Haiti: How we can help

A major 7.0 earthquake near the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince has brought incredible tragedy to an island nation that has already suffered interminable sadness, injustice and instability. The United Nations is releasing $10 million immediately from its Central Emergency Relief Fund to assist Haiti.

Those concerned in Chicago are already reacting and spreading the word about raising relief funds—often through Twitter. Many Twitter users are also asking individuals to contribute through text-message campaigns. The Red Cross has already raised $800,000 for Haiti through a text-message campaign.

Here are some sample tweets on Haiti donations:

Wycelf Jean is encouraging people to text "Yéle" to 501501, which will automatically donate $5 to the Yéle Haiti Earthquake Fund
(wyclef)

@haitian_jane Sweet Nicks Caribbean will be taking food/clothes/donation..741 w. howard-evanston 847-869-7172

Megacorp WalMart has pledged $600,000 for Haiti relief and set up a page for customers to donate for nonprofit efforts in Haiti.

Pat Robertson, showing that he has even less class than we thought possible, has said that Haitian rebels swore a pact with the devil to defeat the French and the country has been cursed.

Mashable has 9 ways to help Haiti now.

CNN has a list of resources rated by CharityNavigator.

Those wanting to aid in relief efforts can also text "HAITI" to 90999 to donate $10 to the American Red Cross. Donations to the Red Cross, which has already pledged $200,000 to assist those affected by the earthquake, can be made through the organization's new donation gift catalog as well.

AmeriCares Help For Haiti. Donate to AmeriCares International Disaster Relief Fund.

UNICEF has set up a special page for donations for the children of Haiti. In an e-mail, UNICEF's Alissa Pinck reports: "UNICEF’s country office in Haiti and the regional office located in Panama is on the ground and have already deployed emergency teams to assess the situation and determine what the additional emergency needs are for the people of Haiti."

Mercy Corps's website is devoted to the Haiti earthquake disaster; it's deploying a team bound for Haiti now.

HaitiArise has provided education and relief for the past six years. It's a registered Canadian charity and reports that 100 percent of donated funds go directly to Haiti.

Haiti Emergency Relief Fund by Vanguard Public Foundation in San Francisco. Established for Haiti before the earthquake.

Personally, I'd say the most direct way to contribute would be donating to Oxfam, which already has a team on the ground in Haiti. Via a press release, "200 people on the ground in Haiti and a team of 15 highly-experienced emergency specialists based in the capital will be responding with public health, water and sanitation services to prevent the spread of waterborne disease."

To support Oxfam's response in Haiti, donate to the Haiti Earthquake Response Fund. Donations can be made at www.oxfamamerica.org, by phone (1-800-77-OXFAM), by fax (1-617-728-2562) or by mail (Oxfam America, Haiti Earthquake Response Fund, PO Box 1211, Albert Lea, MN 56007-1211).

Please add links to your preferred resource for Haiti relief in the comments below.