September Campaign for Disaster Relief
This campaign is now ended. Thanks to your love and generosity, we raised a total of €784 EUR ($926 USD / £670 GBP) to support @maisonchance and @womenforwomen.
Between Aug 27 and September 10th, you can give back to others while also treating yourself. Up to 100% of sales from selected Literary Lip Balm products will be donated to support non-profit organisations that provide humanitarian assistance to women and disadvantaged people in Afghanistan and Vietnam:
- Emergency Support for Afghan Women: Women for Women International supports women in war and conflict zones. They are currently working to assist with evacuations of women's right activists, secure visas, provide women with solar powered phones, and give referrals to psychosocial supports. Classes are suspended due to safety, but will resume once it is safe to do so.
- 9000 Meals (Ho Chi Minh City): The rising cases in Vietnam, where vaccination rates are less than 3%, has led to a month long lockdown in Ho Chi Minh City. Many people have no way to earn money, no savings to buy essentials and some can't even leave their homes to buy food. Maison Chance Vietnam hopes to raise funds for 9000 meals for disadvantaged people. One meal is 20,000 VND (€0.75 EUR).
The proceeds will be equally divided between the two charities and all processing fees will be covered by Literary Lip Balms. The donations will be made by the end of September 2021 and an update will be posted on our social media and newsletter.
Important: If you use reward points / discount codes, the amount subtracted will not be donated. Only the actual amount you pay will go to the charities. We will post an update on social media and our next newsletter once the donations have been made.
Click here to shop eligible products
Why these charities?
As an expat and a second generation Vietnamese immigrant, the current situation in Vietnam and Afghanistan hits very close to home for me. My parents were both the oldest of their siblings, and the first from their families to go abroad as refugees. They left Vietnam in the 1980s by boat like thousands of others, hoping for a better life without knowing where they would end up.
In Norway, I was able to grow up in a safe environment with a free educational system. I never had to feel the hunger, poverty or fear for my life that some older generations in my family went through. In Ireland, I have been welcomed with open arms, and received support from my community and the government to grow Literary Lip Balms to where it is today. Throughout my life, I have been aware of my privilege and thankful for it.
In Afghanistan, the distress and despair of Afghan people can be seen and felt through harrowing images and reports from the ongoing evacuation. The impact of current events will be felt for a very long time - not months, not years, but decades. Long after it has ceased to be front page news, the trauma of what is happening right now will affect both the Afghan people who have left their homes and the people who stay behind, and the generation that comes after.
Some Western media has compared the situation in Afghanistan with the fall of Saigon after the Vietnam war. Few report, however, on the current situation in Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon). On Monday this week, military troops were deployed to enforce a strict lockdown that will last until September 15. A large amount of people have lost their income from the pandemic, and lack savings and access to proper support systems. Many cannot even leave their homes and have to rely on the military to deliver food.
A donation to these charities may help provide relief to women and families who desperately need them, and who do not have access to things that we may take for granted.
- Vy xx
Links:
What explains Vietnam's Current COVID-19 struggles? https://thediplomat.com/2021/06/what-explains-vietnams-current-covid-19-struggles/
https://www.voanews.com/covid-19-pandemic/vietnam-faces-risk-interruption-vaccination-campaign
https://www.womenforwomen.org/our-afghanistan-response
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/aug/22/p-was-always-fitful-many-afghan-women-felt-unsafe-before-the-talibans-arrival
1 comment
This is simply beautiful Vy. In a way, I felt like saying thank you for standing up and narrating your own story. Supporting you and your journey always. ❤️