Posted on Thursday, 14th January 2010 by Catherine
If you stop for just one moment, if you turn on your TV, or spend any time online, you can’t help but get absorbed into the crisis in Haiti. I have to admit I am NOT a news watcher. I catch highlights online now and again but I just don’t keep up very well with day to day news. Yesterday and today I spent a fair amount of time just listening, watching and trying to imagine what it must be like to be in Haiti in the wake of such tragedy.
CNN reported:
Port-au-Prince, Haiti (CNN) — Haiti’s capital awoke to increasing desperation Thursday morning, a day and a half after a devastating earthquake, with covered bodies piling up along streets and modern aspects of life, such as electricity, mostly missing.
The streets of Port-au-Prince resembled grainy black-and-white newsreels from World War II that showed the rubble of bombed-out houses in Berlin and London. The devastation was wide and often horrific.
Flattened and severely damaged houses were found on every block, and the streets were choked with pedestrians and residents. They set up overnight camps and slept by the thousands in dark and crowded parks and on sidewalks, for fear of being inside if another powerful quake hit.
Numerous aftershocks have rattled the capital.
The photos and video are down right devastating. It breaks my heart to see a country suffer like this. If you are anything like me you might have a fleeting thought about wishing you could “do something”. You may feel helpless or think that your contribution would not make an impact.
Who can you trust? There are already rumors about Haiti scams. The FBI says in its advisory.”Make contributions directly to known organizations rather than relying on others to make the donation on your behalf to ensure contributions are received and used for intended purposes.”
It is so sad that people would take advantage of an emotionally charged world right now and try to take money that was donated to help the people of Haiti.
If want to help consider making a donation to Compassion. I trust them. I have blogger friends who sponsor Compassion Children and have come to know this organization a bit over the past few months.
Compassion International exists as a Christian child advocacy ministry that releases children from spiritual, economic, social and physical poverty and enables them to become responsible, fulfilled Christian adults.
Founded by the Rev. Everett Swanson in 1952, Compassion began providing Korean War orphans with food, shelter, education and health care, as well as Christian training.
Today, Compassion helps more than 1 million children in 25 countries.
Compassion’s work in Haiti began in 1968. Currently, more than 62,900 children participate in more than 225 child development centers. Compassion partners with churches to help them provide Haitian children with the opportunity to rise above their circumstances and become all God has created them to be.
If you can, consider making a donation to Compassion and helping those in dire need. Every little bit helps. Don’t do it because “everyone” else is on the let’s help Haiti wagon, do it because YOU want to.
If you decide to donate you are wearing your compassion shoes and they will probably bring you peace and a little bit of satisfaction. Doing good for others is a very important piece of your “shoe story.”
