Bangladesh and Thanksgiving
Our thoughts and prayers all week have been with people who've become special to us at Ways of the World, the good folk of Bangladesh, in the wake of the catastrophic Cyclone Sidr that hit there a week ago Thursday. We know that the millions who do business with the Nobel-Prize-winning Grameen Bank are working hard to make their lives better. We indeed hope and pray for their survival and recovery.
It wasn't until midweek, though, that I actually learned how very strong the cyclone had been: a Category 4 storm, with 155mph winds and a 20-foot storm surge. Perhaps as many as 7 million people have been uprooted. The relatively good news is that deaths, while in the low thousands, are apparently a mere fraction of the 143,000 who died in the last storm of that magnitude, in 1991.
As we've read about the relief effort, we've noted that it is truly multi-national. The U.S. Navy has three ships in the area, delivering clean water and medical supplies. The Indian government sent 2 planeloads of "ready meals, water filters, tents and medicines", with another due today (Saturday, November 24). And our heart stopped when we read the final lines of an AFP (world-wide French news service) dispatch: "A 75-member Pakistan army medical team also arrived along with 15 tonnes of medicine and equipment to set up a field hospital, . . ."
If the Pakistani army, in the midst of their huge governmental crisis, can make the effort to help, who are we not to? Two outreaches we can make ourselves – especially appropriate on the U.S. Thanksgiving Weekend:
Episcopal Relief and Development. Of course, ER-D is already in touch, just as you knew they would be, working with the Church of Bangladesh. The organization ER-D belongs to, ACT – Action by Churches Together – was there immediately, also distributing "ready meals" and other needed items, and more such efforts are in process. We've already given. You can too: http://www.er-d.org/. It's easy there; just click on "Donate Now"!
The Grameen Foundation, an American nonprofit that supports the Bank's work. Read their own statement: "It has been difficult to watch the news coming out of Bangladesh. The latest count puts the death toll at more than 3100, with millions more displaced. Bangladesh holds special meaning for us at Grameen Foundation: several of our staff have families there and our president Alex Counts began his career with Professor Muhammad Yunus at Grameen Bank. Over the coming days and weeks, we will be extending our support to Bangladesh in several ways. We encourage others to join the many efforts that have been launched to bring relief supplies to hard-hit areas." Yunus himself was speaking at conference in Dubai at the time of the storm; he said right away that the Bank has capital funds at the ready and will be able to help the rebuilding. They will surely need more. Visit the Grameen Foundation website: http://www.grameenfoundation.org/.
It wasn't until midweek, though, that I actually learned how very strong the cyclone had been: a Category 4 storm, with 155mph winds and a 20-foot storm surge. Perhaps as many as 7 million people have been uprooted. The relatively good news is that deaths, while in the low thousands, are apparently a mere fraction of the 143,000 who died in the last storm of that magnitude, in 1991.
As we've read about the relief effort, we've noted that it is truly multi-national. The U.S. Navy has three ships in the area, delivering clean water and medical supplies. The Indian government sent 2 planeloads of "ready meals, water filters, tents and medicines", with another due today (Saturday, November 24). And our heart stopped when we read the final lines of an AFP (world-wide French news service) dispatch: "A 75-member Pakistan army medical team also arrived along with 15 tonnes of medicine and equipment to set up a field hospital, . . ."
If the Pakistani army, in the midst of their huge governmental crisis, can make the effort to help, who are we not to? Two outreaches we can make ourselves – especially appropriate on the U.S. Thanksgiving Weekend:
Episcopal Relief and Development. Of course, ER-D is already in touch, just as you knew they would be, working with the Church of Bangladesh. The organization ER-D belongs to, ACT – Action by Churches Together – was there immediately, also distributing "ready meals" and other needed items, and more such efforts are in process. We've already given. You can too: http://www.er-d.org/. It's easy there; just click on "Donate Now"!
The Grameen Foundation, an American nonprofit that supports the Bank's work. Read their own statement: "It has been difficult to watch the news coming out of Bangladesh. The latest count puts the death toll at more than 3100, with millions more displaced. Bangladesh holds special meaning for us at Grameen Foundation: several of our staff have families there and our president Alex Counts began his career with Professor Muhammad Yunus at Grameen Bank. Over the coming days and weeks, we will be extending our support to Bangladesh in several ways. We encourage others to join the many efforts that have been launched to bring relief supplies to hard-hit areas." Yunus himself was speaking at conference in Dubai at the time of the storm; he said right away that the Bank has capital funds at the ready and will be able to help the rebuilding. They will surely need more. Visit the Grameen Foundation website: http://www.grameenfoundation.org/.
God bless them all! And Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!
posted by Carol S. | 11/24/2007 12:10:00 PM
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