Haiti Donation Appeal

1. THE Malaysian Red Crescent Society (MRCS)

THE Malaysian Red Crescent Society (MRCS) is appealing to Malaysians to help raise USD10 million for the earthquake victims of Haiti.

Launched by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, it is aimed at helping 20,000 families, comprising some 100,000 beneficiaries, badly hit by the devastating natural disaster that struck the Caribbean island last Tuesday.

The funds will go towards supporting relief operations, such as building temporary shelters, restoring water and sanitation facilities, and providing medical care and psychological support for victims.

Donations can be made in cheques or cash and sent to :

The National Honorary Secretary,
Malaysian Red Crescent Society,
National Headquarters,
32, Jalan Nipah, off Jalan Ampang,
55000 Kuala Lumpur.

Cheques should be made out to the 'MRCS International Relief Fund'. On the back of cheque, write 'HAITI EARTHQUAKE' or bank in to MRCS' Maybank Account No. 514422102657.

The donations are entitled for tax- exemption.


2. World Vision

Malaysians who wish to donate towards Haiti Earthquake can download an Emergency Relief Donation form from www.worldvision.com.my or call World Vision Malaysia at Tel: 03-7880-6414. Cheques should be made payable to “World Vision Malaysia Berhad” with the words “Haiti Earthquake” written at the back of the cheque.



If you are not from Malaysia: Please visit the following websites and donate now:

American Red Cross - http://www.redcross.org
Unicef - http://www.unicef.org
United Nations - http://www.un.org/es/
Clinton Bush Haiti Fund - http://www.clintonbushhaitifund.org
Care - http:/www.care.org
World Vision - http://www.worldvision.org
Save The Children - http://www.savethechildren.org



Donate to United Nation : Help the UN help Haiti

* Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF)- The Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) is a humanitarian funding mechanism established by the United Nations to enable more timely and reliable assistance to victims of natural disasters and armed conflicts.

* UN Foundation- The UN Foundation, a public charity, was created in 1998 with entrepreneur and philanthropist Ted Turner’s historic $1 billion gift to support UN causes and activities.

* UNHCR - The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

* WFP(World Food Program)- the United Nations frontline agency in the fight against global hunge. Official website: http://www.wfp.org/haiti



Precaution: Avoid Online scams

Online scams exploiting the Haitian earthquake, including spam e-mail messages soliciting for donations, have been identified by security company Symantec Corp. Scammers are indeed are a quick thinker taking advantage of situation fast to make money online.

Any money sent according to the instructions in the scam e-mail messages will not help anyone in Haiti, it will end up in the pockets of cybercriminals.

Symantec advises those who want to make donations online to avoid clicking on links in e-mail or Instant Messaging messages because these could lead to spoofed websites.

The security experts suggest typing the web address of the charity organisation directly into your browser rather than clicking on links within messages.

Never fill out forms in messages that ask for personal or financial information, or passwords, because a reputable charitable organisation is unlikely to ask for such data via e-mail.

More information can be be found at the Symantec blog, http://bit.ly/5Qkerz.

Read more: http://www.blogtactic.com/2010/01/online-scams-exploiting-haitian.html

It is also wise to donate ONLY to appeals by Charitable Organization of reputable names; and avoid unknown organizations and personal appeals.

For guide to intelligent giving, visit http://www.charitynavigator.com. Charity Navigator, is America's premier independent charity evaluator, works to advance a more efficient and responsive philanthropic marketplace by evaluating the financial health of over 5,400 of America's largest charities. They will help you to become intelligent giver,and ensure your donation will reach the organization and for the purpose of your donation. This is USA based evaluator.