Update 2: Anime and Manga Bloggers For Japan has moved to it’s own site! You can find more information about that development in my latest post. The next bit of great news is that we’ve raised over $1000 in 24 hours! I am so proud of you guys and your generosity. Thanks to your contributions, the aid being given to the Japanese people will continue and our charities will have more funds at the ready to give earthquake and tsunami victims more help.
Update: The good news is we now have banners if you would like to use those in your posts or in your ad spaces. Just scroll down to the end of the post to see them. The great news is that we’ve raised over $600 in less than 24 hours. Thank you to everyone who’s contributed! Together we can help those affected by the quakes and tsunamis!
Hi everyone,
Horrible news about Japan has been plaguing my Twitter and news feeds since the first earthquakes and tsunamis struck Japan on Thursday. It has been weighing heavily on my mind and I’m longing to do more.
There are already plenty of ways to give to the Japanese people and I’ve already posted on ways you can make a donation, but the fact of the matter is that only $12 million has been donated in the past four-five days since the quakes, far less than Haiti’s earthquake last year and after Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
Of course, Japan has a lot more money than Haiti and much better infrastructure to rebuild. But they are still facing an incredible amount of problems before they can even begin to hammer the first nail in. There are still thousands of people missing, hundreds of thousands displaced and more debris to be cleared that can even be estimated at the present time. Roads leading to the most affected areas are severely damaged, which means aid cannot easily reach these people. Food is in short supply and so are basic necessities and medical supplies because the roads are so badly damaged. There are still rescue teams attempting to find survivors and victims, with many places beginning to run out of body bags to store the dead in. Before any of the wreckage is cleared, Japan must take care of these matters, and that’s where we can begin to help.
I’ve chosen two charities to raise $1000 or more for: Doctors Without Borders and ShelterBox. Doctors Without Borders is already on the ground in Japan giving people medical attention and access to basic medical supplies. This is especially important as many local hospitals, clinics and practices have been wiped out by the disasters or are already taxed trying to help as many survivors as possible. Without the help of doctors, survivors could suffer from dehydration, malnutrition, infections from injuries and many illnesses stemming from bad water supplies. With their help, the survivors will be able to get back on their feet faster so that they can rebuild their homes. ShelterBox is 24 hours away, from this posting, from arriving in Japan and bringing their boxes full of tents, warm clothing, blankets, cooking supplies, water filtration systems and more to the affected areas. (More what’s inside a ShelterBox on Gizmodo.) The people of Japan will need these basic items to begin their lives anew, as well as keep healthy and warm. I feel that these are currently two of the best ways to give the Japanese people what they need in this time of crisis, barring the ability to bring these items directly to Japan ourselves.
You may be reluctant to give, perhaps you’ve already texted $10 to the Red Cross to help quake and tsunami victims, maybe you just have a tight budget this month, but if you can manage another $10-30 out of your anime and manga spending budget this month, we can give back to the country that has provided us with our favorite hobbies and forms of entertainment. If you love anime and manga, Japanese music, Japanese figures or any thing else that can only be found in Japan, you probably feel the same kind of affinity for Japan that I’m referring to. These are things that have given people all over the world not just vibrant art and storytelling, but a look into a fascinating culture. While the areas most affected by the natural disasters are not the centers of anime and manga production, there is no doubt that many in the industry are from these cities and villages or have family there. There’s a chance that, one day, a famous creator will rise from these survivors and show us his or her unique perspective. By giving money to the relief efforts, we are not only helping others out of the goodness of our hearts, but we are giving back to a people who have brought us joy. I certainly feel like I owe a meaningful chunk of good things in my life to Japan, so if you feel the same way, I would like to encourage you to donate any amount possible.
Below, I have set up two pages to track our fundraising efforts
Donate to Doctors Without Borders.
Donate to ShelterBox.
While it would be awesome if All About Manga could raise $2000 on it’s own, but I certainly can’t do this alone! It would be great if you could also help me spread the word about Anime and Manga Bloggers for Japan. You don’t have to be a blogger to participate. Here’s what you can do after you donate:
-If you have a blog, join me and the other bloggers participating in Anime and Manga Bloggers for Japan. You can write a post explaining why you’ve chosen to participate and why you think it’s important to give to Japan relief efforts or you can just link back to this blog post or the donation pages.
-Tweet, tumble, facebook, e-mail, digg or do whatever you can to spread the word about Anime and Manga Bloggers for Japan to your friends. The more people who see this post or the donation pages, the more money we’ll be able to raise for relief efforts in Japan.
-Keep talking about Japan! The damage caused by the quakes and tsunamis will not go away in a few days or even a few weeks or months. It’s safe to say that it could take a few years for Japan to fully recover. And no wonder, the quake was big enough to move Honshu 8 whole feet and change the earth’s axis by seventeen centimeters. The tsunami has now permanently altered Japan’s shorelines. This was no small world event and it won’t end once the mainstream media’s interest turns elsewhere. Even as our minds focus on other issues, we must remember that the people of Japan are still recovering.
This post will be updated as other bloggers link to this blog. Let me know if you’re planning to post or contribute in other ways!
Participating Blogs:
Linda Yau at animemiz’s scribblings
David Welsh at Manga Curmudgeon
Melinda Beasi at Manga Bookshelf
Brigid Alverson at MangaBlog
Mikey at One Piece at a Time
D. Merrill at Let’s Anime
Jason Yadao at Otaku Ohana
Humberto Saabedra at AnimeNews.biz
Kathryn Hemmann at Contemporary Japanese Literature
Kara Conner at Karaconner.com
Mike Ferreira at Anime Herald
ANNCast at Anime News Network
Mike Olivarez at The Wandering Kaijyu
Evan Minto at Ani-Gamers
jlskun at The Golden Waste 4.0
CRO at Mama Reads Manga
Pop Japan Travel on Facebook
Update: We also have some banners that have been made up by Michael Huang of Anime Diet. A big hand to Michael as he’s bought a domain for Anime & Manga Bloggers for Japan and will be creating a separate site for this fundraiser!
360 px wide
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Thank you so much for your help and kindness to the survivors of Japan’s devastating natural disasters.
-Daniella Orihuela-Gruber
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