How you can help victims of Peru’s earthquake: donations and volunteering programs

Please circulate.

Please help the victims of the earthquake in Peru.

If you can, I encourage you to donate to the International Federation of RED CROSS and Red Crescent Societies. They will use the collected funds in their already going on efforts to provide with emergency relief to the affected area.

"CHINCHA, Peru, Aug 16 (Reuters) - Peruvians pulled hundreds of dead and wounded from the rubble of homes and churches on Thursday and some gathered them on street corners after a massive earthquake ravaged the country's central coast. About 400 people were killed in the 8.0-magnitude quake on Wednesday night, the president's chief of staff said."

To donate to the International Federation of RED CROSS and Crescent Societies, please go to this link.

http://donate.ifrc.org/ and choose: Earthquake inPeru

Note: If you live in the US you might want to donate to the American Red Cross to obtain tax deductions.

The IFRC has been the first organization to arrive to Peru after the disaster happened:

Peru earthquake: International Federation sends two planeloads of relief items to Pisco

16 August 2007

Following the strong earthquake which hit the central coastal region of Peru on 15 August in the evening (local time), the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies' Pan-American Disaster Response Unit (PADRU) is sending out two planes of relief items this afternoon (local time) from Panama.

The planes are loaded with tents, plastic sheeting, blankets and jerrycans for 2,000 families. They are expected to land in Pisco at approximately 16h00 local time. The planes are being sent out on request from local authorities for these goods.

As soon as the disaster hit, the Peruvian Red Cross immediately sent a national intervention team, along with a logistician, into the region of the epicentre to evaluate needs and damage. The team has now reached Pisco and will go on to Ica, which is the most affected area.

"The first impression of the team is that the damage is severe, especially to houses. It took them nearly seven hours to reach Pisco from Lima, a trip that normally takes two," said Giorgio Ferrario, International Federation Regional Representative for South America in Lima. "We know for the moment, according to local authorities, that at least 350 people are dead, but the toll will certainly rise, as search and rescue operations continue."

PADRU was immediately put on high alert after the quake struck and has deployed two of its disaster management delegates to assist with the emergency operation.

The International Federation also has released 250,000 Swiss francs (US$205,000/ €153,000) from its Disaster Relief Emergency Fund to support the Peruvian Red Cross relief operation for victims of the quake.


For further information, or to set up interviews, please contact:

In Geneva:
Marie-Françoise Borel, Communications Officer Tel: + 41 22 730 43 46 / + 41 79 217 33 45
Duty phone: Tel: + 41 79 416 38 81

In Lima:
Susana Arroyo, Regional Communications Officer Tel: +511 221 8151/ +511-9755-5772

UPDATE August 20
MORE OPTIONS TO HELP PERU


From InterAction.org:

Organizations Responding to the Earthquake in Peru:InterAction is a coalition of more than 160 US-based private relief, international development and refugee assistance organizations.

ADRA International American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee American Jewish World Service AmeriCares American Red Cross Ananda Marga Universal Relief Team Baptist World Aid Brother's Brother Foundation CARE Catholic Relief Services Christian Reformed World Relief Committee Church World Service Direct Relief International Food for the Hungry Friends of the World Food Program Global Operations and Development/ Giving Children Hope Heart to Heart International

International Medical Corps International Relief Teams Lutheran World Relief MAP International Medical Teams International Mercy Corps Operation USA Oxfam America Pan American Development Foundation Presbyterian Disaster Assistance and Hunger Program Project HOPE Relief International Save the Children USA US Fund for UNICEF World Emergency Relief World Hope International World Vision

From ReliefWeb website:

• "MADRE is an international women's human rights organization, today put out a call for emergency aid for the victims. Among the towns nearest the epicenter are Chincha Alta and Canete, where MADRE's partner organization LUNDU works with Afro-Peruvian youth, women and families who were struggling to meet their basic needs even before the earthquake."

LUNDU Center of Afro-Peruvian Studies and Promotion
Bank: Scotiabank (Peru)
Account Number: 2082548
SWIFT Code: BSUDPEPL

Note of Peruanista: our friend Monica Carrillo who directs Lundu, is right now in Chincha area helping the victims. She has asked for our solidarity. Please donate to LUNDU if you can.

• CÁRITAS PERÚ

  Donations are to be received by Caritas Spain and these are the banks in Spain that are receiving donations:
  
  

  BANESTO: 0030-1550-33-0000374271
  BBVA: 0182-5906-80-0202012018

LA CAIXA: 2100-2208-36-0200206652
CAJA MADRID: 2038-1028-18-6000940788
POPULAR: 0075-0001-81-0606722239
SANTANDER: 0049-1892-65-2010212035

En España: en el teléfono 902 33 99 99
Y en las Cáritas Diocesanas
Marisa Salazar 619 268 939
Ana Guirao 91 4 44 13 27
Imágenes disponibles: www.caritas.es

From the OneWorld website:

• Global Giving Projects Helping Earthquake Victims

• InterAction Members Respond to the Earthquake in Peru

• Network for Good: Help Peru Earthquake Victims

• CHF International: "Prior to the earthquake, CHF International had been working for several years in Cajamarca, a mining town northeast of Lima, and the second poorest city in Peru."

• Lutheran World Relief: "Lutheran World Relief plans to respond to the Peru disaster through its partners in Action by Churches Together (ACT) International, a global alliance of faith-based aid agencies."

• Mercy Corps: "As relief teams rush to reach survivors in earthquake-stricken coastal areas of Peru, Mercy Corps is joining with Partners of the Americas to meet the urgent needs of affected families."

• Oxfam America: "Oxfam was on the scene within hours, and the damage is enormous. Oxfam has set up a special funding stream, the Peru Earthquake Relief and Recovery Fund, to channel resources directly to this relief effort."

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE CURRENT SITUATION IN PERU
From AlertNet.org

Reuters AlertNet has a page with news and statistics on the Peru quake. Aid agencies are publishing details of work they're doing in response, including press contacts. And there are Reuters pictures from the scene .

The Peruvian government's National Defence Agency (website in Spanish) has a space for registering the extent of casualties and damage after disasters, along with phone and email contact details.

El Comercio, one of Lima's daily papers - in Spanish - includes a blurry recording from the office's security cameras of people evacuating the building during the quake, and a request for the public to send in their photos.

La Republica is another serious Lima daily in Spanish.

The BBC country profile for Peru includes links to more Peruvian media.

U.N. website ReliefWeb is another place to find information about relief coming from the government and international agencies.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has started posting information from the national Red Cross society, and its website includes information on how to make online donations.

You can get earthquake details from seismic experts at the Global Disaster Alert and Coordination System (GDACS) and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).