Aftershocks are sending people running into the streets. A man was found alive after 10 days buried in the rubble. The threat of chaos and spreading disease hovers constantly. As the magnitude of the situation continues to reveal itself, it is clear that Haiti STILL needs our help. There are elements of rebuilding that don’t even occur to the average person, such as what to do with the actual debris (I heard about this on KUT the other morning). Those chunks of concrete can actually be repurposed as productive things like artificial reefs to promote better fishing. I don’t even need to mention the enormous population of orphaned children, or that Haiti is now the largest country of amputees. Figuring out jobs is another issue, now that Port Au Prince is basically uninhabitable. The undeveloped countryside is filling up with tents, while food distribution is spotty and disorganized. It's all so much to digest, and it's not going to be over anytime soon. The world is standing by for this broken little country.
The idea to donate a percentage of my Etsy sales occurred to me the day after the earthquake, after I tried to lift weights at the gym and couldn’t tear my eyes away from the TV. I had already made a donation to Disaster Relief International, but I wanted to do something else, something more personal. When I sat down to update my listings, I found a long list of sellers who had exactly the same idea. Of COURSE Etsy cares, and in a major way. I mean, LOOK at this - just a search for the keyword "Haiti" brings up 5,368 results.
So far, my little baby shop has generated $100 for the Red Cross. Here are a few more cool sellers/items whose proceeds will go to the Haiti relief effort. I hope you’ll consider making another small donation, in some way, to the charity of your choice, whether directly or via Etsy. Your extra $5 or $10 WILL make a difference as these organizations pour all of their resources into the effort.
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