The recent earthquake tragedy in Haiti continues to devastate the lives of millions of people.  Possibly 300,000 individuals have died, with hundreds of thousands of more injured, and there is major damage to housing, schools, hospitals, national landmarks and even the Presidential Palace.

Individuals and public and private organizations around the world have joined in the relief efforts.  Personal and business donations, assistance from governments, and rock concerts are just a few of the activities taking place.  The Haitian government is also doing all it can to provide emergency shelter and medical care to those in need.

As a UNICEF Child Representative and Ambassador, I recently launched a fundraising challenge to all youth and schools throughout Canada to raise funds for the Haitian relief efforts.  Called the “Help for Haiti Challenge,” I’m asking each student to raise a minimum of $100.  And to have a little fun, I will shave my head in honour of the school or student that raises the greatest amount of funds.  That’s right.  I’m going to shave my head.  I’ve participated in over 25 media interviews over the last few days discussing my fundraising challenge, and I think it’s really going to propel young people in Canada to take action.

There are a thousand different ways to raise funds.  Why not get together with your fellow students and organize a book and magazine sale, or hold a DJ dance party and charge people for tickets?  You could also hold local car washes on weekends in your community.  So start talking with friends and brainstorm for those unique ideas that are sure to make your school the leading fundraiser!

Besides this earthquake, the people of Haiti have already suffered through decades of political oppression and poverty.  It has one of the lowest per capita incomes in the world, and things like education and health care are luxuries to hundreds of thousands of people in the country – and this was before the earthquake.

Most experts agree that the tragedy of the Haitian earthquake isn’t going to go away anytime soon, and that the reconstruction efforts are likely to take years to complete.  This is why it is so important to keep up the momentum that has been started by millions of people and hundreds of charitable organizations around the world to bring relief to the Haitian people.

You can also go to unicef.ca and make a donation to the Haitian relief efforts right now.  It is important to note what as little as $25 or $50 can do.  This could bring much needed drinking water, food and health care supplies to a group of children.  Despite claims that there are backlogs of aid failing to get to people due to the country’s poor infrastructure, most of these have cleared up and according to the most recent reports, aid is running smoothly into all areas of the country.

When it comes to emergency situations like Haiti, time is of the essence.  So please don’t wait another minute and start making a difference right now.

Author:Bilaal Rajan