Join the World in Supporting Haitian Earthquake Relief

Tuesday the Earth shook, and Haiti, our hemisphere's poorest country, felt the full brunt of our planet's shifting plates. If you're like me you probably already know how serious things are for the Haitian people, so I won't try and summarize what has been seen and heard on countless news reports.

But, I will ask you to pause, and to consider contributing to earthquake relief efforts. There are 100s of blogs around the world who've agreed to support this important appeal for funds, and Lerner's Notebook is one of them. I'm pasting below an article from WAMU 88.5 FM American University Radio. Normally, it's poor etiquette to cut and paste a whole article; in this case, I think it's the right thing to do, because it lists many worthy and trusted organizations now active in Haiti.

Haiti Earthquake Disaster Relief

The earthquake in Haiti – a 7.0 on the Richter scale – is a major humanitarian emergency and could be responsible for as many as 100,000 deaths when all the damage is assessed. Tens of thousands have been left homeless by the disaster.

Governments, organizations and nonprofits around the world are mobilizing to provide relief. If you would like to help, the American Red Cross is encouraging donations to its International Response Fund, which provides immediate relief and long-term support through supplies, technical assistance and other support. Also, Doctors Without Borders is in Haiti and is seeking volunteers and donations.

Organizations Helping With Haiti Relief

• American Red Cross
• Doctors Without Borders
• AmeriCares Disaster Relief
• International Medical Corps
• Mercy Corps
• Catholic Relief Services
• World Vision International
• UNICEF
• Oxfam
• Save the Children
• Yele Haiti
• Partners in Health
• The International Rescue Committee
• Samaritan's Purse
• Friends of WFP
• Feed My Starving Children