Signs of Progress! Electricity and internet connections are back on (but slow internet) at Nari Jibon Project. I hope hope to have updates, stories, and pictures from the Nari Jibon Project staff and students soon!
As the death toll from Cyclone Sidr grows past 2, 300 (up to 10,000 deaths predicted) and more pictures and stories have been posted to the web and blogs, so have the lists of where you can donate. Here are links on several blogs.
Rezwan provides news, video, and donation sites. Go to the bottom of his post for links.
Zafanoor at her blog, Keep Me Honest, has updates as well as an excellent list of where to donate (at the bottom of her post), including some USA donation sites
Drishtipat discusses what people can do from afar with specific strategies as well as donation links.
Ironically although many donor organizations and countries have made pledges of help (including two US Navy ships steaming toward Bangladesh w/o the knowledge of the Bangladeshi government), the overwhelmed Bangladesh government has yet to ask for formal international help, despite that many people in the stricken coast areas have been in the open, without food or good water for going on three days. Hopefully, assorted sources of help will continue to come and the GOB, donor organizations, and countries can work out distribution and reconstruction plans especially for the immediate needs of the survivors. This has happened before: after the 1991 cyclone, Mash & Rezwan describe how several Navy ships-and their angels provided much needed assistance & good will to Bangladesh. Hopefully this can be a repeat visit, good help, and repair some tattered relationships with the USA through some direct face to face contacts and assistance.
Gradually the USA media has begun to report on Cyclone Sidr. An article appeared in my local newspaper in downstate Illinois (Sunday, Nov 18), local TV station, and even my mother, Patricia S. Ward in Casper Wyoming, reported seeing an AP- Pavel Rahman picture of an elephant helping to move a bus.
Some USA-international blogs on other topics are gradually providing information and links on this disaster. I encourage all readers to reach out, link, and and inform others about this ongoing disaster and long-term needs for donations and where to donate.
One last piece of good news: Baby Cyclone, (picture from BBC) who was born during the storm and named by his parents-grandmother. As noted by Mash, this little boy was born into and survived the destruction, but will need much help to make it through the aftermath. Like Mash and other bloggers, we hope that the power and information of the internet will generate donations and help for Bangladesh and the surviving but unseen little girls and boys who are the future as well as their families.
(cross-posted in Bideshi Blue)
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