Who hasn’t been moved, and probably to tears, by the unimaginably awful news coming out of Haiti? I personally felt powerless and overwhelmed, so can only applaud Englishmum, and several of her blogging friends, who started a Bloggers for Haiti  appeal to raise money for the victims in Haiti. Within a weekend they had raised over £1,500 for Shelterbox (and the total is now well over £2,000).

Shelterbox provides emergency disaster relief to keep an extended family of ten going while displaced through a disaster. Everything in the box, including the tent, is tailored to the destination and to the disaster, and designed to be of lasting value. And while the news coming out of Haiti is staggering, what’s just as unbelievable a figure is that the charity aims to provide emergency shelter to 500,000 people every year. That is half a million people every single year who find themselves with absolutely nothing.

Shelterbox uses 90% of the money it raises to create and distribute its boxes.  It works closely with local organisations, international aid agencies and Rotary Clubs worldwide. Half the organisation’s donations come from the general public, and donors can even track ‘their’ Shelterbox to see where it ended up and when.

So giving to Shelterbox gives a very tangible way of feeling you’re doing something positive to help in an unimaginably bad situation.

To make a donation to Englishmum’s appeal, click here. And once again, if you want to find out more about Shelterbox, click here. The blogging community is a friendly one, and it’s fantastic to think that while it can share jokes and tips, it can also come up with something as positive as a huge donation to a very worthwhile charity.