hi, i am supporting the folks of Pine Ridge Reservation (Oglala Lakota Nation) in South Dakota as they are working hard to build their community up from colonially-enforced poverty. i am hoping to fill as much of a shipping container as i can with the following items:
- public address systems & equipment (for community events and organizing)
- medical equipment & supplies (any kind please! healthcare from the government is very poor to non-existent and they plan to build a clinic to take care of their own)
- wheelchairs (if manual, we want them made from titanium - they often get poor quality wheelchairs that break down and cause bed sores among the elders with no way to treat them - in good working condition please)
- infant & children's supplies (clothes, shoes, diapers, toys, educational materials, school supplies, etc)
- pregnancy, maternity and post-partum supplies
- personal hygiene and sanitation supplies and equipment, esp for women
- warm clothing and footwear for everyone
- appliances, including computers and other related equipment (in good working condition. can be manual, mechanical or electric...only 1/3 of ppl on the reservation have electricity so non-electric appliances would be of help for those living without)
- small machinery & tools (think what a small farm/workshop/landscaping/construction company would need - in good working condition please or easily repairable. they are building permaculture systems on their reservation to feed the community as well as other infrastructure projects)
- plain shirts in good condition (for screen printing, as part of their local fundraising efforts)
- water heaters (broken is ok - they will use the broken ones to make stoves)
- barrels: metal, rain, food (in good condition)
- used tires (for construction purposes, not for vehicular use)
- sewing machines (good condition)
- leather, beads, etc: to help support the artisans in the community so they can make a living (but not small pieces please - it's not worth my time/gas to chase small pieces unless they are in large quantities)
- furniture: household mainly but also for settings like clinics, schools, community centers, etc.
- storm windows
- construction materials (eg. backer board, tiles, drywall, rebar, t-bars, etc...NOTE: no wood please as that is difficult to bring across the border)
- pallets (this is an exception to the prohibition against wood)
please no junk as they really don't have the capacity to deal with nor do they want junk.
also, i have been asked a lot why they do not source or fundraise for this stuff in the US since the united states is such a materially rich country.
the answer is: they are trying, but they face the barriers of entrenched colonialism and racism, so must depend on a widespread network of grassroots efforts to source all that they need. purchasing stuff is not a real solution as 1) the average annual income in Pine Ridge is $2000; 2) the prices they encounter are often double what is paid by other folks (they have to go into neighbouring towns to get what they need and the prices charged to them are atrocious).
they can and are fundraising to pay for shipping all of this down to the reservation from Toronto. it's a real indictment of our way of life that this is the more economical means of getting what they need!
i am hoping to ship everything down by the end of January and would appreciate anything that you can offer.
thank you so much!
lily
ps. i will be cross-posting this as well.
