Storm Wardens for Doctors without Borders

John and I at Santa Cruz Warhammer started the Storm Wardens Project with a simple idea:

first find a great cause that needs help, then ask the most talented modelers we know to help us build an amazing army that gets raffled off with all the proceeds going to the charity. We didn't expect much and were mostly excited about doing something in the blog community to try and help out in some way.

Six weeks later I can tell you this project has become a bigger success then we ever imagined! This weekend we will make a very BIG announcement, ending the donation drive for this project.

Doctors without Borders

As our chosen charity, all the proceeds from the Storm Wardens Project will go to Doctors Without Borders. This organization provides medical and general health assistance in 60 countries around the world.

When needed, Doctors Without Borders send in only a minimal amount of skilled volunteers and they help set up a local network of sustainable health and medical projects that employs local doctors and nurses as much as possible. That way there is always a good understanding of the nature of problems in a specific area.

The projects range from building hospitals and field clinics to developing wells with fresh drinking water and setting up waste management projects.

The link below directs you to the current projects that DWB is involved in:

Doctors without Borders: Current Projects

Remember that a lot of the things that they accomplish are things we take for granted in our countries: vaccines, fresh water, electricity and general medicine like antibiotics.

According to Wikipedia, DWB is pretty much the only source of treatment for people with HIV and AIDS in much of Africa...that is pretty amazing if you think about it. The picture below points to a project where DWB designed a new, affordable IV drip that can be made locally and costs a fraction of what a normal one costs.

According to figures from DWB, 80% of it's money has been donated by people like you and me.

As far as we are concerned, there can never be enough money for this organization. One glance at the list of current activities tells you that the world is in desparate need of a neutral group of people that help out the innocent victims caught in the crossfire.

Our Wargaming Community

Over the course of the Storm Wardens Project, John and I have become absolutely amazed by the excitement and generosity of the global wargaming community, including players, bloggers and gaming related companies alike.

We have received support from all over the world, including places like Indonesia, Brazil, New Zealand, Singapore and Iceland. I like to think that through table top games, people can release so much stress from their daily life, that the world is probably a better place because of it.

We have learned that as a community, we are not only creative, playful, and social, we are also compassionate and have an interest in helping others.

So, we see that this project has become truly global, but what else can we do?

The answer is to reach out one last time to make sure you have told everyone you know, not just your gaming buddies, about this grand project.

You (and they) have until the end of this Sunday, July 18, to click on the button on the top right, and contribute to this collection for Doctors Without Borders. If you have already given, we are extremely grateful and proud that you did. Just remember, Sunday at 7.00PM we will remove the donation buttons, so you have a few days left to help out people in need.

Thank you all.

Mike