EcoWorldly

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Despite being banned by the government of Burma (also Myanmar), Google has said that it will donate up to $1 million USD to assist victims of Cyclone Nargis.

Google has offered to match donations made to UNICEF and Direct Relief International for all donations made at Google’s Support disaster relief in Myanmar page, up to one million dollars.

Internet users in Burma reported that access to Google and Gmail had been blocked by the strict military junta governing the country in the summer of 2006. By this time, Yahoo and Hotmail had already made the censored IT blacklist.

Go to Google in Burma and you’ll get: “Error Number 1045 Access Denied.”

The ban, of course, was put in place before the government crackdowns on popular uprisings that left many dead or imprisoned. Some of the last words to leave Burma were from observers there who described nighttime kidnapping raids on the homes of Buddhist monks. The monks were involved in the popular uprisings against the government. On mornings after a raid, only blood would be found in the empty house.

Since the crackdowns, the flow of photos and information from Burma has all but completely stopped. No information gets in. None gets out. A political black hole where a country used to be.

While we all like to see our donations doubled, giving to cyclone relief through Google is, of course, only one way to go. For more ways to help those affected by the cyclone in Burma, see this list of organizations accepting donations and possibly volunteers.

If you feel less than comfortable sending money into a country whose government would ban and obstruct the same groups trying to help its people, consider that you can also donate money directly to Buddhist monks in Burma. During the crackdown, the monks were the most visible targets of government brutality. Avaaz.org donates money directly to the International Burmese Monk Association, which will use the money to provide grassroots support to cyclone victims. Visit the site for a video from the U. Uttara, the General Secretary of the Burmese organization.

Lastly, for those wondering why all this is on a site otherwise dedicated to the environment, it’s a good question. In response, consider that most people tend to prioritize the environment after their immediate wellbeing and that of their family. (Unless you’ve chosen to live in a tree, in which case wellbeing is relative. But that’s a different story.) Only after these immediate needs for safety and wellbeing are met will the majority of people take action to help the planet. So lend a hand and hopefully you’ll get a helping hand in return.