Sunday, May 18, 2008
Helping Out in Burma
A friend of mine is going to be in Burma soon and he and his student group are asking for some help with their part in the relief effort. Please take a look at his letter below and help if you possibly can.
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Dear Concerned Friends:
I write to you now after the devastating cyclone that has killed over 62,000 people in Burma/Myanmar and the death toll continues to rise. You might have followed the news of this tragedy, which is as much a political crisis as a natural disaster. Local and international non-governmental organizations working on the ground have been able to get humanitarian aid to a growing share of the estimated 1.9 million survivors, but the process is arduous, slow and still too limited. Efforts on the ground are making a difference, however, as networks in civil society are growing.
I will be taking a trip to Burma this week with my fellow students from Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). We will be volunteering our efforts to assist with the relief effort in and around Rangoon/Yangon. (Fortunately we got our visas much earlier as part of a scheduled study tour and can travel into the country.) We will be contributing to local efforts in civil society, especially to reach vulnerable populations, children, the handicapped and/or the elderly that might be ignored in the relief effort. We are informed by sources on the ground that there is a dire need for support of all kinds.
Thus, I am reaching out to you.
We, as the whole group, have created a fund through SAIS Student Government Association to purchase supplies that we will bring in. The focus will be items for children and the elderly. We will also purchase additional items in country to distribute directly to people in need as well as make contributions directly to local non-governmental organizations. The funds will go directly to people in need.
We need your help. Any contribution that you would be willing to make to this effort can make a difference. I have attached a copy of how to donate to the SAIS-SGA Relief Fund.
Thanks for reading this message and for considering donating! If you have further questions, please do not hesitate to contact me or any listed contact point.
All the best to you,
Linh
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Donating to the SAIS Fund for Burma Cyclone Relief is an opportunity for your contribution to go directly to victims of the cyclone disaster. If you would like to donate please do so in cash or make a check out to the SAIS Student Government Association with a note at the bottom indicating that it is for Burma cyclone relief and send it to:
SAIS Burma Relief Fund
1825 New Hampshire Ave. NW # 501
Washington, DC 20009
Att: Dany Khy
You may also pay online with credit card via Pay Pal. Go to PayPal.com and click on “send money” and enter the email address SAISBurmaReliefFund@gmail.com. All funds that arrive before the 23rd of May will be used to buy supplies and distributed to organizations visited on the trip. Please act as soon as possible. If the team is unable to go to Myanmar due to further deterioration of conditions, the funds will be donated to locally-based civil society organizations working in Myanmar for cyclone victims. Any funds donated after May 23rd will be distributed through our connections to locally-based organizations.
************************
Dear Concerned Friends:
I write to you now after the devastating cyclone that has killed over 62,000 people in Burma/Myanmar and the death toll continues to rise. You might have followed the news of this tragedy, which is as much a political crisis as a natural disaster. Local and international non-governmental organizations working on the ground have been able to get humanitarian aid to a growing share of the estimated 1.9 million survivors, but the process is arduous, slow and still too limited. Efforts on the ground are making a difference, however, as networks in civil society are growing.
I will be taking a trip to Burma this week with my fellow students from Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). We will be volunteering our efforts to assist with the relief effort in and around Rangoon/Yangon. (Fortunately we got our visas much earlier as part of a scheduled study tour and can travel into the country.) We will be contributing to local efforts in civil society, especially to reach vulnerable populations, children, the handicapped and/or the elderly that might be ignored in the relief effort. We are informed by sources on the ground that there is a dire need for support of all kinds.
Thus, I am reaching out to you.
We, as the whole group, have created a fund through SAIS Student Government Association to purchase supplies that we will bring in. The focus will be items for children and the elderly. We will also purchase additional items in country to distribute directly to people in need as well as make contributions directly to local non-governmental organizations. The funds will go directly to people in need.
We need your help. Any contribution that you would be willing to make to this effort can make a difference. I have attached a copy of how to donate to the SAIS-SGA Relief Fund.
Thanks for reading this message and for considering donating! If you have further questions, please do not hesitate to contact me or any listed contact point.
All the best to you,
Linh
*******************
Donating to the SAIS Fund for Burma Cyclone Relief is an opportunity for your contribution to go directly to victims of the cyclone disaster. If you would like to donate please do so in cash or make a check out to the SAIS Student Government Association with a note at the bottom indicating that it is for Burma cyclone relief and send it to:
SAIS Burma Relief Fund
1825 New Hampshire Ave. NW # 501
Washington, DC 20009
Att: Dany Khy
You may also pay online with credit card via Pay Pal. Go to PayPal.com and click on “send money” and enter the email address SAISBurmaReliefFund@gmail.com. All funds that arrive before the 23rd of May will be used to buy supplies and distributed to organizations visited on the trip. Please act as soon as possible. If the team is unable to go to Myanmar due to further deterioration of conditions, the funds will be donated to locally-based civil society organizations working in Myanmar for cyclone victims. Any funds donated after May 23rd will be distributed through our connections to locally-based organizations.
Labels: Friends
