YRRM's mission is deeply grounded in the wisdom of the Torah, reflecting the commandment to "love your neighbor as yourself" (Leviticus 19:18) and the duty to uphold righteousness and kindness. Our purpose is to illuminate the struggles faced by rural Alaskan villages, underscoring the essential support needed for existing missions. In these communities, the necessity for places of worship, home restorations, and initiatives addressing despair and substance abuse is evident. Through our efforts, we strive to raise awareness and strengthen ongoing missions, ensuring these vital needs are met in Alaska's remote regions.
Embedded Files
The Mission Field
The Mission Field
Alaska, with approximately 240 remote villages and communities, presents unique challenges. Among these, we've identified 128 villages where populations are fewer than 1,000 people. In a significant portion of these villages, at least one in five residents grapple with poverty as a daily reality.
Rural Alaska, unfortunately, contends with troubling statistics that demand our attention and action. This region experiences alarmingly high suicide rates and ranks among the worst in terms of crime statistics within Native American communities nationwide and across the country as a whole. Alaska Native communities, in particular, grapple with disproportionately high rates of family violence, suicide, and alcohol abuse:
Domestic violence rates soar to levels ten times the national average.
Cases involving the physical assault of women are a staggering twelve times more prevalent than the national average.
Suicidal incidents occur at an alarming rate, almost four times higher than the national average.
Tragically, Alaska's rate of rape surpasses the rest of the nation, occurring at three times the national average.
These sobering statistics underscore the urgent need for comprehensive support and intervention in these communities.
The remote villages of Alaska often face a reality akin to being "hidden from sight, forgotten from mind," where their hardships and needs receive little attention. As it is written, "Do not ignore your own flesh" (Isaiah 58:7), yet these communities, nestled in the vast and untamed wilderness, have remained distant from the concerns of the wider world. As a result, their struggles—whether the absence of essential infrastructure, the burden of poverty, or urgent challenges such as mental health and addiction—have too often been overlooked. Our mission is to bring these issues to light, to uphold the mitzvah of aiding those in need, and to extend the support and compassion these villages desperately require.
The remote villages of Alaska often face a reality akin to being "hidden from sight, forgotten from mind," where their hardships and needs receive little attention. As it is written, "Do not ignore your own flesh" (Isaiah 58:7), yet these communities, nestled in the vast and untamed wilderness, have remained distant from the concerns of the wider world. As a result, their struggles—whether the absence of essential infrastructure, the burden of poverty, or urgent challenges such as mental health and addiction—have too often been overlooked. Our mission is to bring these issues to light, to uphold the mitzvah of aiding those in need, and to extend the support and compassion these villages desperately require.
Contact Jesus.Quiroz@YukonRiverRun.com / 505-417-9680
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse