How you can help earthquake victims in Haiti
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Courtesy of Michael David Murphy and NY Times
I got up this morning and turned on NPR while I was brushing my teeth- a mundane morning until I heard about the devastating earthquake in Haiti. As of this evening, it is predicted that as many as hundreds of thousands of people have died from the 7.0 earthquake. As many as three million may be left homeless, reported the Red Cross. Many hospitals were destroyed too. What can we do here to help? A lot, actually.
- As reported by the NY Times, anyone with a mobile phone and an account with a major wireless carrier can text the phrase “Haiti” to the number 90999 and donate $10 to the Red Cross. That amount is charged to the donor’s cellphone bill. Thanks to a mention on the White House’s blog and lots of word of mouth on Twitter and Facebook, the campaign had raised more than $1.2 million by Tuesday evening, mGive said. (mGive is the company that facilitates the giving). Mr. Aiello said the widespread adoption of cellphones and social media Web sites was helping to foster this approach to fund-raising. “Mobile giving is currently outpacing the early days of online giving,” he said.
- In another campaign that Twitter users are publicizing widely, the Haitian-born musician Wyclef Jean is urging people to donate $5 to his charity organization by texting “YELE” to 501501.
- Still Hip the resale boutique in Fort Greene, Brooklyn is a drop off point for Haiti relief. Bring non-perishable food and warm weather clothing for all ages starting Tuesday. Details: Still Hip is at 283 Grand Ave in clinton hill, brooklyn 718.398.0008 www.stillhipbrooklyn.com
- Local donations of clothes/diapers/sanitary napkins/shoes/toothbrushes/soap etc., can be dropped off from 11am – 8pm all week to the clothing store, Pieces 671 at Vanderbilt Avenue between Park and Prospect. They will take all donated items directly to YELE (Wyclef Jean’s not-for-profit) headquarters in East New York. (718) 857-7211.
That is wonderful news- you all must be relieved to know he is okay. How terrifying. Thank you for the CNN link too- I think you and Jennifer have good advice re: donations.
Glad you like the blog- thanks for reading.
Yes, the commnication is very difficult, but we just heard from my father-in-law this morning, finally, who ran out of the collapsing house and survived. But that’s just one happy story in the midst of this tragedy.
And I agree with Jennifer regarding the donations. There are really no ways to get the goods there, so cash donations through the big reputable organizations is the best way. CNN has the list as well:
http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2007/impact/
Thank you all for caring. And by the way, I love your blog.
I’m really sorry. Does he still have relatives/friends there? Has he been able to get through? I heard on NPR this morning that it is impossible to reach anyone there.
Hi Jennifer
Those are good points. Thank you.
While all donations are made with good intentions, please only donate cash and only donate to organizations that you know and trust. The Daily Beast complied an excellent list yesterday:
http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2010-01-13/how-to-help-haiti/
Food and clothing donations (again, good intentions) only complicate the relief effort because they are impossible to sort through and impossible to distribute. By donating cash to established organizations you are ensuring that what is needed is supplied. For more on why to only donate cash please see:
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/haiti/100113/haiti-earthquake-aid
I’m a little confused by Still Hip’s request for warm weather clothing. Haitians do not need warm weather clothing…
Hi, thank you so much for this post. My husband is from Haiti and I feel this disaster very personally, even though I have never been there. Haitian people are wonderful people, but majority of them quite unfortunate. Any little amonut would help, so let’s help.