Presbyterians Rally for Quake-Stricken Haiti

posted on January 14, 2010 in News | Be the First to Comment | Print

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As traumatized residents wandered through the ruins of Port-au-Prince after an earthquake devastated the region on Jan. 12, support for relief efforts was already pouring into Presbyterian World Service and Development.

Two days after the quake, the church’s relief agency sent an initial $50,000 for immediate efforts as the Action by Churches Together Alliance, a partner organization, coordinated work on the ground in the Caribbean nation.

On Jan. 14, the Canadian government announced it would match individuals’ donations for Haiti up to a maximum of $50 million, for a combined total of $100 million.

Donations can be sent to PWS&D by cheque (marked for “Haiti earthquake relief”) or online by visiting presbyterian.ca/pcconnect/daily/4932.

Although churches are welcome to collect donations from members and send a single cheque to PWS&D, it must be accompanied by a list of individual names and donation amounts to be eligible for a matching grant from the government.

The 7.0 magnitude earthquake devastated the western half of the Caribbean island, destroying between 60 and 80 per cent of houses in Haiti’s densely populated capital city and killing as many as 50,000, according to early estimates.

For more information about PWS&D relief efforts, see presbyterian.ca/pwsd.

Connie Purvis is the Presbyterian Record's staff writer.

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