What started as a casual conversation over coffee turned into an event that raised $106,000 for Rohingya refugees.
After finding out about the Rohingya refugee crisis online, two Burnaby women, Tasleem Dhanji and Sabrina Meherally, “felt compelled to do something,” said Meherally.
The Rohingya refugee crisis began in August 2017, when genocide in Myanmar forced thousands of Rohingya people to flee to Bangladesh. It is “the fastest growing refugee emergency in the world today,” according to the United Nations.
Dhanji and Meherally’s fundraising event, held at a Vancouver art gallery in November, raised around $24,000, nearly five times the $5,000 goal Meherally and Dhanji had set.
They also received numerous donations after the event, including a donation from the Vancity Humanitarian Foundation, bringing them up to about $53,000.
With matching from the federal government, the total ended up being $106,000.
Meherally and Dhanji plan to donate the funds to Doctors Without Borders.
Despite the urgency of the crisis, Meherally and Dhanji feel that countries seem indifferent to the situation.
There is “not enough international pressure… to do something” Meherally said.
“There is a lot of work to be done, especially work from the Canadian government. … Sanctions need to be implemented, … Myanmar needs to be held accountable for their crimes against humanity,” Dhanji added.
The two have also started a petition through their facebook page, @standupforrohingya, calling on the federal government to intervene in the crisis.
The November fundraiser was a great initial step, but “the money that we raised, while necessary, is simply a Band-Aid … there’s just so much more to be done,”said Meherally.
When asked what can be done, Dhanji and Meherally said educating people is key.
“Unless people are angry about it, make noise and push for action … that’s the only way we will see change,” Meherally said.
The women urge anyone wanting to help to write to their local MP and push them to do something.
“The more people that decide to take action, the bigger the effect,” Meherally said.
For more about their efforts or to sign the petition, find them on Facebook, www.facebook.com/standupforronhingya.
Theresa Cowley is a work experience student from New Westminster Secondary School.
