Haiti Quake Please Help! Forum

[crackberry]

Gave $10 yesterday

[superflush]

I don't know whether this has been said yet or not, but the donations through text messages could reportedly take three months to reach the charities, because the phone companies won't donate until after that billing cycle's balance has been paid. I would donate through the Internet before doing so with a text message.

I did hear this from a guy on CNN (he was with the massive touchscreen computer). ...
Lisa Szarkowski of UNICEF said on CNN that the money "is converted into aid within hours." (Referring to online donations).

Here is a GigaOm article about the delays from SMS donations (from a few days ago): http://gigaom.com/2010/01/14/haiti-text ... ay-delays/

[OperaSoprano]

Updated. I seriously cannot believe how generous you guys have been.

[vanwinkle]

I don't know whether this has been said yet or not, but the donations through text messages could reportedly take three months to reach the charities, because the phone companies won't donate until after that billing cycle's balance has been paid. I would donate through the Internet before doing so with a text message.

I did hear this from a guy on CNN (he was with the massive touchscreen computer). ...
Lisa Szarkowski of UNICEF said on CNN that the money "is converted into aid within hours." (Referring to online donations).

Here is a GigaOm article about the delays from SMS donations (from a few days ago): http://gigaom.com/2010/01/14/haiti-text ... ay-delays/

That article has been updated to show that Verizon is now forwarding money to charities immediately instead of making them wait 90 days to get it. I hope other carriers follow suit.

[OperaSoprano]

I don't know whether this has been said yet or not, but the donations through text messages could reportedly take three months to reach the charities, because the phone companies won't donate until after that billing cycle's balance has been paid. I would donate through the Internet before doing so with a text message.

I did hear this from a guy on CNN (he was with the massive touchscreen computer). ...
Lisa Szarkowski of UNICEF said on CNN that the money "is converted into aid within hours." (Referring to online donations).

Here is a GigaOm article about the delays from SMS donations (from a few days ago): http://gigaom.com/2010/01/14/haiti-text ... ay-delays/

That article has been updated to show that Verizon is now forwarding money to charities immediately instead of making them wait 90 days to get it. I hope other carriers follow suit.

Thank you for bumping this. I hope people continue to give, and let us know about their donations if they've already done so. Tomorrow I'm going to a meeting at my school about how we can better help the people effected by the quake. I'm really anxious about my loans, though. Once they get here, I can make a non-token donation.

[mbw]

Just a quick update to my previous post on the orphanage where my profs girls are located - the Salvation Army and Fox News reached them yesterday with supplies for a couple of days.

[OperaSoprano]

Just a quick update to my previous post on the orphanage where my profs girls are located - the Salvation Army and Fox News reached them yesterday with supplies for a couple of days.

My goodness, I hope they'll be okay. This is a really frightening time for everyone, and they are in our thoughts.

[LaffyTaffy]

IBTL

[superflush]

to yele as well, but I regret not putting that towards oxfam given recent news suggesting that although a legit organization, it does not have the capability to provide instant relief in this type of disaster)

For those wondering about Yele Haiti and why they aren't on Charity Navigator, Charity Navigator has a blog post about it today: http://blog.charitynavigator.org/2010/0 ... ation.html
Yele Haiti also had a press conference today.

[LaurenGayle]

Donated $10 on Wednesday. Would have updated earlier but I was out of the country.

Awesome job guys -- it's wonderful that we've raised so much!

[driveshaft]

Only just saw this thread, but donated $10 last week.

[OperaSoprano]

Updated! Thank you for your generosity.

[MBZags]

Put me down for $15.28 to PIH.

[OperaSoprano]

Updated. Thanks!

[GATORTIM]

I am blown away by the interwebz impact on donating...

This thread goes to show that no matter how small your donation, collectively these WILL SIGNIFICANTLY IMPACT the life of a family in Haiti.

[monkeygirl]

50 bucks to Oxfam.

It's a good thing I'm still working!

[Rocketman11]

Also don't forget to pay your phone bill. Phone companies wont send your money until you pay them first... which means Haiti wont get the money for a solid 30-90 days.

[killuminati]

Got this forwarded to me... A different account of what's going on in Haiti from a human rights worker there.

Today at 1:11pm

Subject: Kouraj cherie: Update from Port au Prince

January 19, 2010

This afternoon, feeling helpless, we decided to take a van down to Champs Mars (the area around the palace) to look for people needing medical care to bring to Matthew 25, the guesthouse where we are staying which has been transformed into a field hospital. Since we arrived in Port au Prince everyone has told us that you cannot go into the area around the palace because of violence and insecurity. I was in awe as we walked into downtown, among the flattened buildings , in the shadow of the fallen palace, amongst the swarms of displaced people there was calm and solidarity. We wound our way through the camp asking for injured people who needed to get to the hospital.
Despite everyone telling us that as soon as we did this we would be mobbed by people, I was amazed as we approached each tent people gently pointed us towards their neighbors, guiding us to those who were suffering the most. We picked up 5 badly injured people and drove towards an area where Ellie and Berto had passed a woman earlier. When they saw her she was lying on the side of the road with a broken leg screaming for help, as they were on foot they could not help her at the time so we went back to try to find her. Incredibly we found her relatively quickly at the top of a hill of shattered houses. The sun was setting and the community helped to carry her down the hill on a refrigerator door, tough looking guys smiled in our direction calling out “bonswa Cherie” and “kouraj”.

When we got back to Matthew 25 it was dark and we carried the patients back into the soccer field/tent village/hospital where the team of doctors had been working tirelessly all day. Although they had officially closed down for the evening, they agreed to see the patients we had brought. Once our patients were settled in we came back into the house to find the doctors amputating a foot on the dining room table. The patient lay calmly, awake but far away under the fog of ketamine. Half way through the surgery we heard a clamor outside and ran out to see what it was. A large yellow truck was parked in front of the gate and rapidly unloading hundreds of bags of food over our fence, the hungry crowd had already begun to gather and in the dark it was hard to decide how to best distribute the food.
Knowing that we could not sleep in the house with all of this food and so many starving people in the neighborhood, our friend Amber (who is experienced in food distribution) snapped into action and began to get everyone in the crowd into a line that stretched down the road. We braced ourselves for the fighting that we had heard would come but in a miraculous display of restraint and compassion people lined up to get the food and one by one the bags were handed out without a single serious incident.

During the food distribution the doctors called to see if anyone could help to bury the amputated leg in the backyard. As I have no experience with food distribution I offered to help with the leg. I went into the back with Ellie and Berto and we dug a hole and placed the leg in it, covering it with soil and cement rubble. By the time we got back into the house the food had all been distributed and the patient Anderson was waking up. The doctors asked for a translator so I went and sat by his stretcher explaining to him that the surgery had gone well and he was going to live. His family had gone home so he was alone so Ellie and I took turns sitting with him as he came out from under the drugs. I sat and talked to Anderson for hours as he drifted in and out of consciousness. At one point one of the Haitian men working at the hospital came in and leaned over Anderson and said to him in kreyol “listen man even if your family could not be here tonight we want you to know that everyone here loves you, we are all your brothers and sisters”. Cat and I have barely shed a tear through all of this, the sky could fall and we would not bat an eye, but when I told her this story this morning the tears just began rolling down her face, as they are mine as I am writing this. Sometimes it is the kindness and not the horror that can break the numbness that we are all lost in right now.

So, don’t believe Anderson Cooper when he says that Haiti is a hotbed for violence and riots, it is just not the case. In the darkest of times, Haiti has proven to be a country of brave, resilient and kind people and it is that behavior that is far more prevalent than the isolated incidents of violence. Please pass this on to as many people as you can so that they can see the light of Haiti, cutting through the darkness, the light that will heal this nation.

We are safe. We love you all and I will write again when I can.
Thank you for your generosity and compassion.

With love from Port au Prince,
Sasha

[OperaSoprano]

Just... wow.

Thank you for sharing this with us.

[LSHPFL10]

$10 to Direct Relief International.

TLS is doing a great thing, everyone.

[superflush]

Another $35 to the World Food Program. (Dave had Bettina Luescher from the WFP on tonight).

Also, a bunch of software developers have gotten together to donate their profits from the sales of their software from tomorrow (January 20th). So, if you are looking for any apps or software (looks like a bunch of iPhone apps & Mac software) on JAN 20, then head to: http://www.indierelief.com/
(there is some good stuff there. 2 of my favorite iPhone apps, Tweetie & Instapaper Pro are on there)

[OperaSoprano]

Updated, and thank you!

[wiseowl]

$20 from my otherwise worthless Westlaw points

[OperaSoprano]

Updated. <3

[vanwinkle]

$20 from my otherwise worthless Westlaw points

Holy cow, Westlaw is letting us donate points now too! $5 for every $250 points.

I just donated 1,750 points. That comes out to $35 to the Red Cross, added to what I've already donated.