The Board and staff of the Global Fund for Women express our deepest sympathy and solidarity with the survivors of Hurricane Katrina. We intensely feel the pain, confusion and insecurity of the people in the Gulf states, especially those who did not have the resources to evacuate their homes when the warning was sounded, either because they had no means of transportation, or nowhere else to go.

We feel this even more because the Global Fund has closely followed the developments of the Asian tsunami, the aftermath of which, eight months later, is still acutely experienced by the survivors in all of the affected countries. The television images of the hurricane, of devastation, grief and bewilderment, the desperation of people who have had no news about the safety of family or friends, seem to repeat those we saw eight months ago, on those distant shores. These images were mirrored yet again in June and July of this year, as the worst floods in the history of the Maharashtra state of India wreaked havoc on the lives of 20 million people, spreading disease in the wake of the monsoon.

Our grantees and other partners in the tsunami-affected countries have reported that there is a cruel "order in the chaos"; that, although the destructive forces of nature (the giant waves, the torrential rains, the mighty winds) seem to strike down all in their path, without distinction of gender, age or race, the fact is, that those who have not been able to escape the killer waves, winds and flood waters are predominantly the most vulnerable members of society.

Women, for example, who had been socialized to stay (and work) at home, as much as possible, to wear reams of clothing which hamper movement, to be lady-like and not run and jump, climb trees or learn to swim, to be the principal care-takers of children and the elderly—these were the ones who were caught at home, found dead clinging onto supports, caught by their clothes in branches of trees and still holding on to children and older persons.

But we also hear stories of the women who have survived (roughly half the number of male survivors). Women's organizations rallied immediately, putting aside their own traumas of loss and despair to care for their surviving family members once again, and devising creative ways to generate much-needed income.

Knowing that the structural vulnerability of women increases, and manifests itself more acutely under the insecurity of disaster situations, we hope that the responses of the government, relief organizations and volunteers will be based on consultations with women and be sensitive to the needs of the women affected.

Our heart goes out to all of the survivors of the tsunami, the monsoon, and this most recent natural disaster in our own country. May our humanity and solidarity across national and cultural divides bring hope and relief to those most in need.

Although the Global Fund for Women does not typically award grants in the United States, a special discretionary grant of $10,000 is being given to the Ms. Foundation for Women to support their Hurricane Katrina relief efforts.

Women's Funds Address
Hurricane Katrina

Voices of Solidarity: International Women Activists
Share their Perspective on the Katrina Disaster

Read letters of solidarity from Global Fund grantees.

Learn more about the Global Fund for Women's response to the tsunami disaster.