Donate in Response to Disaster

How UUSC Responds to Humanitarian Crises

Listed below are disaster relief appeals for which UUSC is currently taking donations.

Cyclone Nargis (Myanmar) Relief

Kenya Crisis

South Asia Earthquake

Hurricane Katrina

Indian Ocean Tsunami

Darfur

Iraq

UUSC responds strategically to disaster situations where human rights are threatened, focusing on the rights of marginalized and oppressed people. We work with the understanding that disasters, be they wars or hurricanes, tend to hurt most those who are already marginalized in society.

In times of disaster, our members and supporters look to us to provide leadership and an effective relief response that reflects the values underlying universal human rights, such as the equality and dignity of all people.

Because local responders are usually the first and best responders after disaster, UUSC works in close partnership with like-minded local organizations already working on the ground. Their firsthand knowledge of their communities enhances their ability to assist and support people in crisis, particularly marginalized groups, such as minorities, who are often left behind by traditional relief efforts.

After large-scale disasters, such as Hurricane Katrina and the Indian Ocean tsunami, UUSC and the Unitarian Universalist Association launch a joint appeal for humanitarian relief donations. Together, we have directed millions of dollars of relief aid towards disaster-affected communities in the United States and around the world.

UUSC's Current Disaster Relief Appeals

Fixing vs. Empowering

As a longtime employee of UUSC's Institutional Advancement Department (read "fundraising") at UUSC, I've been asked many times to clarify the nature of our work and how it's funded, especially when it comes to our humanitarian relief work. In a time of humanitarian crisis, such as the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami or the 2005 earthquake in Pakistan, people wonder why they should donate to UUSC over, say, the Red Cross or Oxfam or any one of a number of charities providing direct aid to people around the world.

I tell them that if they want their money to be used immediately, they should donate elsewhere. There are many organizations out there that are ready to swoop into a disaster area on short notice to manage immediate relief efforts. However, if donors want their money to be thoughtfully granted to grassroots groups located in areas of great need and administered by program officers sensitive to the needs and concerns of the local people in ways that promote longterm solutions to issues faced by marginalized populations, then they should give to UUSC.

—Laurie Brunner, UUSC Prospect Research Assistant

Excerpted from her blog post "Fixing vs. Empowering"

Listed below are disaster relief appeals for which UUSC is currently taking donations.

Cyclone Nargis (Myanmar) Relief
Kenya Crisis
South Asia Earthquake
Hurricane Katrina
Indian Ocean Tsunami
Darfur
Iraq

Cyclone Nargis (Myanmar) Relief

Humanitarian aid for survivors of cyclone that struck Myanmar in May 2008. Read more about UUSC's work responding to the Cyclone Nargis.

Click to donate online using a credit card.
To phone in your credit card donation, call 800-766-5236.
To donate by check, please make it payable to "UUSC-UUA Cyclone Nargis Relief Fund" and mail it to:

UUSC-UUA Cyclone Nargis Relief Fund
P.O. Box 849164
Boston, MA 02284-9164

Kenya Crisis

Humanitarian aid to help Kenyans recover from post-December 2007 political crisis. Read more about UUSC's work responding to the crisis in Kenya.

Click to donate online using a credit card.
To phone in your credit card donation, call 800-766-5236.
To donate by check, please make it payable to "UUSC-UUA Kenya Crisis Fund" and mail it to:

UUSC-UUA Kenya Crisis Relief Fund
P.O. Box 849164
Boston, MA 02284-9164

South Asia Earthquake Relief

Humanitarian aid for survivors of the earthquake in Pakistan, Kashmir, Afghanistan, and India.

Click to donate online using a credit card.
To phone in your credit card donation, call 800-766-5236.
To donate by check, please make it payable to "UUSC-UUA South Asia Earthquake Relief Fund" and mail it to:

UUSC-UUA South Asia Earthquake Relief Fund
P.O. Box 849164
Boston, MA 02284-9164

Hurricane Katrina Relief

Humanitarian aid for survivors of Hurricane Katrina in the U.S. Gulf Coast region. Read more about UUSC's work in the Gulf Coast.

Visit the UUA website to make an online donation using a credit card.
To donate by check, please make it payable to "UUA-UUSC Gulf Coast Volunteer Program" and mail it to:

Unitarian Universalist Association
P.O. Box 55019
Boston, MA 02205-8253

Indian Ocean Tsunami Relief

Humanitarian aid to earthquake/tsunami survivors in India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka. Read more about UUSC's work responding to the tsunami.

Click to donate online using a credit card.
To phone in your credit card donation, call 800-766-5236.
To donate by check, please make it payable to "UUSC-UUA Tsunami Relief Fund" and mail it to:

UUSC-UUA Tsunami Relief Fund
P.O. Box 849164
Boston, MA 02284-9164

Darfur Relief

Humanitarian aid to refugees from and internally displaced people in the Darfur region of Sudan. Read more about UUSC's work responding to genocide in Darfur.

Click to donate online using a credit card.
To phone in your credit card donation, call 800-766-5236.
To donate by check, please make it payable to "Darfur Relief Fund" and mail it to:

Darfur Relief Fund
Unitarian Universalist Service Committee
P.O. Box 849164
Boston, MA 02284-9164

Iraq Relief

Humanitarian aid for post-war Iraq.

Click to donate online using a credit card.
To phone in your credit card donation, call 800-766-5236.
To donate by check, please make it payable to "Iraq Relief Fund" and mail it to:

Iraq Relief Fund
Unitarian Universalist Service Committee
P.O. Box 849164
Boston, MA 02284-9164

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