As everyone surely knows, at 5:14 p.m. on Jan. 12, 2009 - a magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck southern Haiti, as reported by the U.S. Geological Survey. The quake affected roughly one in three Haitians - about 3 million people, the Red Cross estimated. It was so strong that it was felt in Cuba, more than 200 miles away. Precise casualty estimates have been impossible to determine. Haitian President Rene Preval said Wednesday he had heard estimates of up to 50,000 dead, but that it was too early to know for sure. The Haitian Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive said he worries that several hundred thousand people were killed. Devastated, Haiti is in dire need of global assistance.In true Girl Scout form, there are already reports of Troops pitching in time and energy to the relief efforts. In Illinois, The Fox Valley Villages Sun is reporting on a Girl Scout troop that packed a mix of rice, soy, dried vegetables and chicken flavoring Wednesday to send to the young victims of the devastating earthquake.
Elsewhere across The United States, hundreds of thousands of people have already donated money using Text-based fundraising - which is all about immediacy. Time is reporting that as of 3pm Wednesday afternoon, An American Red Cross Text Donation system had raised over $800,000. The system is extremely convenient whereas you don't even need to plug in your credit card info - the donation amount is simply added to your next phone bill. It's quick and convenient, so you can give in the moment. There's no chance of you forgetting to do it later.
For those individuals looking for more ways to help, I've compiled a list of resources below:
- Yele Haiti
- American Red Cross
- Mercy Corps
- National Nurses United
- Unicef
- AmeriCares
- Doctors Without Borders
- United Way Worldwide Disaster Fund
- CARE