A man stands in the fallen debis of the Port au Prince Cathedral in Port-au-Prince, Haiti on Jan 18, 2010. (QMI Agency)
I’m sure many of you are wondering what you can do to help the people of Haiti that have suffered their worst earthquake in over 200 years. In such circumstances, it is natural for many of us to want to offer help, but not quite certain as to what the best method for doing so is. Donations seems to be the most urgent need right now, as resources are necessary to help the thousands of people that find themselves instantly homeless since the earthquake, as well as in helping setting up some infrastructure that can support and attend the many others in dire need of medical attention, clean water, and food. Here are a few ways in which you can contribute:
http://haiti-relief.meetup.com/
Meetup.com has tons of local meetings worldwide that are donating the proceeds from anyone attending these events to support Haiti relief. This is also a chance for discussions with your fellow locals on how you can all band together and help out in other ways. I think that’s a fantastic idea…we need to create these local groups and join forces. There is power in numbers!
http://www.ebaygivingworks.com/
On Ebay, you can support the auctions that are donating part of their proceeds to helping Haiti. If you have things to buy, why not make your contributions through your shopping?
http://www.google.com/relief/haitiearthquake/
Google set up a page where you can easily donate to Unicef or Care via Google Checkout. They also have links for other funds such as the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund, the Red Cross, Doctors Without Borders, and many more.
Text Message Donations
The following organizations are accepting SMS donations in the US only:
SMS text “HAITI” to 90999 to donate $10 to Red Cross relief efforts
SMS text “YELE” to 501501 to Donate $5 to Yele Haiti’s Earthquake Relief efforts
SMS text “GIVE10” to 20222 to donate $10 to Direct Relief
Canadians can also donate to Haiti using their cellphones:
If you text the message “Haiti” to 45678, you will contribute $5 to the Salvation Army’s relief effort.
Social Networks
On sites like Twitter and Facebook, there are numerous groups and pages formed to unite everyone in helping the people of Haiti. You can contribute simply by joining these groups or “re-tweeting” a twitter status update. One thing needs to be said about social networks, it really has made it easier for people globally to connect with one another, especially under difficult and challenging times.
Television Telethon
On Friday, January 22nd, there will be a celebrity-packed Hope for Haiti telethon produced by actor George Clooney. It will be at 8pm, and will be two hours long commercial free. It will be simulcast on all major networks. Perhaps you can make your contribution while watching the event that night.
INeedMotivation, Inc.
Right here on the site, I have decided to donate $5 for every course sold on INeedMotivation.com for a full week starting today to the Canadian Red Cross. As well, the Canadian Government will be matching all donations dollar for dollar to help out Haiti. Therefore, you can do your part by shopping on this website this week.
Let’s band together through this World Wide Web and truly make a difference!
