UNICEF: Haiti Earthquake Emergency Alert

I'm reposting this information from UNICEF on the Haiti eartquake and UNICEF's mission to provide immediate relief to the victims. Please follow the link to read the full story, then act immediately to help save lives.

Donations are urgently needed for earthquake victims following a 7.0 earthquake in Haiti, leaving hundreds of thousands dead and many more injured, homeless and still trapped in the rubble. UNICEF has more than sixty years of proven results in acting quickly and effectively to help victims of natural disasters, without regard to race, religion or country of origin, and completely free of political interests.

Please go here to make a secure donation at the UNICEF site: Earthquake in Haiti: Donate Now

From UNICEF:

UNICEF gears up relief efforts for earthquake-stricken Haiti

PANAMA CITY, Panama, 13 January 2010 – Despite heavy damages to its own offices in Port-au-Prince, UNICEF is ready to provide immediate support to the victims of the unfolding humanitarian crisis following the earthquake that hit Haiti yesterday.

"While relief efforts have begun, communications are extremely difficult and accurate information is still scarce," UNICEF Executive Director Ann M. Veneman said in a statement this morning. "It is clear that the consequences are severe and many children are among the victims," she added. "Our hearts go out to the families whose lives have been so terribly impacted by this tragedy."

Veneman noted that UNICEF will deploy essential aid – including safe water, sanitation supplies, therapeutic foods, medical supplies and temporary shelter materials – as quickly as possible to assist with recovery efforts. "We will also be focusing on children who have become separated from their families to protect them from harm or exploitation," she said.

While confirming that all UNICEF staff in Port-au-Prince have been accounted for, despite severe damage to their premises and communication facilities, Veneman indicated that others in Haiti have been less fortunate. She said UNICEF was "greatly concerned for our colleagues from the United Nations mission, MINUSTAH, many of whom are still missing."

Constant struggle

The situation of children and women in Haiti was already marked by great vulnerability before the earthquake hit the island. Haiti is one of the poorest countries on earth. It ranks 148th out of 179 countries on the UNDP’s Human Development Index; is struggling to recover from years of violence, insecurity and instability; and has a long history of being struck by one natural disaster after another.

Read more at UNICEF, then make a secure donation at the UNICEF site: Earthquake in Haiti: Donate Now