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AAI Joins Call to Send Relief to Haiti

AAI
Posted on Tuesday January 19, 2010

The Arab American Institute is deeply saddened by the devastation inflicted on the people of Haiti and expresses sympathy for the earthquake victims and their families.

AAI urges support for the relief effort and encourages our members to contribute to this urgent effort.

The White House has issued the following information about how you can help:

In these first critical hours, we are focusing on saving lives and supporting recovery, but we know that several of you are pooling resources and supplies in your own communities.

For the most up to date information throughout the coming days please continue to monitor http://www.whitehouse.gov/HaitiEarthquake

A top priority is accounting for the thousands of American citizens who are currently in Haiti. Families of Americans living in Haiti who are trying to find the status of their loved ones are encouraged to contact the State Department at 1-888-407-4747. This line is experiencing a high volume of calls at this time, so we ask for your continued patience.

Cash donations are the most efficient and effective way to help the relief effort in Haiti right now. They allow humanitarian organizations to purchase (often within the affected region itself) the exact type and quantity of items needed by those affected by the crisis. Read about the advantages of monetary donations here. You can immediately donate to the Red Cross to assist the relief effort. Contribute online to the Red Cross, or donate $10 to be charged to your cell phone bill by texting “HAITI” to “90999.” You can also find more ways to help through the Center for International Disaster Information.

We ask that you keep track of offers of in kind services and supplies being offered in your communities in the coming days so that as needs on the ground are assessed we can quickly turn around the resources and get them to Haiti. Those looking to donate time, supplies or funds should contact the Center for International Disaster Information (CIDI) at 703-276-1914, or visit them online at http://www.cidi.org/incident/haiti-10a/

USAID also has an interactive website for a list of NGOs and instructions on how to help: http://www.usaid.gov