South Asia Earthquake Relief: An Appeal

Yesterday, Nov 8th, was the one-month anniversary of the devastating earthquake that struck South Asia - northern Pakistan, and Indian and Pakistani Kashmir. The scale of the destruction has been astounding. What's more - one month after the quake, survivors in remote areas are still in need of immediate treatment, relief and evacuation. There is also a desparate need to provide shelter. A brutal winter is coming to the Himalayan region, and a massive second wave of death is expected, if efforts aren't stepped up to help the 3-4 million made homeless by the earthquake, who have been left to face the winter without any form of shelter.

The situation is truly dire, and a race against time is on right now to help the survivors. It is upto each of us to contribute in whatever which way we can to help the effort.

A wide array of organizations, including many groups of the South Asian diaspora, are coming together to organize a fundraiser that will benefit earthquake survivors on both sides of the border. It is, (appropriately) called "BEYOND BORDERS" .

Beyond Borders [Saturday Nov 19, 7pm - Berkeley] will feature an assortment of performance art, including Indian/Pakistani classical (vocal and instrumental), spoken word, dance, and much more. But more importantly, every dollar you contribute by way of ticket purchase or donation, will go directly towards earthquake relief.

100% of the proceeds from the fundraiser will be sent to groups that are engaged in relief and rehabilitation efforts on the ground in Pakistan and India and are committed to an equal and just distribution of resources among marginalized and deprived communities, irrespective of biases of gender, class or religion.

I am part of the organizing committee for the event, and if you are in the San Francisco Bay Area, I recommend this as great way to contribute to earthquake relief - knowing that the money you donate will be well-used, and enjoy what should be a truly wonderful evening.

More info and tickets at http://ektaonline.org/beyondborders

If you cannot attend the concert (say, you are not in the SF Bay Area) but still wish to contribute to relief efforts, you can make a donation ONLINE.

We CAN make a difference, and the time to act is NOW. Let us step up and do our part.

For news and latest information about the quake and its aftermath:
Check out The Guardian newspaper (UK)'s Special Reports on the Earthquake. And the BBC's South Asia Quake - In Depth page. While the mainstream media in the US has already forgotten about the disaster and moved on cover more spicy news stories, it is heartening to note there are atleast some outlets around the world that are giving the disaster the attention it deserves.

And if you are the blog-surfing type, be sure to subscribe to http://quakehelp.blogspot.com - from the same folks that brought out thethe SEA EAT (South East Asian Earthquake And Tsunami) blog & wiki, which gained worldwide attention at the time of the earthquake and tsunami on 26th December, 2004. Many of these folks have remobilised to aid in the relief efforts after the south asian quake.