Haitian Relief

The reports have been vague but its estimated that over a hundred thousand people lost their lives due to the earthquake in Haiti. Haiti is one of the poorest countries (if not the poorest) in the world and doesn't have the resources to cope with a disaster of this multitude. I also know that too many people here in the US aren't in the position to give charitable donations due to the recession. I simply wanted to make you aware of a few lesser known organizations for donations should you be in a position to make one.

Since this blog focuses primarily on fashion and the arts, here are two charities related to those fields.

The Yele Haiti is an organization which was founded by musician Wyclef Jean, who is a Haitian native and goodwill ambassador. From their website: "Yele was coined by Wyclef in a song and means "a cry for freedom." The logo means STOP THE VIOLENCE with one hand, PEACE with the other... while the heart is LOVE". You can donate $5 by texting: YELE to 501501. See their site if you wish to donate a different amount: http://www.yele.org/

"Fashion Delivers" is a fashion industry charity that came about to see if the industry could come together and do something for the victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. From their website: "The mission of Fashion Delivers Charitable Foundation, Inc. is to unify the men’s and women’s apparel and home industries to donate new product in order to aid victims of disasters and individuals in need throughout the year."(Yoo hoo, H&M did you hear that? Not to mention all the other companies caught doing the same this past week!) You can also donate money if you are not a retailer or manufacturer by going to their website: http://www.fashiondelivers.org/

"Artists for Peace and Justice", from their site: "If you are asking yourself what you can do, they desperately need emergency cash - any amount. Get it to us, and we will get a hundred percent of it into the hands of Father Rick and his team, to help dig people out of the collapsed hospital and schools, to buy emergency medicine, to supply badly needed water and food, to help fly in doctors for the wounded children, and so much more." Go to their website to donate: http://www.artistsforpeaceandjustice.com/

What follows are some other ways to find charities that are also working on Haitian relief.

Doctors Without Borders. Click on the graphic above to go to their website and donate.

"Google Crisis Response" page has many different charities listed: http://www.google.com/relief/haitiearthquake/

On CNN's "Impact Your World" page they've put the charities into categories listing what they are providing such as food, shelter, etc., also including links to each charity's site: http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2007/impact/

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