Nepal Earthquake Relief Fundraiser
“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’”
– Martin Luther King Jr.
Stories of the April 25th and May 12th earthquakes occurring in Nepal have flooded the news over these past few weeks. Tragedy has been everywhere we look and the blatant needs in Nepal are obvious and unavoidable.
“More than 8,500 people have died as a result of the back-to-back earthquakes” (Time Magazine).
The death toll continues to rise and daily more and more homes crumble. The Nepalese people are in need of urgent help. So the question to be posed is, who will help them?
For me, the answer is simple. It is all of our responsibility, as human beings, to stretch out a helping hand to the rest of human kind. It is so easy to see tragedy and feel empathetic; however, when the pictures on the TV screen turn to other news, so goes our concern with it. I am guilty of doing this as well. However, in this face of tragedy, I am reminded that:
No man is an island,
Entire of itself,
Every man is a piece of the continent,
A part of the main.
If a clod be washed away by the sea,
Europe is the less.
As well as if a promontory were.
As well as if a manor of thy friend’s
Or of thine own were:
Any man’s death diminishes me,
Because I am involved in mankind,
And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls;
It tolls for thee.
John Donne
If indeed any other human beings suffering affects me, diminishes me, then what am I doing to help those in need? How am I being ‘involved in mankind’? When I see a need, do I passively observe, or do I do whatever I can, even something small, to get involved and help?
This question was considered by some amazingly talented musicians in Toronto, working with Small World Music Centre, to create an unforgettable evening of music on May 25th to raise funds for Nepal earthquake relief. The concert begins at 8pm and is being held at the Small World Music Centre.
Featured artists are: Autorickshaw, FreePlay Duo, Vandana Vishwas, Bandana Singh, Amely Zhou 周嘉麗, Dorjee Tsering, Justin Gray, Debashis Sinha, Pushpa Raj Acharya, Sheniz Janmohamed, and Anand Rajaram.
These talented artists are donating their time and energy to present a ‘pan-Asian program of superb sounds,’ and through the creation of exceptional music, they hope to provide a glimmer of hope through musical solace, a wonderful act of humanitarianism, and provide a platform through which to raise much needed funds for Nepal.
All proceeds will go to the UNICEF Canada Nepal Fund, providing emergency healthcare in Nepal’s hardest hit regions and all donations will be 100% matched by the Government of Canada.
Why not support this wonderful night of music for a most worthy cause?
You can find more info at:
https://www.facebook.com/events/1595633127390229/
http://smallworldmusic.com/small-world-music-centre-shows/
“The power of human empathy, leading to collective action, saves lives, and frees prisoners. Ordinary people, whose personal well-being and security are assured, join together in huge numbers to save people they do not know, and will never meet….Unlike any other creature on this planet, humans can learn and understand, without having experienced. They can think themselves into other people’s places….We do not need magic to change the world, we carry all the power we need inside ourselves already: we have the power to imagine better.”
– J.K. Rowling
