Aid to Haiti from Canadian Armenian community
23.01.2010 17:55 GMT+04:00

/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.