Help Haiti
One of the first aid drops in Haiti on 18th January
The disaster in Haiti plays out – a nightmare from the other side of the world, and doesn’t touch us here – so many atrocities don’t – our own small island lies still and safe. A serious earthquake to most britons is something we will never experience, it is inconceivable – a fantastical catastrophe – imagine the entire world you know being shaken into nothingness.
What has amazed me is how much the definition of help has changed. The internet has enabled donation, debate and commentary to flood the visible and invisible networks of the world in an unignorable torrent. We have artists like Sia appealing for medical equipment on twitter (a friend is flying out to help the relief effort) and empassioned pieces of writing such as this beautiful piece in the guardian by The Arcade Fires Régine Chassagne.
And now, 12 days after the quake we have the global release of a charity album from itunes – ’Hope for Haiti Now’ featuring artists like Shakira, Beyoncé, Justin Timberlake and Wyclef Jean (and too many others to mention). The album has some lovely highlights (especially Timberlakes quite beautiful duet with Matt Morris on ‘Hallelujah’ – which admittedly may be the most covered song of all time, but this is a worthy version). Albums like this are nothing new – this one accompanied a mammoth celebrity telethon in the US – but the speed at which this has become available – 12 days after the quake, with most proceeds going to help Haiti – is astonishing.
In the aftermath of the disaster iTunes opened up a donations page – suddenly here was a way to donate money at the click of a button, with clear information and no need to resort to pleading – this is charity for the new decade – fast, simple and accessible.
Technologies enabled by the internet – like twitter and blogging – mean that the world is no longer able to ignore suffering, cries for help travel faster. I hope that overwhelming global responses like this become the new standard – that this becomes how my generation learn to give charity, with fewer impediments and more intelligence.
Heres hoping that Haiti gets every possible help it can – that it rebuilds and becomes stronger. I’m reminded that yesterday in quiet, safe London I climbed the monument to the Great Fire of London, erected in 1671 by the then King Charles II in tribute to the resilience of those Londoners from the distant past who lost everything. There have always been, and will always be disasters – and thankfully there will always be those people who are willing to help.
To donate through iTunes click here
To buy the ‘Hope for Haiti Now’ album click here
Below – Beyoncé performs Halo in support of Haiti.
’tis true, there will always be disasters and people who will react to those disasters- for all the criticism slebs get, there is, after all, some good which comes out of their stardom. x shayma