Union of North American Vietnamese Student Associations (uNAVSA)
Press Release
SE Asia Typhoon
October 13, 2009
For the past two weeks, Typhoon Ketsana has swept through Southeast Asia, devastating Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Thailand and killing an estimated 400 people since Thursday, October 1.
“Ketsana dumped the heaviest rains in more than four decades on Manila and surrounding areas, submerging most of the capital.” According to the Filipino government, at least 2.5 million people have been affected and 246 people have died (bankokpost.com). In Vietnam, a sea of brown water flooded houses in Quang Nam province when the typhoon swept through on Tuesday, September 29. Because the scale of the flooding has been too tremendous along with the lack of resources and personnel in the region, adequate government aid and humanitarian relief in the region have been difficult. According to Vietnamese authorities and the United Nations, approximately 400,000 Vietnamese have fled their homes; 530 homes have collapsed and another 100,000 were flooded or damaged. The government estimates damages to be about 120 million dollars.
Typhoon Ketsana is one of the most devastating natural disasters to hit Southeast Asia, namely Vietnam, in many years and as such,the uNAVSA community must mobilize quickly to address this urgent and catastrophic natural disaster to help our brothers and sisters in Vietnam. We urge you, your VSA, and/or region to contribute to the relief effort.
uNAVSA is supporting the fundraising efforts of Lend A Hand, Inc and we highly encourage you to send any donations through Lend A Hand’s website. Lend A Hand Vietnamese Youth Organization, Inc., founded on November 23, 2003, is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with the mission to provide health care and educational assistance to impoverished children in South Vietnam and to promote cultural diversities, leadership abilities, teamwork, and higher education through workshops, conferences, and summits for Vietnamese American students. Lend A Hand has been on eight humanitarian aid trips in Vietnam and is the most trusted organization by the Vietnamese community in Houston to deliver fundraised proceeds for the impoverished without going through a third party. Lend A Hand, Inc. consists of young, motivated and determined Vietnamese Americans who realize and understand the harsh realities of life in Vietnam and want to make a difference.
On October 18th, Lend-A-Hand will be traveling to Vietnam to provide direct relief to those affected by the typhoon. The following message from Duc Dinh, the founder of Lend a Hand, describes how the funds will be utilized and distributed: “Donated funds will go to food and non-perishable items such as noodles, rice, canned food, cooking oil, water and fish sauces. We will also be giving out medications and whatever the damaged schools need such as tables, chairs, and school supplies for students. We will distribute food such as noodles and rice, assist the injured from the typhoon in getting treatments from the hospital, and help the schools damaged because of the typhoon. I will be in Vietnam from October 18th to October 30th. We are paying for our own expenses and I, Duc Dinh, guarantee that 100% of the money will go directly to the hands of those in needs. Not a single dollar will be used for personal purposes. If you donate after October 17th, my officers from LAH will send the funds to me in Vietnam.”
We’ve also included a letter drafted by Lend a Hend to be forwarded widely. For more information, please contact Duc Dinh at ducdinh@lendahandvyo.org
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Dear friends and family,
Thank you for your patience while Ketsana relief is quickly being pulled together within every moment across the country. Every email, phone call, tweet, facebook blast, etc. can make a difference in the lives of many.
Duc Dinh (ducdinh@lendahandvyo.org) from Lend A Hand and a team of folks will be making a trip to VIETNAM on October 19th to bring immediate relief to Ketsana victims in the area! We are asking folks to ask friends, family members, coworkers and everyone around them to make a donation to this effort. A PayPal account is officially hooked up to the site so folks can now make contributions EASILY and QUICKLY. JUST CLICK HERE TO MAKE A DONATION. By making a donation here, you can trust that it is a completely grassroots effort led by the Vietnamese community, monitored and distributed by the Vietnamese community to go directly to the victims in Vietnam–none of those shady Red Cross activities!
Attached are:
-Two letters you can use to formally ask for donations.
-A Powerpoint presentation prepared by Duc Dinh, where you can see more photos, stats about damage, and where you money will be going in relief distribution.
Our stories are never covered enough on CNN or U.S. News. Check these articles from Vietnamese News sites for more photos and info. Click the English Version in the top right corner:
http://www.vietnamnet.vn/xahoi/200910/Bon-dua-tre-mo-coi-sau-con-bao-oan-nghiet-871786/
http://vietnamnet.vn/xahoi/200910/99-nguoi-chet-vi-bao-so-9-thiet-hai-10000-ty-dong-871591/
http://sbtn.net/default.aspx?LangID=38&tabId=193&ArticleID=42300&Page=1
http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2009/09/typhoon_ketsana_ondoy.html
Thank you for your support! Please help us reach as many people as possible by sharing and forwarding this information. Every dollar helps. Every moment counts. Please donate today.
DONATE HERE
Thank you,
(sign your name here)
–
Mindy Chu
uNAVSA Council of Regional Representatives, Northeast Region
