Wireless Providers Respond to Pressure on Haiti

by Te-Ping Chen · 2010-01-19 18:22:00 UTC
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Just one week after the quake in Haiti, text message donations for relief have topped a whopping $22 million. Now, as increasing scrutiny has focused on how quickly those funds will reach relief efforts, two wireless providers have announced they'll be expediting contributions' delivery.

Thanks to pressure like that launched by the Change.org community and other bloggers over the weekend, T-Mobile announced yesterday that it will follow the lead of both Verizon Wireless and Sprint, and plans to deliver all Haiti-bound funds this week, instead of waiting for its customers' bills to clear at the end of the month. AT&T, too, says it will speed up its customers' donations (though currently, the company is only advancing donations made to the Red Cross). AT&T reports it's providing further support to quake victims as well, including phone donations and an additional $100K to two nonprofits working in Haiti.

From an email Change.org received from AT&T this evening:

From: Jeannie Hornung

Date: January 19, 2010 3:28:35 PM PST

To: [xxxxx]@Change.org

Subject: AT&T Provides Further Support to Aid Haiti Quake Victims

Hi Robin -- We just announced additional support for Haiti earthquake victims detailed in the release below.

In addition to donating to Télécoms Sans Frontières and advancing funds for mobile donations to the Red Cross as previously announced, AT&T is:

· Coordinating the donation of 7,000 wireless phones to Voila, a Haitian wireless carrier and one of the only carriers with service in the country

· Providing smartphones and service to humanitarian organization Concern Worldwide, which is on the ground in Haiti helping with relief efforts

· Donating to two additional leading non-profit organizations: Project HOPE ($50K) and The Aidmatrix Foundation ($50K)

As of midday today, more than $24 million have been pledged to the Red Cross Haiti relief fund by texting HAITI to 90999. Of that amount, AT&T customers have pledged more than $10 million. AT&T is advancing all verified mobile donations to the Red Cross. The Red Cross tells us they are deeply grateful to be the beneficiary of our customers' generosity, and they say it has shattered any record they’ve seen with mobile giving before.

Thanks to everyone who participated in the action -- and thanks to Verizon, Sprint and now AT&T and T-Mobile for responding so rapidly to this crisis!

Photo Credit: jmtimages

Te-Ping Chen Te-Ping Chen is a freelance writer and U.S. Truman Scholar whose writing has appeared in the Nation Magazine, the South China Morning Post magazine, Le Soir, and Slate.com.
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