Responding to the earthquake in Haiti

People are beginning to mobilize for what is clearly a disaster of epic proportion. Here are some organizations that have long had relationships with Haiti, and which have put up some rapid response calls:

• Donations to American Jewish World Service’s "Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund" will enable AJWS's network of grantees in Haiti to meet the urgent needs of the population based on real-time, on-the-ground assessments;
• Catholic Relief Services is also organizing its office in Haiti, and has announced an appeal for donations to deal with the chaos;
• Islamic Relief has launched an appeal for £1 million to respond to the disaster;
• Oxfam America, which has launched an immediate appeal is seeking donations, as they prepare to rush teams from around the region to help provide clean water, emergency shelter, and sanitation;
• Doctors Without Borders teams, who were already working on medical projects Haiti, have treated hundreds of people injured in the quake despite the destruction of medial centers and hospitals;
• Direct Relief International is responding to the disaster by sending emergency medical supplies to all their local partners;
• CARE is mobilizing donors to help send immediate supplies and aid down to the country;
• AmeriCares is taking donations to help get emergency medical supplies down to Haiti, and has agreed to pledge upwards of $5 million in order to help with the chaos.
• The ELCA is also helping to organize relief funds </ul>

  We -- that is Luther -- have a group of students in Haiti right now, but we have heard that they are ok. More information about them is available online as well, but apparently there's almost no way to contact them directly at present.

  (Hat tip to the IFYC for this donation information)