Pokimane pleads with viewers to donate for Australian bushfire crisis
Twitch superstar Imane ‘Pokimane’ Anys has joined the chorus of global streamers and gamers calling for donations for the devastating ongoing Australian bushfire crisis.
This Australian summer has seen the country engulfed in some of the worst bushfires the Land Down Under has seen. According to the Australian ABC, the fires have already burned around 16 million acres and claimed at least 25 lives.
On top of that, more than half a billion native wildlife have reportedly been killed in the inferno, which has been raging since Christmas, and now many content creators are attempting to lend their own support, including Pokimane.
The Australian bushfire catastrophe has reportedly already claimed 25 lives, and spread across 16 million acres since Christmas.The Twitch star shared a series of images of the bushfires, which depicted rural firefighters battling the blaze, a native kangaroo attempting to flee, and a family forced to seek shelter near a jetty in the lake to escape the fires.
Alongside these images, she called for her fans to do anything they could, from sharing information on the crisis, to donating money for the New South Wales RFS and support charity drives — any little thing they can do will help, she said.
“Please donate to help the crisis in Australia,” Pokimane said to her fans on January 4, and promised to “follow back” a few of the people who showed her their receipts as proof. “No amount is too small!”
please donate to help the crisis in Australia ❤️
I’ll follow back a bunch of people who reply with their receipts, no amount is too small! 😊 https://t.co/psmOLVKyqb
— pokimane (@pokimanelol) January 5, 2020
Pokimane isn’t the only major streamer to have called for support either. Australian stream team TheClickCrew decided to host a 24-hour charity stream, with proceeds split between three organizations that are helping the cause.
The group, helmed by stars like Loserfruit, Lazarbeam, and Muselk, quickly shattered their $15,000 goal, and even raised $100,000 in the first five hours. The group soon stretched the stream to 36 hours, and hit $250,000 mid-day Monday.
Other streamers like Dakotaz and Australian YouTube personality vikkstar123 all donated between $10,000 and $20,000, while DrLupo added his fandom to the support by hosting the ClickCrew’s ongoing livestream on Monday morning.
New South Wales has faced the worst fires along the state’s east coast, including near Sydney, Newcastle, and Wollongong.According to the NSW RFS, who are fighting on the main fronts against the fires, more than 100 separate incidents are still burning across the central state alone, with thousands of people already forced out of their coastal and inland homes.
If you would like to help those affected by the bushfire crisis, and support those fighting the infernos, you can donate to the Australian Red Cross foundation, and to the Salvation Army, as well as the Rural Fire Service directly.