Atheist Groups Are Making Large Donations to Help Nepal Relief Efforts April 30, 2015

Atheist Groups Are Making Large Donations to Help Nepal Relief Efforts

I mentioned earlier this week that Foundation Beyond Belief’s Humanist Disaster Recovery team was raising funds to help victims and families affected by the Nepal earthquake.

We just announced that the first beneficiary of the fundraiser is the Women’s Foundation Nepal:

The Women’s Foundation Nepal was founded in 1988 by a group of Nepalese women and has continued to be a locally run organization. In non-emergency times, they support women and children who are victims of violence and poverty by providing shelter, education, training opportunities, legal counsel, and employment opportunities.

When the earthquake occurred this past weekend the staff sprang into action. Despite damages to some of their facilities, their main office in Kathmandu was left unharmed. They have been able to use their facilities, including their offices and schools to shelter those in need. Their staff members have been participating in the rescue operations and they have been providing food and resources to anyone in need.

But those resources are running low. An e-mail from their executive director earlier today noted they are in need of the following as soon as possible “Food, gas, oil for our generator, mattresses and quilts, extra clothes and pharmaceutical products — in particular sanitary items for women, antibiotics, water purification drops and hand sanitizer.”

Foundation Beyond Belief has sent an initial $12,000 to them this afternoon so they can purchase these much-needed emergency supplies.

It’s not too late to donate through FBB.

There’s also another excellent alternative. The Freedom From Religion Foundation announced that its making a $10,000 donation through its new “Nonbelief Relief Fund” (catchy!) to both the United Nations World Food Program and Doctors Without Borders:

“There are many established secular charities that respectfully serve people in need regardless of religion, whose purposes are to help — no religious questions asked, no bibles thumped or other hidden-agenda proselytizing,” noted FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor. Nepal is 80% Hindu and 20% Buddhist — all the more reason to avoid any hint of proselytizing by U.S.-based charities, she added.

While FFRF chose the UN World Food Program and Doctors Without Borders for its donation, FFRF reserves the right, as the Nepalese disaster and needs unfold, to designate donations for Nonbelief Relief for another or additional secular relief charities helping the Nepalese.

Generous nontheists who’d like their donation to be made under such a secular umbrella may select “NonBelief Relief” under FFRF’s donation dropdown. Your donation, fully deductible for income-tax purposes, will be forwarded as promptly as possible to a secular charity meeting real needs in the real world.

I’m on the board of Foundation Beyond Belief, but I would encourage you to donate to any relief effort, whether its through one of the atheist groups or just on your own.

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