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 Dear friends, First they lost their father… then their mother died. So the eight kids were left to fend for themselves, alone in Afghanistan. Neighbours tried to help, but they were hungry, too.The eight children starved to death. The youngest wasn’t even 2 years old. Afghanistan is starving: 23 million people are on the edge of famine and one million children could die this winter. Some are barely surviving on nothing but dry flour. Courageous aid workers are doing all they can, but the scale of suffering is intensifying daily, and many are struggling to cope. But we can do something — and it could help thousands and thousands of people. With your donation, we can provide emergency food packages and medical supplies, help fund feeding centres, and even help keep medical facilities open. And we could do it in days! So right now, wherever you are in the world, this is a chance to help in one of the most severe human emergencies on earth — to help thousands of families and countless children fighting to survive. Every cent we receive will go to this emergency response — donate what you can: €7 feeds 1 child for a week €13 feeds 2 children for a week €32 feeds 5 children for a week €63 feeds 10 children for a week €130 feeds 20 children for a week OTHER AMOUNT The war, sweeping economic sanctions, and a devastating drought have created a crisis the World Food Program calls “Hell on Earth” — but it’s worse than that. Unable to feed her family, one mother had to do the unthinkable: she sold her son to help feed her baby daughter. With $104 she bought some rice, oil, and flour. Now it’s all gone. The UN is calling for massive humanitarian aid, but the response from governments is slow, and the need overwhelming. We cannot look away. Your donation could help provide food and medical care within days. But we’ll also use our community’s response as a tool to leverage additional funding from rich countries; they spent trillions on the war and they have a moral obligation to help now. 100% of the funds we raise will be spent directly on aid. Together we could help: Provide emergency food, water, heating, hygiene kits and medical supplies; Keep hospitals and maternity wards open by covering some expenses; Pay the salaries of doctors, nurses, community organisers and counsellors; Fund projects focusing on livelihood support, cash transfers and drought mitigation; Support organisations providing help to refugees and those displaced by the crisis. It all comes down to this: One million children could die in the coming months. Not from violence or viruses, but from the very simplest thing: they were too hungry for too long. We can’t wait another minute, let’s help all we can — donate now: €7 feeds 1 child for a week €13 feeds 2 children for a week €32 feeds 5 children for a week €63 feeds 10 children for a week €130 feeds 20 children for a week OTHER AMOUNT This community exists to change the world — and yet so often the changes we seek aren’t guaranteed. But that’s not the case here: every last cent will be used to help families across Afghanistan. We can’t reach everyone, but for the many thousands we can, the difference could be unimaginable. Wherever you are in the world, this is a chance to help fellow human beings when they need it the very most. Thank you for being a part of this community. With fierce hope and endless determination, always, Mike, Marigona, Wissam, Christine, Ana Paula, John, Sofia, Alis, Bert and the whole team at Avaaz Photo caption: Young children at a camp for internally displaced people on the outskirts of Herat, where staff members from Doctors Without Borders (MSF) check for signs of malnutrition. HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP via Getty Images *Note*: The cost estimates listed above come from Avaaz partners on the ground and are based on the average costs of providing a malnourished child with therapeutic feeding on a weekly basis. PS. This might be your first donation to our movement ever. But what a first donation! Did you know that Avaaz relies entirely on small donations from members like you? That’s why we’re fully independent, nimble and effective. Join the over 1 million people who’ve donated to make Avaaz a real force for good in the world. More information: UN launches nearly $5bn aid appeal for Afghanistan (Aljazeera) Afghanistan Has Become the World’s Largest Humanitarian Crisis (New Yorker) I just returned from Afghanistan — few words can describe the humanitarian catastrophe unfurling (The Independent) Afghanistan’s economy is collapsing (Economist) |
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Who Watches the Watchers? 