Statement by AF3IRM, a transnational feminist organization
November 14, 2013
The members of AF3IRM, each of whom remains connected to an ancestral homeland often visited by crises and calamities, share the distress of the people of the Philippines; we stand in solidarity with them; we send their sympathy for this unparalleled tragedy for the archipelago.
We urge all those who have compassion in their hearts and spirits, who wish to honor the steadfastness with which men, women and children clung to one another in the teeth of the strongest recorded storm of human history – to send donations in cash and kind to the list of organizations listed below.
We need to assist in the rise of the Filipino people, especially our women and children – without whom there is no continuity – so that they may not only overcome but prevail over this tragedy, and by doing so have the strength and determination to seek justice from those who have wreaked havoc on our only planet so a handful of families can gorge themselves on profit.
In these last weeks we have seen blows struck by an outraged Earth — not against nations that contribute the most to global warming and pollution; nations which have imposed a “development” predicated on the ruthless despoliation of sea, soil and mountain; nations which have warped the age-old harmony between humanity and nature; but rather blows have been struck at the most vulnerable and hapless of nations like the Philippines.
We name the culprits: the multinational corporations of US-led imperialism which have poisoned land, sea and air in pursuit of profits; fundamentalist religions which have deprived womankind of reproductive rights and justice; governments who have become the tools of capital.
We must have a reckoning with these entities and stop them in their tracks, lest Earth itself become hostile to and unfit for human habitation.
For the short term, charity is needed; but in due time, justice is necessary so that the poor and the hapless do not bear the brunt of the consequences of the continuing violation of the planet.
Please give and give generously. AF3IRM promises to repay every donation and every help with even more vigorous activism against those who would render human beings not only homeless but planetless.
Because despair is not an option.
AF3IRM recommends the following recipients for donations:
- Gota de Leche Manila
Established in 1907 by the Asociacion Feminista Filipina, GDL focuses on aiding women and children. Check them out on Facebook.
Their bank account for cash donations:
La Proteccion de la Infancia, Inc.
BPI Morayta (Manila)
Account #1584-0022-19 - FACLA/USAP TAWID BAHA Relief Drive
Monetary donations can be sent to:
Filipino-American Community of Los Angeles (FACLA)
1740 W. Temple Street, Los Angeles, CA 90026 - Medicins Sans Frontieres (MSF) / Doctors Without Borders
100 Staff, 8 Planes On the Way – MSF is rapidly scaling up its response and will have more than 100 staff in the area in the coming days, including doctors, nurses, surgeons, logisticians, psychologists, and water and sanitation experts. Eight planeloads of aid materials—including medical supplies, shelter materials, hygiene kits, and water and sanitation equipment—are also on their way to the Philippines from MSF warehouses around the world. See more at their website. Donate here. - STP ( Sagip Tuluy-tuloy tulong Pilipinas) to help victims in the Visayas
Sponsored by: People’s CORE, Justice for Filipino American Veterans (JFAV) and KmB. You can donate cash, by check, or in-kind to:
People’s CORE
1610 Beverly Blvd, Suite No. 2
Los Angeles, CA 90026 - Advancement for Rural Kids
This statement was originally published by AF3IRM.