Girl Guides and Girl Scouts around the world reach out to their Haitian sisters

The recent catastrophic earthquake in Haiti has left many thousands of people dead and millions injured and homeless and the country continues to struggle with the ongoing after affects. News from the Association Nationale des Guides d’Haïti, although sparse, is so far positive, with International Commissioner Leticia Cadet confirming that she and the Guides she is in contact with are safe and “trying to help as much as we can.”

Already outpourings of sympathy and support have come in from the Girl Guiding and Girl Scouting Movement from around the world. Neighbouring Association, Asociación de Guías Scouts Dominicanas, has set up a working group to mobilize its members and their communities and to co-ordinate their aid effort.

A Guide troop in the UK devoted their Guide night to learning and thinking about Haiti and have committed to raising money to send to the stricken country. Les Scouts et Guides de France has established a fund to raise money for food, infrastructure and other essential requirements.

There are several ways Member Organizations, Girl Guides and Girl Scouts can continue to show support and compassion for their sister Guides in Haiti and the Haitian people generally.

1. Donate your time, money and other requested resources to the Red Cross as our partner organization in the Alliance of Youth CEOs and to other disaster relief agencies. A list is provided below.
   

2. Contribute to the World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM) Haiti Solidarity Fund or the Les Scouts et Guides de France Haiti Fund
   

3. Contribute to this year’s World Thinking Day Fund, where WAGGGS is focusing on five specific countries; Haiti, Georgia, Maldives, Sudan and Zimbabwe. The WTD Fund supports the work of WAGGGS globally, it is not exclusively dedicated to Haiti or disaster relief. However, part of the funding raised will go to Haiti in 2010 and specific projects agreed upon by Haiti and WAGGGS. You can find details on the World Thinking Day website.

4. Write your messages of support in the comments section below so that Haitian Girl Guides can receive your well wishes
   

Moments like these demonstrate the strong values and international sisterhood that make Girl Guiding and Girl Scouting such a unique and important Movement, ready and willing to take action to make the world a better place. Please continue, in the weeks and even years ahead to do all you can to help the Girl Guides, their families and communities in Haiti.

Red Cross

The ICRC plans to focus on providing medical aid for survivors of the earthquake and support for efforts to recover and identify the dead. It will also support Red Cross efforts to restore contacts between family members separated because of the earthquake and its aftermath. Finally, it plans to assess the needs of the prisons where it has been regularly visiting detainees. Make a donation

WOSM and Les Scouts et Guides de France

Contribute to the World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM) Haiti Solidarity Fund or the Les Scouts et Guides de France Haiti Fund

Oxfam

Save The Children

Doctors Without Borders

The UN World Food Programme

CARE

United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF)