(from the Unicef website)
Five days on, UNICEF and its partners are intensifying emergency operations to protect the health and safety of children at risk. One critical concern involves children who have become separated from their families and may find themselves without shelter, food, water or other basic necessities. Because children are particularly susceptible to diarrhoeal diseases, they urgently need access to safe water and proper sanitation in the immediate aftermath of disasters such as the Haiti earthquake.
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To help meet the needs of these and other children in Haiti – where almost half the population is under 18 years of age – UNICEF is sending supplies to the quake zone as quickly as possible. Besides supplies that were already in the country, aid is coming from UNICEF's pre-positioned regional stocks in Panama. Additional shipments are being dispatched from the agency's central warehouse in Copenhagen, Denmark.
This is what I like about Unicef - immediate and swift action.
Future donation considerations include Heifer.org - their focus is on rebuilding and self sufficiency. Catholic Relief Fund may be another - I think this is very appropos since the population is largely in Haiti, in addition to the good work they do. Doctors without Borders I will also give to, althought I did not see a special fund dedicated to Haiti.
This time, I am dependent on organizations to provide aide. I've helped with house-builds in Mexico and in Long Beach, I've soliciting donations for the Tsunami, donated time for the Red Cross but the time that I felt most useful, was when I flew myself to San Antonio to provide hands-on help at one of the shelters to the evacuees from Hurricane Katrina. The feeling of contributing and of providing some level of comfort to those who have suffered devastating loss, is a gift.
