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

Grammar - your post really struck a chord. It hadn't ocurred to me to get the kids involved but I will now. Thank you

Have made a donation. Funny how it doesn't make one feel any better about what people are going through out there but hopefully it will make some kind of difference. Will talk to the kids tomorrow to see how they feel about making a donation of their own.

I've donated to Yele.org, Wyclef Jean's charity.

There is a guide to text donations on the DEC website, took less than a min to donate £5, thank you to whoever mentioned this earlier.

Have donated to DEC. I have let this pass me by in recent days on the news but I've caught up on it after reading this thread.

have donated to dec. i was wondering if MN HQ were reading that perhaps they could organise online charity auction from goods donated by their advertisers/posters/discounters given that this in an disaster with an unprecedented scale.

We could raise money for DEC but perhaps also another charity like SOS children who will remain in Haiti to look after the (predicted) thousands of orphans that will be left. Its just heartbreaking.

bump if you think it is a good idea!

Thanks jackstarbright Here's the email I sent.

Dear Mr HT,

I don't know if you already have something planned, but do you think it would be possible to arrange an impromptu mufti day to raise money for the victims of the Haiti earthquake? I've been reading around a few sites, and have just made a donation to Shelterbox. It might also be a tangible thing for the school to do?

Each shelterbox, which can house up to 10 family members, costs approximately £490 (they tailor the contents to the individual distaster) - including the cost of all materials, packing, storage, transport worldwide and distribution. Assuming six months use, this equates to shelter and warmth for less than 30 pence per person per day.

I don't know how much you usually raise from a mufti day, but a suggested donation of £1 for each person associated with the school should raise the best part of £490. There is an excellent children's section on the Shelterbox website (www.youngshelterbox.org/) and you can track the progress of the box that you donate to.

If something like this is an option for the school, and I can do anything to help with the arrangements or collection, please let me know.

Kind regards,

FourArms
Mother of DS1 in Yr1 and DS2 in the Nursery

Brilliant idea HerHonesty! So the likes of Boden donate a lovely dress and we bid for it? Definitely worth emailing MNHQ about. And if we can get a Warner holiday......

exactly. they could run a week of it, every night two or three things between 7-9 or something ... yup boden/white company etc, or even "experience" type things with those celebs/politicians that have used MN to promote their wares....

What NOT to send to Haiti;

Sorry, proper link, for what not to send www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxW5Zu-FNlY

Agree with GM, we have to make sure what is sent is useful. Sadly a lot of time and effort is wasted sorting through unwanted or dangerous 'donations' at sites of disasters.(Not that anything so far on this thread falls into this category)

Those shelterbox's look really useful and seem to be tailed to the needs of that country from reading the blurb.

This is the website which GP mentioned on the u-tube video GM has just linked to, if anyone is interested. Articles

Haven't read all the posts so sure someone's already said this but if you're not working and have a joint account with a working partner better for them to do the donation so DEC can reclaim the tax.

The international organisation Avaaz is raising funds to go to local community organisations in Haiti. They say

"Based on expert advice from leading humanitarian NGOs who have been working in Haiti for over 30 years, we'll offer donations to trusted local organizations, including:

1. Honor and Respect for Bel Air, a big community-based network in Haiti?s capital Port-au-Prince, which is also supported by our friends at the respected Brazilian NGO Viva Rio
2. Coordination Régionale des Organisations de Sud-Est (CROSE), which brings together some of the most active community groups in the South of Haiti where the earthquake struck hardest. These groups include: women's groups, schools networks and local cooperatives"

Link here secure.avaaz.org/en/stand_with_haiti/

they were collecting outside our local tesco today for the shelter boxes and they had one on display,they look really really usefull.

I think basic equipment and medical care are what is needed most followed by rebuilding soon.

Not Nestle's Formula

GreenMonkies thought you might like the link

Babieseverywhere

head

desk

thud

Mmm, maybe 'like' was a bad phrase.

Have donated through DEC, will have a look at the Shelterbox website too as they sound like a very useful thing to send in such a crisis

thank you for the links, have donated to save the children. can't bear to watch the coverage or even hear on the radio - find all such news really hard to deal with since having a baby. does this even fade?

Thanks for this thread. I wasn't sure who best to donate to but thanks to the info here have just donated to DEC.

Is anyone else struggling to explain this to their children? DD(3) is quite scared about it. She is quite thoughtful for her age about things like death. I have explained things simply and been reassuring, and don't have the news on very much. But she checked 'are they real people or is this pretend?' so I obviously had to be truthful.

Re. compassion fatigue, I have to say I know bog all about Haiti but thats irrelevant, people suffering are people suffering aren't they.

Whoever asked about not being able to deal with news when you have a new baby, its really common and it does get easier as they grow. Its never quite the same though, which is probably a good thing.

Went to Oxfam gave bits & Bobs plus cash. Very easy. Fimble Hi, I have not told Ds he is 5 yrs. He was upset by Polar Bears never mind other little children. We do explain that other children are not as lucky and we explain but not with pictures.