Australia is literally on fire and they need our help. We are not going to go into detail on the devastating stats of the bushfires. It’s all over the news. In summary (and these are just estimates as of today):
1 billion animals
25 people
2,000 homes
15 million acres
And counting…
Let’s focus on what we can do. In this post, we’ve included just a few of the many many ways we can all help. Literally any donation helps! For convenience, there are clickable links below to all of the organizations we’ve highlighted. Please be cautious of phony donation organizations. There have already been reports of about 50 of these since September!
We are pledging to double down on our likes from our latest Instagram post between now and the end of this weekend. That means we will donate $2 for every like on this post between now and midnight on Sunday, January 12th. So, PLEASE like, share, and tag your friends so we can donate as much as possible!
Donate to firefighting efforts
Firefighters are risking their lives to fight these fires. They desperately need more assistance and equipment on the front line. Many of them are volunteers who have been working non-stop, unpaid, putting their own businesses on pause and their own houses in danger to do so.
- Fire departments in New South Wales (@nswrfsinsta and @nswfrs)
- Fire departments in Victoria (@firecrw)
- CFS Foundation of volunteer firefighters in South Australia
Donate to relief and support efforts
- Australia’s Red Cross (@redcrossau) disaster relief and recovery is raising money to fund recovery programs and emergency assistance in affected communities. Donations also go toward disaster preparation, protection and volunteer training.
- Salvation Army Australia (@salvosau) delivers support to communities affected by the fires, with emergency service teams responding to loss of life and property.
- GIVIT(@givit_aus) in Queensland is asking for monetary donations to help purchase essentials for those affected.
Donate to protect and save wildlife
- WIRES (@wireswildliferescue), the New South Wales-based Wildlife Information, Rescue and Education Service Inc., is Australia’s largest wildlife rescue organization.
- Wildlife Victoria (@wildlifevictoria), a nonprofit that provides wildlife emergency response services is accepting donations to distribute to wildlife shelters to help rebuild enclosures and equipment.
- World Wildlife Fund Australia (@wwf_australia), a conservation organization that cares for injured wildlife and plans to plant 10,000 native trees in critical koala habitat once the fires clear
Keep Australia on your 2020 bucket list and beyond
The number one priority right now continues to be the emergency response to these devastating bushfires and the safety of communities and tourists in affected areas. While two of the hardest hit areas are Victoria and New South Wales, many other areas have been affected. Many other areas have also not been affected, or at least remain in a safe enough state to visit.
Nonetheless, when affected communities are ready to once again welcome visitors, tourism will continue to play an important role in supporting their local recovery and Australia’s recovery as a whole. Keep Australia in your hearts and on your travel destinations list through this difficult time. It is truly an amazing country and has so much to offer.
