A Year After the Earthquake

One year ago a massive earthquake struck the coast of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The devastation was unimaginable and the loss of life tragic. Today, across the world, we memorialize the more than 240,000 people who died that terrible day.

The effects of the earthquake are profound. The Haitian earthquake, unlike the tsunami, devastated the country’s government, killing 17 percent of its work force and destroying all but one ministry building, along with its phones, vehicles, computers and other infrastructure. Haiti must deal with all this destruction as well as the pressing issues it faced before the earthquake.

Port-au-Prince lies in ruins, a million people remain homeless, and Haitians still bear the scars and trauma of a horrible disaster.  While the international community responded with substantial humanitarian aid, significant work still needs to be done.

• Remove the Rubble: More than 50% of the original 19 million cubic meters of rubble remains uncleared. President Clinton called the situation “totally unacceptable.”
• Provide Safe and Secure Shelter: One million Haitians are internally displaced. More than 1,000 camps dot the country, potential incubators for cholera, sexual violence and the spread of HIV.
• Provide Clean Water and Sanitation: 40% percent of camps lack access to water. 30% do not have toilets. Water-borne cholera has claimed more than 3,000 lives.
• Provide Jobs: Post-quake, unemployment quadrupled in areas of Port-au-Prince and its outskirts. The estimated Haiti unemployment rate is 80 percent.

The Clinton Foundation  is leading collaborative efforts to help Haiti rebuild. In the months after the earthquake, President Clinton helped deliver more than $18.5 million in emergency relief and nearly $8.4 million in immediate grants to Haiti. In June 2010, he and philanthropists Frank Giustra and Carlos Slim announced a $20 million fund to help grow small and medium-sized enterprises that play an important role in building a modern, self-sustainable economy. At the 2010 meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative, members made commitments valued at $224 million. The Clinton Foundation continues to respond to critical needs, including building emergency shelters, assisting people living in camps, responding to the recent outbreak of cholera, and helping Haitian artisans access new markets for their crafts.  Months and years of work remain to help the people of Haiti build a country they want to become instead of the country they used to be.   For more information click here

The Giving Pledge

A hefty yet graceful movement is transforming the world as you read, and it’s propelled by a wave of philanthropists on an unwavering quest to abolish global poverty. 
In 2009 Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, begin sketching a grandiose blue print for philanthropy.  "The Giving Pledge" ask the wealthiest Americans to give away half of their net worth to charities.  So far 40 Billionaires have signed on.  The Combined worth of the pledge so far is up to $125 Billion. 

Among the 57 billionaires who have pledged to give at least 50% of their wealth are Ted Turner, Barron Hilton, T. Boone Pickens, David Rockefeller, George Lucas, Michael R. Bloomberg and Paul G. Allen. For a full list of the participants click here 

With 400 of the current 937 Billionaires living in the United States there is no telling how large this fund could get.

Some billionaires such as Warren Buffet and Larry Ellison have already pledged $46.5 and $26.6 Billions respectively, far more than half of their net worth.  "We hope this movement will lead to more, and smarter, philanthropy," Buffett said. Gates and Buffett estimate their efforts could generate $600 billion in charitable giving.

http://givingpledge.org/

Go Hungry for Change

Global Fast :: We Changed 10,000 Lives from JJ Starr on Vimeo.

This is a new type of movement. Global Fast empowers anyone to make an impact as big as their vision. It's about your words and actions, not the size of your wallet. They give you the necessary tools to reach your community and change the world through charity and personal sacrifice. 

"By fasting and being uncomfortable for the afternoon, I am forced to remember how good I have it. And regardless of how much I want to complain (and still do), I am confronted by the fact that missing a meal is not even comparable to having to drink muddy water out of a hole in the ground. My hope is that by doing Global Fast, my heart starts to change, so that I actually care more about people in desperate need than I do my own comfort, at least for one meal a week. Its a step towards compassion, something that the world can always use."

This video includes shots of Pepperdine University students, where leaders created a one-day fasting event that raised over $10,000 to help refugees in Darfur. It also includes new footage from water wells built in India, as a result of a one-day fast for World Water Day 2010.

Visit globalfast.org for more information