Doctor Without Borders for Japan Disaster Relief

CLICK HERE TO DONATE

Hello everyone,

It’s a little-known fact that, before I joined Master Point Press and Bridgeblogging, I was an English teacher living and working in  Japan. I lived in the city of Kobe, the site of the last major earthquake to hit Japan prior to this current disaster.  I saw evidence every day of Japan’s ability to recover from these large-scale disasters and developed a hearty respect and love for the Japanese people and culture.

The minute I heard about the earthquake on March 11, I started frantically writing letters to my friends and former coworkers still living in Japan. I’m relieved to say that they all wrote back to say they were unhurt. One friend even sent me a picture of his baby daughter, who was just weeks old when the quake hit.

While my friends are thankfully safe and sound, I’ve spent the last 10 days reeling from reports of the damage and upheaval caused by the earthquakes, tsunami, nuclear emergencies, the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people, and so on. It’s been hard to watch at times, all the more so because I was in Japan just six months ago and still have so many friends there.

I am sure that you are being bombarded by appeals to donate to the relief efforts and are wondering if your donation will truly reach those in need.  After much research, my partner Andra and I have set up a link to Doctors Without Borders through the Firstgiving.com website. Any funds that are donated via their secure funds transfer are immediately transferred to Doctors Without Borders and put to work in Japan.

While it is true that Japan is a highly developed country, well prepared for this kind of horrific event, no one could have anticipated the scale and complications of this disaster.  Your donation will really help.

Here is the link to donate: http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/AE/Japan-Disaster-Relief

No donation is too small. With people around the world showing their support for disaster recovery, the generosity on display has been humbling. According to Doctors Without Borders, $35 provides 2 meals a day for around 200 children. $100 buys antibiotics for 40 wounded people. So far, the amount we’ve raised is enough for emergency medical supplies for 5,000 disaster victims for an entire month.

I’m proud and grateful to say that Master Point Press is making a donation. I know many of us have friends or connections to Japan, and that we’ve all been moved by these horrible events and want to help in any way we can.

Thank you!