Supporting One of Us Means Supporting All of Us

“We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” — Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

One of our newest Neighbor Teams at GatherFor, consisting of five mothers living in Brooklyn, has come up with the following approach: every month, they draw a name out of a hat and the team focuses on understanding what that particular Neighbor needs and how to best support them. They are willing to pool funds to help pay bills, to help with groceries, childcare, whatever it takes. This month, the Neighbor whose name we drew out of a hat, whom I’ll call “I.”), was clear in where she sought support: “Help me support the people of my country.” As an immigrant from Aux Cayes, Haiti, I. is worried about the August 14th earthquake that claimed over 1,200 lives and the consequences for her family, friends, and countrypeople. Though she herself is a mother of four children, behind on rent, and was only recently able to secure employment, this is where she sincerely hopes the efforts of her own Neighbor Team will go.

I was moved by I.’s request. According to her, the best support that we can provide her right now is by supporting her people in Haiti. Her example reminded me that what is happening in Haiti and in Afghanistan, is also, in some way, happening to people in our communities here in the United States (to paraphrase my favorite author Charles Eisenstein).

Though we had intended to announce our own fundraising efforts to provide direct cash assistance to our Neighbors today, I.’s inspiring actions compelled me to learn more about ways to support the people of Haiti and Afghanistan and to postpone the launch of our fundraiser until next week. As such, we hope you’ll consider sending resources to crisis situations in both Haiti and Afghanistan this week.

Because we believe that the people closest to the problem are closest to the solution, we’re sharing locally-led efforts that you could support. Take a look and if you feel moved, lend them your support.

Supporting the People of Haiti

The Movement For Black Lives has compiled a list of trusted, locally-led efforts in Haiti, writing:

See our compiled list of trusted comrades based in Haiti or connected with Haiti through deep roots and integrity. Please prioritize supporting and uplifting these organizations instead of giving to organizations with a track record of harm.

Supporting the People of Afghanistan

Donate at MADRE.org to support an“Underground Railroad” ferrying Afghan women at risk of assassination to safety. MADRE is a global organization funding women-led efforts across the globe. Its Executive Director, Yifat Susskind, shared about a locally-led, country-wide escape network for women targeted by the Taliban on LinkedIn yesterday that we can all support:

If you come across other trusted efforts, particularly those led by local people in Haiti and Afghanistan (especially hard for me to find in Afghanistan), please share them with us in the comments or by reaching out (my email is teju@gatherfor.org).