All of us at GlobalGiving have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of generosity that has come from people all over the world in support of those impacted by the tsunami and earthquake in Japan. Over 20,000 of you have donated time, energy, money, and ideas to help those affected by the disaster.
Today, just one week after the earthquake hit, we are disbursing $725,000 from GlobalGiving's Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Relief Fund to six organizations already in Japan working on relief and long-term recovery efforts. You can see the exact allocation of these funds below.
We wanted to share with you more information about the organizations receiving these first funds and the valuable work that each is carrying out with the help of your donation.
Japan Platform - Japan Platform is an emergency humanitarian aid organization working with Japanese NGOs, the Japanese business community, and the Japanese government. Funds provided by GlobalGiving will be used to provide disaster coordination and financial support to the 18 Japan Platform partner NGOs that are responding to the emergency by providing short-term food aid, medical assistance, and tents, while planning a long-term response.
Peace Winds - Peace Winds is a Japanese organization that has focused on emergency humanitarian relief for the past 15 years. GlobalGiving funds will help Peace Winds distribute emergency disaster relief supplies - including food, cooking supplies, and blankets - to people at shelters in Kesennuma City, Miyagi Prefecture and to provide free satellite telephone services and mobile phone charging so that survivors can ensure family members of their safety and to check on family members in other affected areas.
Save the Children - Children are always among the most vulnerable during emergencies. Save the Children is working with children and caregivers to provide psycho-social support and materials and to establish Child-Friendly Spaces in affected communities in Miyagi, Fukushima, Iwata, and Ibaraki Prefectures.
Architecture for Humanity - Architecture for Humanity and its teams of professionals in Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto are partnering with other organizations to mobilize around the long-term reconstruction effort. GlobalGiving funds will support communities and design professionals in the safe and sustainable rebuilding of community structures, health clinics, schools, hospitals and civic structures.
International Medical Corps - International Medical Corps has an emergency response team of doctors on the ground in Sendai, and is coordinating with local officials to fill critical gaps in the response efforts. These funds will help the group focus on reaching isolated coastal communities that were devastated by the tsunami and have yet to receive aid.
Lifeline Energy - Lifeline Energy is working with local partners to distribute wind-up and solar radios and specialized programming to non-Japanese speaking survivors, who are lacking access to critical information following the disaster. These radios are also equipped with flashlights and cell phone chargers and are designed for especially complex emergency situations.
GlobalGiving is committed to keeping you informed about the impact your donation is having on the ground. In the coming days, weeks, and months, you'll continue to receive updates about how these funds are being used and stories about the people whose lives you have helped change for the better. For additional insights into how GlobalGiving is handling donors' funds, read our Chief Program Officer's recent blog post (http://blog.globalgiving.org/2011/03/18/what-we-are-doing-with-funds-collected-for-japan/).
Together, you are making a difference in the lives of so many in Japan.
Thank you,
Britt Lake and the GlobalGiving Team
Project reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.org by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.
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When a disaster strikes, recovery efforts led by people who live and work in affected communities are often overlooked and underfunded. GlobalGiving is changing this reality. Since 2004, we've been shifting decision-making power to crises-affected communities through trust-based grantmaking and support.
We make it easy, quick, and safe to support people on the ground who understand needs in their communities better than anyone else.
They were there long before the news cameras arrived, and they’ll be there long after the cameras leave. They know how to make their communities more resilient to future disasters, and they’re already hard at work. GlobalGiving puts donations and grants directly into their hands. Because the status quo—which gives the vast majority of funding to a few large organizations—doesn’t make sense.
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