Help Bolivians survive Amazon Fires
Donation protected
Otuquis National Park while on Fire Aug. 26th 2019
How Otuquis National Park looks on August 27th 2019:
Our brave firefighter praying before his outnumbered mission against fires:
How our Amazonas is looking now:
Bolivians defending their land with the only tools they have - water bottles:
It is with a desperate heart that I ask for you to aid, in any way possible, to the situation occurring now in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia. The eastern Amazonas tropical area of the country has been suffering constant fires for more than 20 days. Our tropical savannas and rainforest are burning completely in an approximate rate of one football stadium per minute. As of today, more than 5.2 Million acres (as of 9/1/2019) have been burnt destroying 50 indigenous communities and more than 500 species of flora and fauna unique in the world. The fires are estimated to double this upcoming week of September as the winds will be stronger.
Unfortunately, due to our poverty, Bolivia usually goes unnoticed, as people around the world know little about our country. Therefore, despite 3 weeks of constant flames, some global news have discussed the situation in the Amazonas in Brazil, but have completely forgotten to cover Bolivia. In addition, our government legalized “controlled fires” for deforestation in July 2019 to promote exports of crops and the beef industry. Unfortunately, the controlled fires from ranchers got out of control. Therefore, our government has avoided declaring the country in a state of emergency and begging for international help as this could negatively affect their soon-to-be re-election results. These factors have affected our chances for people around the world to cover our news, and provide international help to Bolivia. This is why we are creating this GoFundMe fundraising from Houston, because we need to get help there ASAP since no one is coming to rescue Bolivia.
Bolivian citizens have been begging for international aid for days and have desperately shared multiple videos on social media in the hopes the situation and the #sosamazonasbolivia becomes viral so we can receive the aid needed.
The Bolivian government purchased a 15-day contract with the US Boeing 747 Supertanker to combat the fires. This airplane disperses fire retardant chemicals under high pressure to allow firefighters to enter the affected areas. Successful fire extinction can only be achieved once firefighters have done the groundwork of stirring the spark and ashes while tackling them with water. Without the firefighters’ work in the ground, fires can quickly reactivate. The issue? Bolivia does NOT count with the resources to carry these tasks. Our country doesn't have trained forest firefighters, nor the equipment, the aircraft or the proper attire to combat large fires. We only have few helicopters and light aircraft combating the 5.2 Million acres long fires. Our firefighter’s boots melt within the day and they have no other resources to change into. In the desperation of not enough means to combat the fires, civilians have travelled to the affected areas to volunteer to put out the fires themselves. Unfortunately, the lack of preparation has led to multiple civilians go missing in the fires, burned, injured or died of intoxication. Bolivians are willing to fight the fires to protect their land in regular clothing and no proper equipment, to the point of children putting out fires themselves while wearing flip-flops and using plastic water bottles as their tools for combat. It is hard to portray the desperation Bolivians are facing. We're asking international governments to aid Bolivians with the proper equipment and resources to actually have a fair chance of extinguishing these fires.
Unfortunately, the world has not realized yet this natural disaster does not only affect Bolivia. Environmental experts have confirmed this disaster will have significant environmental effects in the entire world. The Amazonas rainforest produces 20% of the oxygen supply in the world and these forests daily combat the effects of global warming. With most of the Amazonas burnt or currently in flames, in both Bolivia and Brazil, these burnt tropical rainforests will now start omitting CO2 instead of producing oxygen.
The lands currently burning in Bolivia had one-of-a-kind natural eco-systems in the world. These lands had the number one ranking in biodiversity in the world with unique wild animal species and plants. Unfortunately, our human kind will never be able to re-build these eco-systems and thus the need to extinguish these fires ASAP is critical.
Most of our country is breathing polluted air and our families are breathing this air even though they reside in the largest city of Bolivia, far away from our rainforests. This is why my team and I are contacting you for help. Any donation, petition to your local government for representation to send help will be greatly appreciated.
HOW WE WILL USE YOUR DONATIONS:
Donations will be handled by our organizer Maria Belen Via Reque to coordinate and fund local missions into the affected areas providing the following:
- Equipment for firefighters and volunteer firefighters (gloves, helmets, boots, protective eyewear, face masks and fire tools)
- Our team will also create personal items for firefighters as they have no place to shower in the jungle (toilet paper, wipes, toothbrush, canned food, change of underwear and basic shirts)
- Food and isotonic drinks for our heroes fighting the fires
- Medical supplies for Volunteer Doctors traveling to the areas
- Gasoline for Alas Chiquitanas Association which coordinates civilians using their private light aircraft volunteering to extinguish fires. They need funding everyday to operate their volunteering civilian missions
WE WILL BE AS TRANSPARENT AS POSSIBLE:
Please include your email for us to share with you every receipt for every purchase your donation will be going to. Since our government is not allowing international donations to pass customs or sending troops themselves, we will be allocating our donations to support local volunteer civilians to drive trucks with supplies into the affected areas. These civilians are friends of ours and affiliated with disaster aid associations spontaneously created to save our lands ASAP.
Please help us make a contribution and still help our beautiful Bolivian people and country, even if we are thousands of miles away. <3
Sincerely,
Maria Belen Via Reque (Organizer)
Sylvana Pacheco (Team Member)
Maria Fernanda Alvarez (Local Coordinator)
Maria Ingrid Gasser (Team Member)
Nathalia Jimenez (Local Coordinator)
Michelle Zupanich (Team Member)
Irasema Gonzalez (Team Member)
Kathya Mertens (Local Coordinator - Administration)
More pictures
Kids helping with the battle:
How Otuquis National Park looks on August 27th 2019:
Our brave firefighter praying before his outnumbered mission against fires:
How our Amazonas is looking now:
Bolivians defending their land with the only tools they have - water bottles:
It is with a desperate heart that I ask for you to aid, in any way possible, to the situation occurring now in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia. The eastern Amazonas tropical area of the country has been suffering constant fires for more than 20 days. Our tropical savannas and rainforest are burning completely in an approximate rate of one football stadium per minute. As of today, more than 5.2 Million acres (as of 9/1/2019) have been burnt destroying 50 indigenous communities and more than 500 species of flora and fauna unique in the world. The fires are estimated to double this upcoming week of September as the winds will be stronger.
Unfortunately, due to our poverty, Bolivia usually goes unnoticed, as people around the world know little about our country. Therefore, despite 3 weeks of constant flames, some global news have discussed the situation in the Amazonas in Brazil, but have completely forgotten to cover Bolivia. In addition, our government legalized “controlled fires” for deforestation in July 2019 to promote exports of crops and the beef industry. Unfortunately, the controlled fires from ranchers got out of control. Therefore, our government has avoided declaring the country in a state of emergency and begging for international help as this could negatively affect their soon-to-be re-election results. These factors have affected our chances for people around the world to cover our news, and provide international help to Bolivia. This is why we are creating this GoFundMe fundraising from Houston, because we need to get help there ASAP since no one is coming to rescue Bolivia.
Bolivian citizens have been begging for international aid for days and have desperately shared multiple videos on social media in the hopes the situation and the #sosamazonasbolivia becomes viral so we can receive the aid needed.
The Bolivian government purchased a 15-day contract with the US Boeing 747 Supertanker to combat the fires. This airplane disperses fire retardant chemicals under high pressure to allow firefighters to enter the affected areas. Successful fire extinction can only be achieved once firefighters have done the groundwork of stirring the spark and ashes while tackling them with water. Without the firefighters’ work in the ground, fires can quickly reactivate. The issue? Bolivia does NOT count with the resources to carry these tasks. Our country doesn't have trained forest firefighters, nor the equipment, the aircraft or the proper attire to combat large fires. We only have few helicopters and light aircraft combating the 5.2 Million acres long fires. Our firefighter’s boots melt within the day and they have no other resources to change into. In the desperation of not enough means to combat the fires, civilians have travelled to the affected areas to volunteer to put out the fires themselves. Unfortunately, the lack of preparation has led to multiple civilians go missing in the fires, burned, injured or died of intoxication. Bolivians are willing to fight the fires to protect their land in regular clothing and no proper equipment, to the point of children putting out fires themselves while wearing flip-flops and using plastic water bottles as their tools for combat. It is hard to portray the desperation Bolivians are facing. We're asking international governments to aid Bolivians with the proper equipment and resources to actually have a fair chance of extinguishing these fires.
Unfortunately, the world has not realized yet this natural disaster does not only affect Bolivia. Environmental experts have confirmed this disaster will have significant environmental effects in the entire world. The Amazonas rainforest produces 20% of the oxygen supply in the world and these forests daily combat the effects of global warming. With most of the Amazonas burnt or currently in flames, in both Bolivia and Brazil, these burnt tropical rainforests will now start omitting CO2 instead of producing oxygen.
The lands currently burning in Bolivia had one-of-a-kind natural eco-systems in the world. These lands had the number one ranking in biodiversity in the world with unique wild animal species and plants. Unfortunately, our human kind will never be able to re-build these eco-systems and thus the need to extinguish these fires ASAP is critical.
Most of our country is breathing polluted air and our families are breathing this air even though they reside in the largest city of Bolivia, far away from our rainforests. This is why my team and I are contacting you for help. Any donation, petition to your local government for representation to send help will be greatly appreciated.
HOW WE WILL USE YOUR DONATIONS:
Donations will be handled by our organizer Maria Belen Via Reque to coordinate and fund local missions into the affected areas providing the following:
- Equipment for firefighters and volunteer firefighters (gloves, helmets, boots, protective eyewear, face masks and fire tools)
- Our team will also create personal items for firefighters as they have no place to shower in the jungle (toilet paper, wipes, toothbrush, canned food, change of underwear and basic shirts)
- Food and isotonic drinks for our heroes fighting the fires
- Medical supplies for Volunteer Doctors traveling to the areas
- Gasoline for Alas Chiquitanas Association which coordinates civilians using their private light aircraft volunteering to extinguish fires. They need funding everyday to operate their volunteering civilian missions
WE WILL BE AS TRANSPARENT AS POSSIBLE:
Please include your email for us to share with you every receipt for every purchase your donation will be going to. Since our government is not allowing international donations to pass customs or sending troops themselves, we will be allocating our donations to support local volunteer civilians to drive trucks with supplies into the affected areas. These civilians are friends of ours and affiliated with disaster aid associations spontaneously created to save our lands ASAP.
Please help us make a contribution and still help our beautiful Bolivian people and country, even if we are thousands of miles away. <3
Sincerely,
Maria Belen Via Reque (Organizer)
Sylvana Pacheco (Team Member)
Maria Fernanda Alvarez (Local Coordinator)
Maria Ingrid Gasser (Team Member)
Nathalia Jimenez (Local Coordinator)
Michelle Zupanich (Team Member)
Irasema Gonzalez (Team Member)
Kathya Mertens (Local Coordinator - Administration)
More pictures
Kids helping with the battle:
Fundraising team: Houstonians helping Bolivia (7)
Maria Belen VR
Organizer
Houston, TX
Michelle Zupancich
Team member
Irasema Gonzalez
Team member
Kathya Mertens
Team member
Paula Basswerner
Team member
