Stanford’s United Disaster Relief Effort
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According the BBC, the South Asian earthquake of October 8 killed over 55,000 people, 17,000 of them children. In the United States, 973 bodies have been recovered in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Damages are estimated at over $125 billion – the most expensive disaster in United States history. Unemployment claims rose by 68,000 and countless have been left homeless.
Our worldwide community has been plagued by a series of natural disasters that have caused widespread destruction. Although often comfortably situated in the so-called “Stanford bubble,” it is clear we cannot remain in a “bubble” in the face of such calamity. As human beings, we are obligated to reach out and provide relief to both our affected classmates at Stanford and to disaster victims worldwide. As a concerned citizen of the Stanford and worldwide community, I am glad to report that the process has already begun.
Stanford Students for Relief, a nonprofit voluntary student organization, is spearheading the relief efforts. Stanford Students for Relief was founded after the South Asian Tsunami of 2004. In less than three months, SSR raised over $60,000 for tsunami disaster victims.
Currently, SSR is officially sanctioned by Stanford University to raise funds for hurricane and earthquake victims. The SSR is doing so by organizing fundraisers and by coordinating other groups in order to form a united front. In conjunction with the Pakistanis at Stanford, ASSU, Stanford Indian Association, Society for International Affairs at Stanford, the Graduate School of Business, Stanford Medical School, Islamic Student Awareness Network, Muslim Student Awareness Network, and Sanskriti, over $17,000 has been raised.
These efforts, although impressive, are only a beginning. As members of one of the most prestigious universities in the world, we should seek to improve both ourselves and our community. However, it seems that as soon as the newspapers and the media stop reporting on these disasters, we file them into the back of our minds and go on with our lives. We should be constantly asking ourselves: can the victims go on with their normal lives, as we do, once the disaster is out of the headlines? According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, “the prospect of a second humanitarian disaster in South Asia continues to loom as thousands of injured people remain stranded in isolated mountainous areas, without food, shelter or sanitation.” These people have lost everything but hope. We must not let their embers of hope be smothered by the blanket of apathy. We must not take away their hope by inaction.
There are many ways to contribute to the relief effort. Firstly, we should raise awareness. Only by constantly reminding ourselves and others of the sufferings of the victims will people be compelled to offer helping hands. Awareness by itself is inadequate though. It should be followed by swift action. Act by volunteering for charities who work with Katrina victims. Act by donating to the Stanford Students for Relief. For more information on how you can help disaster victims, feel free to contact me through the Review.
