How to Help Victims of the Bombing of Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka experienced nine explosions on Easter Sunday , killing 290 people and injuring more than 500, including several US citizens.
The bombings took place at churches in Negomonbo, Batticaloa and Colombo around 8:45 am Sunday. Explosions have also occurred at a number of hotels, including the Cinnamon Grand, Tropical Inn, Kingsbury, Shangri-La and the Dematagoda apartment complex.
According to a police spokesman, 24 suspects were detained. The attacks themselves appear to have been carried out by suicide bombers.
If you want to help, there are several ways you can do it. Here are some of them:
Sri Lanka Red Cross
The American Red Cross invites people to contact the Sri Lanka Red Cross as well as the Asia-Pacific chapter of the International Federation of the Red Cross for updates.
These two groups work with a group in Sri Lanka and can accept donations. If you are in the area, the group also organized a blood run .
Worth noting: The Red Cross has a controversial past when it comes to donating to natural disasters, but this seems to be your main donation option right now.
GoFundMe
A quick search on GoFundMe will bring up a decent amount of campaigns from people in Sri Lanka looking for help.
It’s worth noting that the campaigns have not been verified, so while they may be legal, they may unfortunately also be illegal. (We have tips for checking GoFundMes here .)
Kindhearted
The Instagram group has set up a medical camp in the Eastern Province of Sri Lanka and is asking for donations through GoFundMe .
The GoFundMe campaign has not been verified, but its link to the group’s Twitter account gives it some legitimacy. In addition to cash, the group accepts medicines as a gift. You can contact the charity directly through its website and provide information on any merchandise you would like to donate . You can also donate money directly to the group’s website, although the funds there may not be specifically for Sri Lanka.
Plus we only have the first 48 hours after the explosions right now, so there will likely be more options. If you have a charity that you particularly enjoy working with, it may soon have something.