for japan, and for everywhere

[rivendellrose]

Doctors Without Borders / MSF's current news from the field in Japan.

Particularly for Japan because, hell, I've been there, I have friends who live there. More than anything, I remember how absolutely kind and understanding everyone in Japan was, from the waiters and baristas and shopkeepers and hostel and museum staff who very kindly put up with my six-word vocabulary and probably-abominable accent, to the old woman who was absolutely determined to make me understand that someone had refilled the teapot I'd just found to be empty (after asking if I spoke Japanese and receiving a negative answer she made a little huff and just grabbed my elbow and led me over to it to show me) to the security guard at Narita airport who made sure that I actually got to my flight home (the gate had changed, and I was utterly lost) - everybody we met in Japan was wonderful, polite, and patient. Nobody deserves the stuff we're seeing out of Sendai the last few days, but this one does hurt me particularly, I admit, because I remember how wonderful Japan was to me.

More links about how to help Japan via the Huffington Post.

Note: Doctors Without Borders / MSF is always my choice for giving in times of disaster, largely because I'm leery of the fact that a lot of relief organizations are (overtly or covertly) faith-based - that doesn't necessarily mean anything about whether or not they're giving fairly at the right times in the right places (I think most of them are), but as a person who is not Christian, I feel like it's my duty to try to help out the alternative organizations, if only because I think people need to know that it's not just Christian groups who want to do good things and help the world. More about Doctors Without Borders / MSF, who they are and what they do. As always, what works for me might not be what works for you - there's plenty of options.