Haiti - Damage on par with the 2004 Asian tsunami - how to help

[MmeLindt]

Haiti is one of the poorest countries in the world, life there was already harsh.

Now with one in three Haitians affected by the earthquake, the prospect of improvement just got much worse.

The harrowing pictures on TV cause distress, it is easy to turn off, to turn away.

We should not.

The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) is already taking donations through a special phone line, 0370 60 60 900, and through its website www.dec.org.uk, and tomorrow it expects to launch a television appeal
Please donate what you can, either to the DEC or to other aid relief agencies.

Oxfam

Unicef

Save The Children

But perhaps thesnow and ive is forcing people into selfcentric mode? Then again Iam in S EWales and unable to get further than the Spar ATM so seeing the extreme end of it!

Sorry, this is an awful thing to say and perhaps it's not true, but the people in Haiti are mostly the wrong "colour" for most people to get too upset about (not those of you who have posted below obviously - and hopefully not most people on Mumsnet!). Close your eyes for a moment and imagine an earthquake with 3 million, say, Australians affected. Or one hundred thousand French people killed.

Or if it were Americans the coverage would go on for weeks. Will be interesting to see how long this one stays on the front pages.....

I think quite a few people will be offended by you saying that, tbh. I think it's more a case of whether you can see yourself there. If it is somewhere you have been, or the people could be you and your family, or there are lots of video clips of it happening, then people empathise more. As parents, I think a lot of MNers have a sort of hyper-empathy anyway, especially where it concerns children.

You are right, perhaps "colour" is the wrong language. It is cultural though and yes that probably is based on whether people can see themselves in that situation. Ie if something happens in a country where you have visited or know someone who lives there then you are more likely to have empathy for it.

I don't want to offend anyone.

I would hazard a guess sadly that there are people who see colour as a psychological reason to disassociate from the victims.

AS I watched it proeprly (I ahd been aware but not ahd time to sit and watch) I ahd sleeping ds4 in my arms as they showed the babies: I wuld have to be inhuman not to see myself in their place.

And just thank my God that I was born here in safety and relative prosperiry.

Well, noone's said anything, so probably just me over-reacting (and I wasn't offended myself). It does make me sad that some disasters get more interest than others. Sometimes the level of coverage determines people's responses a bit too.

I hope that lots of people donate and aid gets out there and water, sanitation, food and shelter as well as medical care can be provided. Like MmeLindt said, we take these things for granted, but really they are the basic things needed in life. Awful that so many people are living with the tradegy of loosing family, their homes, their livelihoods and now have this aftermath to face.

losing not loosing. Gah.

I guess that if something dreadful happens in a country or town that you have visited then you do feel more energised to DO something. Anything. Or if you or your family have been touched by it, however remotely.

I know next to nothing about Haiti, except that the people there are poverty striken.

Yes, seeing pictures of babies and children suffering is heartbreaking and more likely to get viewers reaching for their wallets.

Why else do I still have the pictures of the Ethiopian babies with distended tummies in my head, some 25 years after Live Aid?

Although what is also sad is that that is how many people STILL think of Ethiopia, a beautiful country with so much going for it.

Someone mentioned earlier that most of what they know about Haiti is negative - the voodoo, the violence etc.

To give the people of that country some of the dignity they deserve, it is also worth thinking about some of the great stuff, like it's art for example.

(I am trying to keep this thread going in the Active conversations hoping more people will donate...not sure it is working though!).

I've just donated, plus bumping too

Bump to keep it going.

I hope(and beleive)most peopledonate but don'tpost.

I willmake a point of looking forthe postives. I will emphasise that my degree is in RE so that's why the stuff that does stand out does IYSWIM, Imay not have an average take on the world.

I too was shocked how few posts there were on MN about this....I plan to now keep this thread bumped so that as many people as possible get to see it.

Perhaps, with the Dominican Republic being such a popular holiday destination for Brits, the fact that Haiti & DR share an island may make this hit harder than some other far flung devastated land. There are few high profile Haitians, perhaps Wyclef Jean being a notable exception.

The country and its people have enough shit as it is without a natural disaster of this magnitude.

Just so terribly tragic

Have donated extra to Unicef (already have monthly payment). Hopefully others are being prompted by this thread just not posting.

Just so incredibly sad, I can only cuddle my newborn and think 'there but for the grace of God...'

This is not the sort of thing I usually do as am a little scared of Mumsnet HQ but I have asked for this to be a sticky thread or for a link to a donation site to be made on the Mumsnet site somewhere. I will no doubt be laughed out of the building but I feel it's worth a try!

here

bumping because these people need help

have also made a donation after weeping in the car today listening to the radio reports

this is a massive tragedy, utterly devastating.

wish there was more I could do.

Another bump.

Thank you Peachy for mentioning paypal on the UNICEF site - this has spurred me to make my donation now rather than waiting til I see a collection tin in a charity shop.

Well done, Clara for requesting a sticky. Hope that MNHQ agree.

I am feeling very guilty now, after having done my online shop for the next two weeks which would feed a family in Haiti for months probably. Now going out to friends to drink wine and have fun.

just donated ,i wish there was more we could do , if i didn't have children to look after i would go and help, i feel useless sat her watching it on the news.

Dh also donates monthly to red cross.

Another bump - the situation just seems so desperate....

Thanks so much for this thread!