grove St., Suite 204 Minneapolis, MN 55403 (612) 872-7602} http://www.arcrelief.org
Why should you help? Because I am sure you would hope for the same kindness if in a similar situation.
State radio said most of the 22,464 dead, as well as the 41,000 missing, were in the densely populated Irriwaddy delta, home to 6 million people. It said 671 were killed in the Yangon area. Brig. Gen. Kyaw San, the information minister, said most fatalities were caused by tidal waves.
The death toll is the highest from a natural disaster in southeast Asia since the tsunami of December 2004 killed 229,866 people in Indonesia, Thailand and other parts of southeast and south Asia.
This post isn't for helping endangered animals or signing petitions on better energy conservation, it's about reaching the children of America and giving them the avenues to make better lives for themselves.
The Boat Angel Outreach Center of Queen Creek Arizona encourages a disciplined lifestyle, daily church services and abstinence from drugs and alcohol.
On a global level Boat donations have been instrumental in providing substantial funding for countless international preschool and grade school aged children in the poorest countries of the world. The Boat Angel Outreach Center currently supports six full time associate pastors in Ethiopia and three associate pastors the southern border of California/Tijuana, Mexico.
They do this by converting your donated boat into funds for their many programs. By participating in boat auctions they can raise funds of up to $500 even if your boat doesn't work. Some of their programs include school scholarships, World Wide Emergency relief funds, sponsoring the Job Force International USA, Christian Discipleship Training, etc.
If you are interested in participating click on Donate My Boat!
As most of you know, I'm a fan of charities and "take action" groups. In fact, I participate in many different organizations around the world. There are a variety of topics that tug at my heart strings and therefore I do what I can.
Navtej Kohli and I have the above sentiment in common. He has founded the The Kohli Foundation. This foundation provides the funding for food, education, and lodging for impoverished children from the Guanacasta province in Costa Rica.
His recommendation for you would be to find a charity which you support and follow it. I agree, even if you can't give money, you can still give your time and or your written letters if the need arises. You can look online for charities to find one that is in support of a cause you feel passionate about.
Charity Navigator has become the nation's largest and most-utilized evaluator of charities. They accept no funding from the charities evaluated, ensuring that the ratings remain objective.
