Aid to Haiti from Canadian Armenian community

PanARMENIAN.Net - On January 12, Haiti was utterly devastated by a very powerful earthquake. Much of the capital, Port-au-Prince, was destroyed. The International Federation of the Red Cross estimates that 3 million people have been directly affected by the disaster. The death toll is well over 100,000. The aid needed for survivors to begin to recover from this catastrophe is monumental, and the burden to rebuild essential infrastructure is far greater than Haiti can bear without the support of the international community.



Perhaps more than any other people, Armenians know the pain and suffering that a powerful earthquake can cause. When more than 20,000 people died and hundreds of thousands of people were affected by the earthquake that hit Armenia on December 7, 1988, the international community responded immediately by sending much needed aid.



It is now our turn to extend the same helping hand to the people of Haiti, who are struggling to survive and who need to somehow rebuild their lives. We need to demonstrate our compassion, and to participate in the relief effort.



The Diocese of the Armenian Church of Canada has appealed to all Canadian Armenians to make their donations for Haiti through the humanitarian arm of the Diocese, the Children's Fund For Armenia (CFFA). The Diocese will in turn forward all funds earmarked for Haiti to the Canadian Red Cross, in the name of the Armenian Community of Canada.



The Congress of Canadian Armenians (CCA) has conveyed its condolences to the people of Haiti through their Embassy in Ottawa, and now urges all Canadian Armenians to support the initiative of the Diocese by sending their donations to: "Diocese of the Armenian Church of Canada, 615 Stuart Avenue, Outremont QC H2V 3H2". Cheques should be made out to "Children's Fund For Armenia", and should be marked either on the front or back "Relief Fund for Haiti".



All donations made in this way are tax deductible, plus the Government of Canada will match each dollar you donate. These matching dollars will be sent by the government to its Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund.



Established in 2004, the Congress of Canadian Armenians is comprised of many of the large Canadian Armenian organizations. It serves as a united voice to present Armenian issues to the Canadian public and to promote Armenian interests.