The letter below came from a friend of mine, who has heard the call of her heart to respond to the tragedy in Haiti, and is now taking inspired action. Iinvite you all to read it and follow your heart. Blessings, Christian
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Salutations!
I hope this mail finds you in good spirits and good health.
As some of you already know, I have deep roots in Haiti. My mother is from this desperately impoverished nation. I have many close relatives in Port-au-Prince, Pétionville, and other earthquake affected areas. We had heard from only a few in the first hours. Since then, very little. The rest of my family we have no information on and it’s extremely hard to get information. On an ordinary day these people have little (if anything) to eat, little or no water, electricity, or much of anything else.
On FM4′s Reality Check, I listened to reports that motivated me to ask you all to give a little help. Whether it’s 50 Euros or 5 Euros, how ever much or what little you can give, ANY donation amount would be helpful. On the FM4/ORF homepage there are HELP-FUL links (in Austria) to a number of organizations you can donate to. You could choose one and take 5 minutes to TAKE ACTION. For those of you in the U.S., U.K. or elsewhere, I am sure there is an adequate data base of charities to choose from, but some i’ve donated to in the past include: UNICEF, World Food Programme, and The Red Cross to name a few.
I urge you to listen to this podcast to get a sense of what is going on there.
Jimmy Felter director of Voice of Haiti reported, ”…If we do not help Haiti, Haiti will collapse, and an amazing culture, an amazing group of people will disappear off the face of this earth. [It's] the extinction of people now, and cultures, it’s not just animals…”
IT’S MY BELIEF THE ABOVE QUOTE IS NOT AN EXAGGERATION.
The Haitian people have been struggling for decades. The cries that are heard are often blocked by bureaucracy (as the cries of so many people are). The politics of Haiti are complex to say the least (my cousin was prime minister, a great hope, but short-lived, up until November). I believe now, in the face of this tremendous apocalyptic event, the Haitian folks will finally, directly receive the help they have been in need of for so long. So please do not hesitate to give.
I realize we are all trying to make ends meet while the the cost of living is so high these days. And i also know we all have our own daily ‘natural disasters’ to deal with. ; ) So i am very grateful for anything you feel you can do.
I am still trying to think of other ways i could help. Any ideas are welcome. One idea is to offer my shopping tours 1/2 price to anyone who makes a donation of 20 Euros or more to this cause. Please pass it on. Contact me at office@shoppingwithlucie.com for details. Perhaps if you, or someone you know, has a special talent, you might think of ways to share it and generate funds for this worthy cause.
Well, that’s about it for now. I deeply appreciate any step you take or effort you make in helping HAITI.
Sincerely yours,
Lucie
Peace, Love and Blessings to you and those you love in 2010!