Texting Help to Haiti

Over the past day and a half, it's been difficult to comprehend the horror of what's happened in Haiti. Seeing photos and eyewitness reports flood in, I, like a lot of people, have wanted to do something to help.

One thing I have been able to do is contribute a little money to the Red Cross, which is undertaking a massive rescue and recovery effort in Port-au-Prince right now. Thanks to the hard and generous work on the part of folks at mGive, the Office of Innovation at the State Department, and certain wireless carriers, it's possible to make an easy $10 donation via your mobile phone.

If you text "Haiti" to the shortcode 90999, a $10 donation will immediately transfer to the Red Cross, and the charge will show up automatically on your monthly wireless bill. Again thanks to the people and organizations above, no fees will be applied, and 100% of the donation will go to support the people of Haiti.

I would encourage everyone who can spare the $10 to make a donation immediately.  We're in a narrow window in this rescue effort, and your money could help save someone's life. 48 hours from now, that might not be true.

To learn more about what's been happening in Haiti, and how else you can help, I'd encourage you to check out this page put together by our friends at MobileActive.  It's one of the more comprehensive efforts I've seen, with a particular focus on telecom issues following on the earthquake.

At NDN, our thoughts are with the victims and their families.