Opportunities for pro bono work, charitable contributions, ethnic minority aid, handicapped aid, awareness raising activities
Throughout her professional life, the Founder has carried out pro bono work and assisted an ethnic minority charity assisting women, children and the handicapped in particular. She has become increasingly concerned with the link between traditional positive values and modern living and has edited various Sanskrit and Vedic origin texts in the area of health, yoga, the environment and lifestyle: see Adhyatmik Foundation at www.adhyatmik.org.
Wherever possible, awareness raising activities are carried out and support is given by Women in Law International to highlight the work of the Foundation and to offer practical support to project activities, including ongoing humanitarian relief including:
Women in Law International is also developing alliances and appropriate activities through the Women in Law Foundation. Please Contact Us to find out how to help.
Uttarakhand Disaster June 2013 – Himalayan Region of India
Kendarnath Temple, situated at an elevation of 3,584 meters in the Uttarakhand region of the Himalayas – around 140 miles north of Rishikesh – has been affected by a series of flash flood disasters according to ongoing media reports. Kendarnath is a 1000-year-old shrine and of profound spiritual significance: around 5000 pilgrims a day visit. The June 2013 floods hit two weeks early, before the expected monsoon rains, and many visiting pilgrims have been trapped in the area and are still unaccounted for.
It has been estimated that over 50,000 people remain trapped in and around the area: evidently while some 150 people have been reported to have perished in the Uttarakhand floods, officials say they expect the death toll to eventually reach several thousand. Many parts of the state where people are stranded remain inaccessible. Kedarnath – the epicenter of the devastation – remains almost impossible to reach. Bad weather has washed away highways and has prevented military helicopters from landing here. While the Army, Air Force and paramilitary forces have been reported to have so far evacuated some 13,000 people stranded in the area, nearly 62,000 people remain cut off.
For the stranded people there, after several days of inaccessibility, there is no food, no water, no gas, no electricity, no fuel – and assistance remains remote. Moreover, those rescued have lost everything and the need for humanitarian support is very urgent, especially in view of the growing numbers affected and the rising related tension.
We are contributing to the relief and rehabilitation efforts required in every way practical. We are closely connected with this region and are also in contact with a view to assist with training the local people to deal with the stress caused by such disasters and to learn to live with nature in a more sustainable manner. Dr. Spedding is traveling to India to assist with post-disaster relief by interacting directly with local leaders to deal with this crisis and avoid future tragedies. This and other “natural” disasters are exacerbated by environmental assaults such as deforestation, thus their impact can be minimized by respecting and coexisting with nature.
Your support will enhance our relief efforts to provide:
Thailand Flooding
Floodwaters swept across 60 of Thailand’s 77 provinces and rains lashed the country incessantly over three months. Floods reached levels that threatened to overwhelm the carefully built barriers protecting the more than 10 million inhabitants of the capital of Bangkok. 2.5 million people were affected or displaced by the floods and the death toll exceeded four hundred. Homes were submerged, floodwater ran through entire towns and approximately sixty thousand families were displaced.
Japan Relief
The 9.0 earthquake that hit Japan on March 11th 2011 generated a fierce tsunami that crashed into Japan’s east coast, bringing horrendous devastation in its wake. Thousands of people died and many more were injured. Tens of thousands were left homeless, without food or clean water or heat in freezing temperatures. Most of us can only imagine such a desperate situation. Additionally, there was the major environmental and health threat from the damaged nuclear reactors.
Haiti Earthquake Relief
The strongest earthquake in Haiti in over 200 years, measuring 7.0 on the Richter scale, hit the impoverished Caribbean nation on 12 January 2010 at 4.53 p.m. (local time). The earthquake struck Ouest Province (population 2.2 million), with the epicentre about 17km southwest of Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince. Nearby cities, Carrefour and Jacmel, along with other areas to the west and south of Port-au-Prince, were affected. Powerful aftershocks shook this extremely poor country where many buildings are flimsy. Millions of people whose homes were destroyed have been living in sprawling tented camps for over a year under conditions that are unhygienic, even squalid. Infrastructure damage – such as damaged or destroyed roads, bridges, water systems, and electrical and communications systems – will inevitably affect the speed and scale of the relief effort. The casualties sustained by civil servants and the damage to public buildings and services have significantly reduced the capacity of national authorities to lead and coordinate the response. NGOs and other agencies have stepped in to help rebuild the countries basic services and structures but there is still an enormous amount of work to be done to bring stability back to Haiti and its people.
2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami
The 2004 Sumatra-Andaman underwater earthquake, which was the third largest recorded earthquake in history, occurred on Sunday, 26 December 2004. The resulting tsunami killed over 230,000 people in fourteen countries. It inundated coastal communities with waves up to 30 meters (98 ft) high and was one of the deadliest natural disasters ever recorded. Indonesia was the hardest-hit country, followed by Sri Lanka, India, and Thailand. The disaster prompted a worldwide humanitarian response in which the worldwide community donated more than $14 billion (2004 US$) in humanitarian aid.
Throughout her professional life, the Founder has carried out pro bono work and assisted an ethnic minority charity assisting women, children and the handicapped in particular. She has become increasingly concerned with the link between traditional positive values and modern living and has edited various Sanskrit and Vedic origin texts in the area of health, yoga, the environment and lifestyle: see Adhyatmik Foundation at www.adhyatmik.org.
Wherever possible, awareness raising activities are carried out and support is given by Women in Law International to highlight the work of the Foundation and to offer practical support to project activities, including ongoing humanitarian relief including:
- Uttarakhand Disaster June 2013 – Himalayan Region of India
- Thailand Flooding
- Japan Relief
- Haiti Earthquake Relief
- 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami
Women in Law International is also developing alliances and appropriate activities through the Women in Law Foundation. Please Contact Us to find out how to help.
Uttarakhand Disaster June 2013 – Himalayan Region of India
Kendarnath Temple, situated at an elevation of 3,584 meters in the Uttarakhand region of the Himalayas – around 140 miles north of Rishikesh – has been affected by a series of flash flood disasters according to ongoing media reports. Kendarnath is a 1000-year-old shrine and of profound spiritual significance: around 5000 pilgrims a day visit. The June 2013 floods hit two weeks early, before the expected monsoon rains, and many visiting pilgrims have been trapped in the area and are still unaccounted for.
It has been estimated that over 50,000 people remain trapped in and around the area: evidently while some 150 people have been reported to have perished in the Uttarakhand floods, officials say they expect the death toll to eventually reach several thousand. Many parts of the state where people are stranded remain inaccessible. Kedarnath – the epicenter of the devastation – remains almost impossible to reach. Bad weather has washed away highways and has prevented military helicopters from landing here. While the Army, Air Force and paramilitary forces have been reported to have so far evacuated some 13,000 people stranded in the area, nearly 62,000 people remain cut off.
For the stranded people there, after several days of inaccessibility, there is no food, no water, no gas, no electricity, no fuel – and assistance remains remote. Moreover, those rescued have lost everything and the need for humanitarian support is very urgent, especially in view of the growing numbers affected and the rising related tension.
We are contributing to the relief and rehabilitation efforts required in every way practical. We are closely connected with this region and are also in contact with a view to assist with training the local people to deal with the stress caused by such disasters and to learn to live with nature in a more sustainable manner. Dr. Spedding is traveling to India to assist with post-disaster relief by interacting directly with local leaders to deal with this crisis and avoid future tragedies. This and other “natural” disasters are exacerbated by environmental assaults such as deforestation, thus their impact can be minimized by respecting and coexisting with nature.
Your support will enhance our relief efforts to provide:
- drinking water/purifiers
- food;
- blankets and clothing;
- medical supplies;
- temporary shelters and/or relocation for the homeless
Thailand Flooding
Floodwaters swept across 60 of Thailand’s 77 provinces and rains lashed the country incessantly over three months. Floods reached levels that threatened to overwhelm the carefully built barriers protecting the more than 10 million inhabitants of the capital of Bangkok. 2.5 million people were affected or displaced by the floods and the death toll exceeded four hundred. Homes were submerged, floodwater ran through entire towns and approximately sixty thousand families were displaced.
Japan Relief
The 9.0 earthquake that hit Japan on March 11th 2011 generated a fierce tsunami that crashed into Japan’s east coast, bringing horrendous devastation in its wake. Thousands of people died and many more were injured. Tens of thousands were left homeless, without food or clean water or heat in freezing temperatures. Most of us can only imagine such a desperate situation. Additionally, there was the major environmental and health threat from the damaged nuclear reactors.
Haiti Earthquake Relief
The strongest earthquake in Haiti in over 200 years, measuring 7.0 on the Richter scale, hit the impoverished Caribbean nation on 12 January 2010 at 4.53 p.m. (local time). The earthquake struck Ouest Province (population 2.2 million), with the epicentre about 17km southwest of Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince. Nearby cities, Carrefour and Jacmel, along with other areas to the west and south of Port-au-Prince, were affected. Powerful aftershocks shook this extremely poor country where many buildings are flimsy. Millions of people whose homes were destroyed have been living in sprawling tented camps for over a year under conditions that are unhygienic, even squalid. Infrastructure damage – such as damaged or destroyed roads, bridges, water systems, and electrical and communications systems – will inevitably affect the speed and scale of the relief effort. The casualties sustained by civil servants and the damage to public buildings and services have significantly reduced the capacity of national authorities to lead and coordinate the response. NGOs and other agencies have stepped in to help rebuild the countries basic services and structures but there is still an enormous amount of work to be done to bring stability back to Haiti and its people.
2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami
The 2004 Sumatra-Andaman underwater earthquake, which was the third largest recorded earthquake in history, occurred on Sunday, 26 December 2004. The resulting tsunami killed over 230,000 people in fourteen countries. It inundated coastal communities with waves up to 30 meters (98 ft) high and was one of the deadliest natural disasters ever recorded. Indonesia was the hardest-hit country, followed by Sri Lanka, India, and Thailand. The disaster prompted a worldwide humanitarian response in which the worldwide community donated more than $14 billion (2004 US$) in humanitarian aid.
