United Way’s Response to Haiti
Donations can be made through your local United Way of Porter County or by: www.unitedway.org/haiti
Text-to-Give: In the U.S., $5 donations can be made by texting HAITI to 864833 (“United”). Standard text messaging rates apply.
From the United Way Worldwide
Colleagues:
“There is an outpouring of support by United Ways around the world in response to the devastation in Haiti. Below is a review of our worldwide response.
Haiti Recover and Rebuild: United Way’s Response
The United Way system worldwide and its corporate partners are responding with immediate efforts and preparing for recovery and long-term rebuilding.
United Way’s role is to support long-term recovery efforts to rebuild lives and communities devastated by the disaster and to address educational, financial and health-related challenges.
United Way Worldwide has created the United Way Worldwide Disaster Fund, introduced a text-to-give program, and is coordinating the integration of efforts from United Ways around the world, in cooperation with our corporate partners and other NGOs. United Way Worldwide is working with the U.S. government – the White House, Congress, State Department, Department of Homeland Security, USAID – to incent non-taxable donations to Haiti (to ensure policy makers understand the critical donation curve, and that time is of the essence), and to underscore the vital role of U.S. and international NGOs in Haiti’s long-term recovery.
Immediate Response in the Region
United Ways in Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago, St. Thomas-St. John and St. Croix are providing food, water, and other donated goods and building supplies in cooperation with corporate partners. First responders have been activated and physicians have traveled to Haiti.
There is an outpouring of support by United Ways around the world. For example, the China Charity Federation (the United Way in China) has been appointed by the Chinese government to receive public donations for Haiti. In Israel, United Way is partnering with the country’s leading social organizations to establish a field hospital in Port-au-Prince. United Way Brasil is working with corporate partners to collect financial donations, as well as organizing food and clothing drives. From Guatemala, United Way is providing food and drinking water.
Mobilization of Corporate Partners Globally
Together with our corporate partners around the world we are mobilizing and engaging their employees to contribute financial donations (with many companies matching each gift), as well as food, clothing and cleaning supplies. Corporations are also making financial contributions, and offering in-kind donations of medicines, logistics services, food, water and travel. These corporate partners include Automatic Data Processing, Aetna, CIT, Citigroup, Cummins, Delphi, Eaton, IBM, Kellogg Company, Microsoft, Nationwide Insurance, New York Life Insurance Company, PepsiCo, Pfizer, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Principal Financial Group and Qwest.
Support in U.S. Communities with Large Haitian Populations
United Way has activated its 2-1-1 calling center, which provides critical, life-saving resources in communities throughout the U.S., particularly those with large Haitian populations, as well as a means to reach out and help people back home in Haiti.
Repatriation, refugees and adoptees are being anticipated in many U.S. communities. Initially, United Way will work to provide for immediate needs, most notably emergency shelter, food and clothing, as well as other services such as emergency health care and family reunification. Longer-term support includes transitioning refugees from emergency shelters into appropriate housing and establishing a system of social services to help refugees settle in the community of their choice and achieve self-sufficiency.
This support is similar to what United Way provided in the U.S. following Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
Recovery and Long-Term Rebuilding
United Way’s long-term response will be coordinated through our members in the Caribbean and Puerto Rico. Our members are working with Haitian community networks to help assess their needs. We expect that process to continue for some time, given the extent of the devastation. United Way will focus on education, income and health, helping reestablish the educational and health infrastructure of Haitian communities, and work to improve the income-earning potential of Haitian families.
United Way will draw upon its experience and long history of disaster support including the South Asian Tsunami in 2004, Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the 2008 earthquake in China, and Typhoon Morakot in 2009.
We look forward to creating partnerships with governments, aid institutions, corporations, foundations and private citizens across the world to help rebuild Haiti.”
Thank you for your continued support to your local United Way’s and The United Way WorldWide.
