The Manitoba Government and General Employees’ Union (MGEU) announced a $32,000 donation today for international relief efforts to help deal with the massive earthquake in Haiti. The donation represents one dollar for each of MGEU’s 32,000 members.
“It is hard to imagine what difficult times these are for people living in one of the world’s poorest countries,” said MGEU President Peter Olfert. “It’s important that individuals and organizations from all corners of the world come together to do all they can to ensure the Haitian people have as much support as possible as they go through yet another catastrophe.”
Haiti was rocked by a 7.0-magnitude earthquake which has left the country's capital, Port-au-Prince, in ruins and hundreds of thousands of people homeless, injured or without food. The earthquake has also killed tens of thousands of people, damaged or destroyed thousands of homes, heavily damaged the water system, destroyed hospitals and schools, and knocked out electricity in much of the country.
The $32,000 donation will be drawn from MGEU’s Humanity Fund which was established in 2007 to support international and domestic projects that aid anti-poverty initiatives or disaster relief.
President Olfert is also encouraging MGEU members, and indeed all Manitobans, to make individual donations to help out earthquake victims.
Where to Donate
There are a number of organizations, like the Humanitarian Coalition, Oxfam Canada, Canadian Red Cross, and Partners in Health working hard in Haiti right now to do everything humanly possible to help the Haitian people rebuild their devastated lives.