22 March 2008

Up for Some Do-Goodery?


Photo by James Wainwright on Flickr. Image reposted under Creative Commons license.


So unless you've been living under a rock, you're aware of the current situation in Tibet. Jean's son, James, was in Lhasa when the rioting broke out and his account of what he saw can be read here. Of course, he does admit that the situation made it difficult for him to walk around the city freely or to get a complete view of the situation. It's also not unreasonable to think that the Chinese forces would take a more measured approach if they thought they were being seen by a Western journalist.

News trickling in from other sources paint a much more grim picture. Joy has been chronicling the lives of many of the Tibetan refugees who end up in her little corner of India, which gives just a glimpse into the ongoing oppression that led to the rioting in the first place. Yesterday's post reports specifically on the current uprising and the backlash it has caused, especially now that Westerners have been effectively removed from the region. Media reports on the massive influx of Chinese troops lend credence to what's been finding its way out.

Anyway, the point of this is that the steady trickle of refugees into Joy's little corner of the world is likely to increase, and I was noticing that their little medical assistance fund has barely anything in it so far this year. If you go back through her archives, you can see some of what they've been able to do for people with that little fund. The refugees who actually survive crossing the Himalayas into India often arrive with some serious medical problems, and that fund can mean the difference between life and death for some folks. So take a little time to go to Joy's blog and click on the donate button to help out a little. Even if all you can manage is $5, a little really does go a long way in a place like India, and that $5 may buy the antibiotics that saves someone's life.

A cup of Starbucks, a couple bags of chips, a sandwich, or a human life. Seems an easy choice.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Done. Thank you for reminding me about Joy's blog...I hadn't been there in a while and have just been reading her accounts of the situation.

Where the hell is the rest of the world? It's really incredible how the idea of offending Brand China keeps people from stepping up to the plate and actively saying their actions are wrong. I'm feeling ill at the lack of action.

Molly Bee said...

You got it, Dude! Thanks for pointing me to Joy's blog!

Anonymous said...

I also went over to Joy's blog and made a donation. Thanks for posting this. At least we can find out what is going on in the world through the Internet, even if the corporate media wants to keep us stupid. Lisa in Oregon

knitnzu said...

Yup, I'll go do a bit of good....

FemiKnitMafia said...

Done. Thanks!

Anonymous said...

I can't give much at the moment; but every little bit helps, right? I'm heading over there right now. Thanks for posting this.

FiberQat said...

You got it. Thanks for posting Joy's blog info for donating.