Dangling Feet, Kerala; Courtesy of Taylor Davidson on Flickr
Shocking: The floods in Pakistan are affecting more than six times the number of people affected by the Haiti earthquake. I’ve been looking for ways to give back to help Pakistan. Where to give, where to donate, where to direct people and I came across a few great lists and posts, especially one from The Women’s Conference blog. There is a lot of dialogue about why more people haven’t stepped up to help Pakistan, especially this article from the BBC which points to everything from the media portrayal of Pakistan to threats of terrorism. But let’s be honest, people hurting need the help of those who have the ability to help. Those who are displaced have nothing. Think about what hardship they are certainly experiencing and then please consider taking a moment to donate what you can or help spread the word.
The flooding – which has now affected 20 million people, eight million of whom need urgent aid – washed away infrastructure and has since destroyed much of the country’s farming industry, which employs almost half of the country’s workers.
Pakistan needs our help. Here’s a few ways as to how:
UNICEF: 6 million children have been affected by the floods. Help UNICEF provide them with water, food and medical services.
Red Cross: Red Cross is on the ground, providing relief supplies, mobilizing relief workers and providing financial resources to those in need.
Save the Children: Save the Children is rushing essential supplies to children and their families.
Oxfam: Oxfam is providing hygiene, household and clean up kits to families in Pakistan.
Here are two ways to donate via texting:
- Text “swat” to 50555 — this sends a $10 donation to the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees that will go toward providing tents, food, clothing, and clean water. (Reply with “yes” to confirm the gift.)
- Text FLOODS to 864233 — this helps get relief DIRECTLY to the CHILDREN of Pakistan by sending a $10 donation to UNICEF.
Find more ways to contribute on Yahoo and also on Tonic.
Sloane Berrent is a cause-based marketing and social branding consultant, nonprofiteer and budding social entrepreneur. She uses social media, product evangelizing, fundraising and community development services to help for-profit and nonprofit companies with a focus on social action campaigns. Originally from Pittsburgh, PA, she has lived in Burlington VT, Boston MA, Rome Italy, and Los Angeles, CA. She spent 2009 as a digital nomad, traveling the world experiencing life and volunteering including stints in South America, New Orleans and three months in the Philippines as a Kiva Fellow.
She co-created “Cause It’s My Birthday” a campaign to raise money (over $19k to date) and awareness for malaria prevention in Ghana. Sloane moved to New Orleans as her new home at the end of 2009 and co-launched NOLAlicious, a weekly newsletter of events in New Orleans. She was recently named the citizen journalist to attend the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland for the MySpace and The Wall Street Journal communities. Her consulting practice, Answer With Action, focuses on strategic integrated marketing consulting. She speaks frequently on building community and blogs at The Causemopolitan.
