EARTHWARD
Trouble with the Neighbors
Turn your vision earthward -
'Tis we must lend
a hand.
In our overcrowded world, it is not uncommon to have neighbors who, at times, may try our patience. Perhaps they party 'til the wee hours of the morning, or turn their dogs loose to fertilize our lawns. Most of us, however, probably have little cause for concern that our neighbors might attack our home and attempt to lynch us and burn us alive.
That is exactly what happened to the Kasali* family in
February
2007. A
mob of Christian youths from their village in Nigeria, who had somehow
come to the conclusion that the Kasalis* were witches, descended upon
their
home, destroying everything in their path, and beat Mr. Kasali*
severely on
the head. If not for prompt intervention by the traditional ruler of the village (who is coincidentally the Chair of our affiliate, Nigerian Humanist Movement) and local police, the family's school-age children would undoubtedly now be orphans. The mob had intended to hang the parents, and burn them with gasoline and rubber tires. Though the Kasalis* narrowly escaped death, their family now faces a serious threat to their livelihood. Mr. Kasali* has had to discontinue his regular work, due to his injuries and the need to make emergency repairs to the roof of his house, which was seriously damaged in the attack. So far, the family has barely survived by selling fruit from trees on their property. Unfortunately, most of those trees were also destroyed by the attackers.
With your help, we would like to help this family recover their losses, and resume a normal and self-sufficient life. Please contribute to the Kasalis* recovery if you can. For the duration of the project to restore the Kasali* family to self-sufficiency, they will have priority for any donations you make to our Nigeria Fund. If donations exceed the amount needed by this family, second priority will be for other families and individuals, in Africa, facing similar circumstances. To make a secure online donation, please select your preferred currency, enter the amount of your donation, and click the "Nigeria Fund" button, below.
Update January 17, 2008:
Though logistical problems prevented us from getting aid to the Kasalis* as quickly as we would have liked, our Nigerian affiliate has delivered to them funds provided by EARTHWARD, in the amount of $50. The photo below shows Leo Igwe (right), of the Nigerian Humanist Movement presenting the funds to the Kasalis* (center). It is our understanding that the family is no longer in need of help, and we are therefore concluding this project. Per Mr. Igwe, "Currently they are doing fine; I can say that they have recovered from the ordeal and have started living normal lives. Of course they never expected any help from anywhere. AND THAT'S WHAT MAKES EARTHWARD's mission and intervention very important, especially in Africa. So they were excited and grateful to earthward for the support."
Mr. Igwe and NHM have played a vital role in this and other projects in the region, by bringing worthy and relevant causes to our attention, investigating further details as needed, and serving as a communication and aid distribution channel to victims. We greatly appreciate their admirable work.
In that this project is concluded, further donations to the Nigeria fund will not be directed to the Kasalis*. They will be used, however, for Nigerian children under similar circumstances. To make a donation please select your preferred currency, enter the amount, and click the Nigeria Fund button below.
You may also choose to donate to our General Fund, which we may use for whatever project we deem most urgent, or for general operational expenses, such as domain name registration, etc. To do so, please select your preferred currency, enter the amount of your donation, and click the button below.