Thursday, January 14, 2010 - As music lovers, we, along with the KINK Community are familiar with OXFAM. So many of our fave artists work with this organization at concerts and donate through their albums. Now, a way to help Haiti. I just got off the phone with OXFAM's Bob Ferguson, Music Artist Relations Coordinator. LISTEN TO OUR CONVERSATION BELOW, AND FIND OUT HOW YOU CAN HELP.
OXFAM IS ON SOME OF OUR FAVORITE SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES:
In the wake of the devastating 7.0 earthquake that occurred on Tuesday in Haiti, George Clooney and MTV have teamed up to hold a telethon to raise money and support for the embattled country. The benefit will take place on Friday, January 22nd and all proceeds of the bi-coastal event will go towards relief efforts in Haiti. The show will air Friday night on all MTV Networks channels, including MTV and VH1. The impressive list of musicians, actors and actresses who will take part in the benefit with Clooney will be announced in the coming days. Learn more at MTVNews.com.
BESIDES THE MTV TELETHON: HERE’S HOW YOU CAN HELP
It’s becoming a little confusing for people to figure out where they should send charitable donations to the victims affected by the earthquake in Haiti. We’ve provided some information on what each organization is aiming to achieve and how you can make a difference:
Text “Yele” to 501501 to donate five dollars to the Yele Haiti Earthquake Fund or visit Yele.org and click “Donate” to help.
The United Nations World Food Program is currently sending food assistance to the island and announced it will provide ten-million dollars in aid.
The World Bank pledged 100-million dollars to the cause.
UNICEF has promised to deploying “essential aid” while The American Red Cross is looking to fund 200-thousand in assistance to impacted communities.
Direct Relief International has sent 420-thousand dollars worth of medicine, supplies and food to Port-au-Prince’s St. Damien Children’s Hospital.
If you or someone you know has family or loved ones in Haiti, call 1-888-407-4747.
Oprah Winfrey, Paris Hilton and Ben Stiller are among the celebrities and artists urging support for survivors of the earthquake in Haiti.
Stiller tweeted late Tuesday that "people in Haiti need our help and attention right now." Similar tweets are showing up from the likes of Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, Adam Lambert and Ryan Leslie.
Singer Wyclef Jean has been tweeting about the earthquake and arrived in Haiti, his native country, on Wednesday. Publicist Leslie Chasky said he is focusing on his family, his Haitian charity, Yéle Haiti, and responding to the disaster. Shakira, on her website, called for donations to Yéle Haiti and to UNICEF.
Winfrey began her television talk show Wednesday by asking viewers to donate to the Red Cross. "This is a time where we, as a global nation, should come together and support those who are in need," Winfrey said.
Lee Daniels, director of the film "Precious," for which Winfrey served as executive producer, said Wednesday that the earthquake made this Sunday's Golden Globes ceremony seem "so unimportant." Daniels' film received three nominations.
"Ultimately, what we do is so unnewsworthy in comparison and so unimportant when you have things like this at hand," Daniels said. "'Precious' seems so unimportant when casualties like that happen."
Viacom Inc., whose companies include MTV Networks and Paramount Pictures, announced Wednesday that it was setting up a $500,000 matching gift program, with donations going to the Red Cross.
Coldplay singer Chris Martin urged people to donate to a Haiti appeal set up by the charity Oxfam America.
"I visited Haiti with Oxfam a few years ago. It's a country of extreme poverty and brutal living conditions," Martin said. "Most people in Port-au-Prince live in tin shacks. The earthquake that has struck Haiti will have turned the city into an unimaginable hell LATEST ON HAITI
As aid began arriving in devastated Haiti today, a senior Haitian Red Cross official said the death toll from Tuesday's earthquake could be between 45,000 and 50,000, with a further 3 million people hurt or homeless, although he added that no one can confirm a figure.
Residents awoke for a second morning to a battered landscape of toppled buildings and legions of dead and injured, with many people still unaccounted for in the debris.
President Obama announced today that the U.S. is making an initial $100-million relief effort for Haiti. He said it will take hours, "maybe days" to get full U.S. relief contingent on ground.
The State Department has a toll-free telephone hotline for people looking for information about relatives: 888-407-4747.
OXFAM: WHAT THEY DO
"Oxfam America works on the scene, helping people gain the hope, skills, and direction to create a new future. We are also active in the global arena, addressing social injustice through our advocacy, public education, and emergency assistance programs."
As aid began arriving in devastated Haiti today, a senior Haitian Red Cross official said the death toll from Tuesday's earthquake could be between 45,000 and 50,000, with a further 3 million people hurt or homeless, although he added that no one can confirm a figure. 
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