SMS response to Haitian Earthquake incredible
In the aftermath of the tragic earthquake that struck Haiti on Tuesday, there are a few mobile related events that show how enabling technologies can make a difference in the real world, either for one person or thousands.
It was reported by Australian news yesterday that a Canadian woman who was trapped under rubble in the quake was able to send an SOS via text messaging to the Foreign Affairs Office in Ottawa, almost 3000 km away. The information was then relayed back to Canadian diplomats in Haiti who then located her.
According to the Foreign Minister office, the woman is now ‘safe’, there are no other details.
On a larger scale, SMS is accounting for a huge upswing in individual donations in the relief efforts. In the US, the Red Cross alone has collected over $4 million via SMS messaging. In comparison, SMS accounted for $400,000 in donations in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, and $200,000 after the tsunami a year prior to that.
The ability to make small donations multiple times, with just a few key presses is creating a ever-growing class of ‘crowd sourced philanthropy’ in the US. Although Canada has similar capabilities, the abilitiy to SMS to particular charities (or commercial endeavours) has been somewhat hampered because unlike the US, Canadian carriers never agreed on a set standard. Donations to the Salvation Army Haitian relief effort, for example, could be made to Bell or Rogers as of yesterday, but Telus users had to wait until today for the same number to work on their system.
In Canada ‘Haiti to 45678’ will send a $5 donation to relief efforts. Other options are available at the Mobile Giving Foundation’s Canadian page.
In the US, you can make a $10 donation to the Red Cross by texting ‘Haiti to 90999’, although there are a number of other options by checking the list at Mobile Giving’s US page.
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