January
13, 2010
Haiti
Earthquake Appeal
In response to the humanitarian crisis provoked
in Haiti by the serious earthquake on Tuesday, January
12, The United Church of Canada is appealing for
donations to support relief and reconstruction efforts.
The church has already committed $20,000 to relief
efforts by partners in the region. Hundreds, maybe
thousands, of people were buried alive when a major
earthquake struck Port-au-Prince, the capital of
impoverished Haiti on Tuesday.
The
magnitude 7.0 quake sent panic-stricken people into
the streets. Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive said
he fears more than 100,000 have been killed. Members
of ACT Alliance ACT Alliance (the network of churches
and Christian aid agencies that enables global responses
to emergencies) are already in place, assisting
those affected by the earthquake.
The
ACT Secretariat in Geneva is coordinating the relief
operations of its members, and more details will
follow in the coming days. In response to the disaster,
Canada has pledged $5 million in humanitarian aid
to Haiti and deployed a reconnaissance team to the
region to determine whether to send the military's
Disaster Assistance Response Team, known as DART.
United Church Partners Affected In recent decades,
The
United Church of Canada has worked with two partners
in Haiti: Karl Lévêque Cultural Institute (ICKL)
The Methodist Church of Haiti (a district of the
regional Methodist Church of the Caribbean and the
Americas) How United Church People Can Help Pray:
From the General Council Office, our thoughts and
prayers go out to our sisters and brothers who have
been affected by the earthquake. United Church members
across Canada are urged also to pray for the people
who live in affected communities. (See the prayer
suggestion, below.)
Donate:
You may make a donation in either of two ways: Support
the Emergency
Response Fund of The United Church of Canada.
Designate a gift for the “Haiti Appeal.” Funds collected
will be shared directly with networks in the region.
Cheques and online
donations should be made payable to The
United Church of Canada and marked "Haiti Appeal."
The
funds will be treated as “designated gifts.” Please
note: Designated gifts cannot be counted as M&S
Fund credits. However, they are eligible for tax
receipts. Congregational treasurers may receive
and receipt individual cheques and then forward
one congregational cheque to the United Church.