How can i help the lakota

We would like to thank:. Support Us. Home Support Us. Lakota Funds is a c3 non-profit organization. Donations are tax deductible as allowed by law. Make a Sound Investment in Lakota Funds Native community development financial institutions are a largely overlooked and low risk avenue to socially responsible lending. Many people I have spoken to assume that they were all wiped out in the wars of the 19th century, but this could not be further from the truth! They still live in a beautiful but a hostile and unforgiving land, no longer able to live as their ancestors did.

On Dec. The U. S government have broken, and continue to break every treaty made with the Lakota people, and this should not still be happening to such a Spiritually advanced people, not in this day and age. Pine Ridge Reservation is approx 11, over 2 million acres square miles in size.

The population is steadily rising, despite the severe conditions on the reservation, as more and more Oglala return home from far away cities in order to live within their societal values, be with their families, and assist with the revitalisation of their culture and Nation. The list is unending as to the things that this still noble nation need, yet they have continued to survive!

They still. They still perform their ceremonies, pass down the stories to their children and grandchildren, honour the four directions and pray to Great Spirit on a daily basis. They still give thanks to our Mother Earth for sustaining them, to Grandfather Sun for giving them warmth and light, and for helping making things grow, and they still continue to smile and retain their great sense of humour.

They truly are a magnificent race, and I am so proud and honoured to have walked among them, and to be able to help them in some small way by raising funds here in England to buy Propane fuel for a few families to get them through the harsh winters. I hope to be able to do more for these wonderful people as time goes on, and I have written this article to try and spread the awareness that "our relatives" are still alive and kicking and need our help.

I think that we all owe them that much! Available for a limited time only. Grab them while you can! On the reservation: There is no industry, technology, or commercial infrastructure on the reservation to provide employment.

Life expectancy for women is 48 years old and 52 for men. S national average for this group. S national average. The last I heard, he was in Pennsylvania. Tribal police did not respond to inquiries about the perpetrators arrest or if charges were referred to court in another jurisdiction. Now an adult, she lives away from the reservation and is pursuing a college degree; she is working to overcome the lingering trauma from the abuse.

Reservation communities, usually strapped for cash and resources, may not look too hard at charities offering to help address social problems in their communities and offer programs for young people. The tribal government infrastructure budget, mostly based on federal funds, is stretched thin these days.

In the meantime, the number and capacity of philanthropic organizations on the reservation are growing.

It almost seems as though they spring up overnight. According to Locke, her grandson John participated in one of the ministries events for children but had no ongoing relationship with the church.

Locke and her family follow traditional Lakota spirituality. Locke said McAfee refused. The court agreed and ordered McAfee to submit to the demands in the injunction.

Locke said the postings regarding John remained on the site until recently. She kept screen shots of postings featuring John and his story. The current Wings as Eagles site makes no mention of John or his suicide; Locke is still hurt and angry over the incident. Hand is a citizen of the Shawnee Nation but lives on the reservation with her children who are OST tribal members. She is field director of Conscious Alliance , a nonprofit organization that operates a free food bank on Pine Ridge.

Moreover, Hand and others complain that organizations seldom conduct needs assessments among reservation communities they claim to serve. During a press conference , Hand asked Twila True if her foundation had conducted a needs assessment. Similarly, the Re-Member Center , a nonprofit business located on the reservation that coordinates visits to Pine Ridge in which volunteers build bunk beds, trailer skirting, outhouses, wheelchair ramps and other construction projects, does not base their work on community needs assessments.

Re-Member also provides limited assistance to tribal members in the form of firewood and help in paying heating bills. Re-Member collects used mattresses from universities to be used with the volunteer-built bunk bed frames.

Although Re-Member claims to be non-denominational, most volunteers are part of organized church groups; board members are affiliated with evangelical churches. Since most volunteers are members of Christian church groups, Re-Member does not require background checks for participants according to True.

Re-Member has not submitted information to the tribe in keeping with Ordinance according to True. According to True, Re-Member provides volunteers with valuable cultural exchange experiences during their visits. In the online review site Yelp , a former volunteer Laura Giles. There is growing criticism regarding voluntourism in general as an effective way to help impoverished communities. Tourists ability to pay for the privilege of volunteering pushes out job opportunities for local people.

Christian missionaries and voluntourists are greatly interested in fulfilling their personal visions. In his piece for the New York Times , Jacob Kushner who reports on foreign aid and immigration, quoted a missionary in Haiti who claimed she was called to be there by God and moved to the country without knowing what she would do when she arrived.

According to Kushner, this attitude is typical of many missionaries and voluntourists who rely on good intentions rather than their abilities or skills in meeting community needs. Indeed, the religious charities serving Pine Ridge refer to a calling by God motivating them to come to the reservation.

Darby Matt describes voluntourism as neo-colonialism, a continuation of the imperialism and colonialism first displayed among early Christian missionaries who sought to evangelize Native Americans. Tribal council member Tapio has been working to gather information about churches and charities on the reservation.