Charity Concert Raises Funds for Victims of Floods and Famine

UPDATED: April 2, 2012, at 3:50 a.m.

One World, a charity concert benefiting victims of famine in the Horn of Africa and of floods in Pakistan, was held in Memorial Church on Friday night.

The two-hour event included performances by a capella groups—including the Din & Tonics, the Krokodiloes, the Opportunes, and the Callbacks—South Asian music by members of Sangeet, and a spoken word performance by Teake ’12.

Organizers said that the entirety of the proceeds from the event will be divided evenly between Harvard for Pakistan and Harvard for the Horn. The concert, which drew over 100 students, raised $500 for the two causes, according to Laila Kasuri ’13, an organizer of the event who is also a Crimson designer.

In his closing remarks, Peter D. Davis ’12, the master of ceremonies, explained that while at Harvard he has begun to interpret the word responsibility more literally as the human ability to respond.

Davis added that he hopes that the audience members “take seriously [their] ability to respond and not let these causes that seem to come and go, go away.”

In the summer of 2010 Pakistan was hit with heavy rains that caused massive flooding, resulting in thousands of casualties and displacing millions. In the summer of 2011, Pakistan again faced the worst floods in its history.

Harvard for Pakistan works to raise funds to build primary schools in flood-affected areas. According to Senan Ebrahim ’12, a director of Harvard for Pakistan, the group’s share of proceeds will go to The Citizens Foundation, a nonprofit organization focused on improving education in Pakistan.

“Along with raising funds our goal is to increase awareness. People still don’t know about the floods,” Ebrahim said. “Without action it could be a loss of a future for an entire Pakistani generation.”

In the Horn of Africa, one of the most severe droughts in decades last summer caused a famine that affected millions. Although the United Nations declared the famine officially over in February, it maintained that the crisis was not over. According to event organizers, Harvard for the Horn will send funds to affected areas.

Event attendees said that although the cultural performances drew them to the event, they were glad to be made aware of these issues.

“It’s a really good cause. It was awesome that they combined so many clubs and acts,” May Yang ’15 said.