UNICEF ambassador Téa Leoni and a Red Cross spokesperson break down where your money goes.
By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Tim Kash
Téa Leoni
Photo: MTV News
As more and more donations pour in to help the victims of the 7.0-magnitude earthquake in Haiti, we’re asking charities to explain how your donations, no matter how big or small, can benefit those who were most affected. And with nearly $60 million raised so far by Friday’s “Hope for Haiti Now” telethon, a lot can be done.
“Even a $5 soccer ball can make that kid forget what’s happened even for a day,” UNICEF ambassador and actress Téa Leoni told MTV News while explaining what each donation buys to help earthquake victims. “Maybe forget that he’s in the place he’s in for a while.”
A spokesperson for UNICEF provided MTV News with a list of some of those items:
» Tent ($200): A tent can be used to provide life-saving shelter or to support a clinic or school in time of crisis.
» School-in-a-Box ($200): UNICEF’s “School-in-a-Box” sets up a temporary school for at least 40 children during times of emergency. Kits provide the chance for children to continue their education during the most extreme crises.
» Vaccine carrier ($10): Cold-box vaccine carriers help ensure that vaccines reach children in remote areas who need them.
» Collapsible water containers ($2): Each container holds 10 liters of water and is especially useful for kids carrying water for long distances to ensure that all their water doesn’t spill en route from their water supply. It is also very useful for storing clean, safe water for everyday use.
» Water-purification tablets (60 cents for 50 tablets): Each tablet is able to turn 4 to 5 liters of dirty water into water suitable for drinking. Every day, 4,000 children worldwide die because they do not have access to clean water, according to UNICEF.
» High-energy/ high-protein biscuits ($1 per pack): These contain minerals and vitamins and have been developed for malnourished children during emergencies.
» Therapeutic Nut Spread: $77.63 feeds 10 children for one month. Therapeutic nut spread is a high-protein, peanut-based paste, supplied in a ready-to-use packet. No water is needed for mixing, which means that help can be provided to malnourished children in any situation.
» Therapeutic Milk ($24.75 for 12 liters): A milk-based powder for treatment of severe child malnutrition, this formula includes added vegetable fats, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals and boosts the chances of a child’s survival.
» Blanket ($3): Blankets protect from the elements and provide comfort in the most dire of circumstances.
» Oral-rehydration salts (7 cents for one package): This solution, containing sugar and salt, treats children suffering from dehydration caused by diarrhea. Approximately 3,500 children die each day from dehydration caused by acute diarrhea, according to UNICEF.
» Soccer ball ($5): Playing brings children together and helps restore a sense of normalcy in times of crisis or emergency.
A Red Cross spokesperson also provided a breakdown of needed items:
» $5 provides a water container to store clean drinking water.
» $10 provides a blanket that is appropriate to the climate and culture of the disaster-affected area.
» $25 provides a family of five with a kitchen set, giving them the ability to cook and serve food (a disaster can destroy even the most basic family possessions and restoring family’s self-sufficiency is essential). This includes two cooking pots, a frying pan, bowls, plates, cups and utensils.
» $30 provides essential hygiene materials to five people for one month (ensuring adequate hygiene after a disaster is essential in promoting the health of those affected). This includes items like a toothbrush and toothpaste, shampoo, body soap, laundry soap, toilet paper, sanitary pads, a razor and a towel.
» $60 provides tools for a family of five to build a temporary shelter: two tarps, a rope, hoe, machete, tin snips, handsaw, roofing nails, shovel, long nails, tie wire and a claw hammer.
» $100 provides a cooking set, hygiene pack, blankets and water containers for one family of five following a disaster.
» $500 provides a family tent for a family of five.
Learn more about what you can do to help with earthquake-relief efforts in Haiti, and for more information, see Think MTV. Visit HopeForHaitiNow.org or call (877) 99-HAITI to make a donation now.
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