Change the Climate Change! Take Ai to Dublin to present her research

Hello, my name is Ai Sumihira. If you don't know me in person, this is my story.... I am sure a lot of people still remember the notorious Boxing Day Earthquake and Tsunami in 2004. I was living in the southern part of Thailand at that time.....While many friends of mine lost their lives, I miraculously survived that day. Since then, environmental issues has become a big part of my life.

I have been working on raising awareness towards climate change as well as disaster risk reduction over the last 10 years. I currently working on the community-based climate change project in Auckland.... AND, I got invited to present at the international social work and social development conference in Dublin, Ireland in July this year.

Of course I really really want to go!

I may have miraculously survived the Boxing Day Tsunami, but I wasn't alone. There were hundreds of kind people that came to rescue us, some of them came to help us all the way from the other side of planet. And, without them, I would not exist here today.

From where I stand, climate change seems to be a social and justice issue that everyone can take part to reduce its effects.

Researching and raising awareness about climate change is the least I can do to give back to the communities where raised me as a person today. I certainly could not achieve what I have without their support!

Your generosity means a lot to me. My dream is to save as many lives as possible from preventative environmental issues such as natural disasters. I finally got invited to present in the conference this year, and I feel that I got a step closer to my dream. I know there will be a long way to go, but I promise I will work harder towards environmentally just world!