A number of people have asked me questions about how to help the Navajo community in light of the ongoing COVID19 crisis that is hitting the Navajo Nation hard right now. Before giving my very incomplete list of charities / places to donate though, it is worth noting that it is not surprising that the Navajo Nation and the Dine people are particularly vulnerable and have been hit hard by the coronavirus. The list of contributing causes below is by no means complete and is not fully cited/verified to academic standards but does highlight the tribe’s vulnerabilities:
- Health care underfunding. Even though Navajos qualify for free health care through Indian Health Service, the level of funding does not keep up with the federal subsidies (in the form of tax breaks for employer-provided coverage and other forms of hidden subsidies) that non-Indians get.
- Lack of water infrastructure. The Tennessee Valley Authority type push has never been brought to bear on the Navajo reservation, leaving one-third (that should be emphasized, ONE-THIRD) of Navajo households without a working toilet or sink.
- Health problems in the population. Including diabetes, obesity, etc.
- Poverty. Per capita incomes on the reservation are consistently half of the per capita income in the states that border the reservation.
- Poor housing and overcrowding. Issues include not only inadequate plumbing and electricity but also poor insulation and overcrowding.
- Close family ties and large families. Harder to untangle but close family ties, which ordinarily serve to protect individuals from the worst outcomes of poverty and to spread wealth, might today leave families more vulnerable to the spread of the virus.
- Legal obstacles facing the tribal government. Jurisdictional impediments and negative Supreme Court precedent can make it hard for the tribal government to respond to the virus.
- Governance challenges. The tribal government is not perfect. It is important to not over-emphasize this point, especially given the collossal embarrassment and horror show that is the current U.S. government and many state governments, but it also should not be ignored.
- Etc. Lots of other contributing factors.
As a non-Indian who grew up in small part on the Navajo reservation, what is happening now is both painful and beautiful. Painful because it was clear that the Navajo Nation was going to be hit hard and now people are dying. Beautiful because across the reservation there are efforts, local, homegrown efforts, to reach out to the most vulnerable and help them out. When Ethel Branch, the former Attorney General of the Navajo Nation, started a gofundme campaign, Navajo & Hopi Families COVID-19 Relief Fund, it took off in ways that are awe-inspiring (it is now approaching $4 million in donations). A few weeks ago I was moved nearly to tears by a post on facebook from the group that showed an elderly (but still strong) Dine man standing in front of a traditional hogan holding a large bag of Blue Bird flour. It just screamed “Navajo” and community and culture all in a single photo.
This post is starting to get too long, so before I lose the audience, here are some ways to donate:
- Navajo & Hopi Families COVID-19 Relief Fund
- Official Navajo Nation COVID-19 Relief Fund
- NB3 Foundation COVID-19 Response Fund
- More local options (google food banks in the area, for example, Echo Food Bank in Farmington, which is an off reservation town with a large Navajo population; St. Mary’s Food Bank has done work serving Navajo families as well, though I don’t know if you can target donations to the reservation).
There are many other ways to donate . . . These first came to my mind.
Poverty Law 