Urgent Message!

This week we were to announce our official partnership with The What If? Foundation, www.whatiffoundation.org, an organization based out of Berkley CA that feeds 1500 people a day in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. This blog update will serve as a "super" update in that we are both announcing our partnership and explaining a critical situation for Haiti as a country.

Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere with 76 percent of Haitians living on less than $2 a day. A majority of the country lives in unthinkable poverty with little way to get out of the "poverty trap." With the country still recovering from the damage of the 2008 hurricane season, Haiti was hit yesterday afternoon Jan. 12th, with a 7.0 magnitude earthquake. 13 aftershocks were recorded above a 6.0 on the Richter scale. It is estimated that over 3 million people have been affected already. Reports of damage and casualties are still coming in as the country is in a state of chaos currently. The UN peacekeeping mission reports that numerous staff has been reported dead or unaccounted for. Thousands of people within the capital are still trapped in the rubble.

We at HALF will be doing everything we can to provide immediate relief as soon as possible for the people of Haiti. We will update you on the status of the What If Foundation's location in Haiti as soon as possible.

If you would like to contribute in any way please contact us at carmin@halfunited.com.

Thanks,
The HALF Team




Photos from Port-au-Prince:

http://www.cbsnews.com/elements/2010/01/12/world/photoessay6089557.shtml?tag=page

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34833017/ns/news-picture_stories/displaymode/1247/?beginSlide=1