Menongility; Making A Difference

First, let me again offer this link for making donations to the Disasters Emergency Committee. Donations can be made directly from the page... and the UK gov will match £ for £, thus doubling your contribution. NB - overseas residents can donate by changing country on the donations form.

Big week last week for renewing any fading interest in matters 'disaster' or 'tragic'... President Zelenskyi's out-of-country tour seeking further support with air armaments and an astoundingly profound speech at Westminster, then this expanding horror on a border between other battling countries - an almost silent war and certainly one that had been put in the background due to the Ukrainian situation. Now, that rumbling is still going on, even as the people on the ground itself are struggling to come to terms with their radically changed living circumstances. 

I don't doubt that you have all listened to news reports yourselves, and it is entirely possible that you have already taken some action - I merely offer these connections as part of my 'dhyana'; acts of charity are not just the giving but the spreading and sharing. 

In looking around for an official equivalent in the USA, I did struggle a bit... one might have thought that USAID was a direct reflection of the UKDEC. Nope. That is about how the USgov is spending its pennies overseas. the Council of Foreign Relations is much the same if a little more layperson-friendly. All good info, no doubt... but donations??? Ah, here we are... FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency). It is still not as straightforward as the DEC site... you have to work to find a place to donate, and the basics are given there (I have just cut and pasted, so links remain live, so not as pretty as an image link):

How You Can Help

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If you have items to donate, time to volunteer in support of a nonprofit, or cash to give and have questions, email the FEMA Donations Unit. We would love to help you help others.

To find a list of trusted organizations, additional information on donations and other resources, visit National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster.

If any of my US readers know anything different, feel free to take put links in the comments.

For my Indian readers, I could only find a National relief fund and nothing for international... will have to leave that one with you to discover and follow for yourselves.

For my Australian readers, there is no direct government donations facility, but there is a coalition of charities at work with a central 'pot' as per the following:

There's a coalition of 15 charity organisations collectively called the Emergency Action Alliance, which is launching a joint appeal for the earthquake. Essentially, the alliance acts as the main portal for fundraising, saving member groups from the administration efforts of appealing for funds. Member organisations best placed to respond to the crisis apply for funds raised by the alliance, which says no more than 10 per cent of donations go to administration and operation costs. 

So far, at least 11 of those charities are already at work in the region:

• Act for Peace
• Action Aid
• ADRA
• ALWS
• Australia for UNHCR
• Baptist World Aid 
• CARE Australia
• Caritas Australia
• Plan International
• Oxfam
• Save the Children

You can donate to the Emergency Action Alliance's earthquake appeal here. 

These are the three main centres of my readership, but I know there are followers from various European countries and, of course, Canada! I hope that this post will encourage you to seek out your own trusted centres of donation.

None of this is 'an order'... it is merely my acting on capital 'ell' Love and the wish to encourage others to follow suit. Thank you for reading and, if you are able, offering just a few of your hard-earned to help lift your distant neighbours.