Haiti Earthquake: How You Can Help Victims

Jan. 18, 2010 — -- After a magnitude 7.0 earthquake rocked Haiti 10 miles from the capital of Port-au-Prince last week, the United States and countries around the world turned their focus to helping earthquake victims in need.

Americans have donated $150 million to Haiti; $12 million of that from text donations collected by the Red Cross, according to the Chronicle of Philanthropy.And some of that aid is finally starting to reach Haitians on the ground. More than 600,000 humanitarian food rations have been brought into Haiti and 52 water distribution points have been established, according to the United States Agency for International Development.

The United Nations served food and water to 50,000 Haitians Saturday in Port-au-Prince.

If you want to get involved and donate to the relief effort, the following organizations are providing aid.

Click here for full coverage of the quake and its aftermath.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called the earthquake a "catastrophic" event and said the United States would "provide both civilian and military disaster relief and humanitarian assistance."

In a blog post on the U.S. State Department Web site, Clinton's Chief of Staff Cheryl Mills called for those wanting to help to donate $10 by texting "HAITI" to "90999." The $10 donation will go automatically to the Red Cross "to help with relief efforts" and will be charged directly to your cell phone bill, the Web site said.

For more information, click here to visit the U.S. State Department Web site.

The American Red Cross has raised more than $60 million dollars so far, and it plans to spend much more on the relief effort. The American Red Cross has partnered with the Haitian Red Cross, which is leading the response efforts.

The American Red Cross offers several ways to donate to various funds, including international relief to Haiti.

Click here to visit the American Red Cross Web site to find out more or donate online.

Those who wish to donate by phone can dial (800) Red Cross or (800) 257-7575.

Those who wish to donate by mail can do so by contacting their local Red Cross chapter or by mailing a donation to the following address:

American Red Cross
P.O. Box 37243
Washington D.C. 20013

Save the Children has been working in Haiti since 1985 and has offices in earthquake-ravaged Port-au-Prince.

The agency was already sending out teams by motorbike in Port-au-Prince the morning after the quake hit, and flew in additional staff to help support the emergency response.

"We're providing medicine, food and medical care," the group's president and CEO Charles MacCormack said on "GMA" today. "We have child protection teams on the scene, because a lot of children were separated from their parents."

MacCormack had just returned from Haiti and said he was "really moved by the resilience in the Haitian people." His group recovered an 18-month-old baby from the rubble over the weekend.

For more information, or to donate, click HERE.

Former president Bill Clinton is the United Nations special envoy to Haiti. At the request of President Obama, former presidents Clinton and George W. Bush have teamed up to help provide both immediate and long-term relief to earthquake victims.

Click here to donate to the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund.

Catholic Relief Services made an initial $5 million commitment for emergency supplies and sent water purification tablets, plastic sheeting, hygiene kits and mosquito nets to Haiti from the Dominican Republic, according to its Web site.

Click here to find out how to help Catholic Relief Services.

CLICK HERE for information on safely making charitable donations during a crisis.

For more resources on how to help, please visit Whitehouse.gov.

Mercy Corps
Dept W
P.O. Box 2669
Portland, OR 97208-2669

Shortly following the quake's eruption, the U.S. division of UNICEF issued a statement on its blog calling attention to some of the smallest victims of the emergency.

"Children are always the most vulnerable population in any natural disaster, and UNICEF is there for them," the statement said.

UNICEF invited people to give by mail by printing out a form on its Web site, which you can find by clicking here.

Those interested in donating can also call (800) For Kids or (800) 367-5437.

Click here for more information from the UNICEF Web site or donate online.

Food for the Hungry has staff located near the earthquake and in neighboring Dominican Republic, according to the organization's Web site.

The site calls on visitors to donate to "help us respond now."

Click here to learn more and find out how to donate online.

The Salvation Army mobilized resources and personnel to assist with the international relief effort in Haiti.

The group has been working in Haiti since 1950. At present, they operates schools, clinics, a hospital, feeding programs, children's homes and church-related activities in Port-au-Prince.They planned to send more than 44,000 pounds of pre-packaged emergency rations to the country, along with emergency disaster teams.

Click here to visit the Salvation Army Web site to learn more and donate.

977 Centerville Turnpike

Virginia Beach, Va. 23463

(757) 226-3401

Click here to learn more and find out how to help.

The mission of Action Against Hunger is to save lives by eliminating hunger through the prevention, detection and treatment of malnutrition, especially during and after emergency situations of conflict, war and natural disaster.Click here to learn more about what Action Against Hunger is doing in Haiti and find out how to help.