You want to help, but with so many charity appeals flying around the internet, it can be hard to decide how. One of the most prominent appeals on Twitter is from Yele, the charity set up by Haitian rapper Wyclef Jean. "Text 'YELE" to 501501, to donate $5," it reads. But it only works with US mobiles. And if you are a UK taxpayer, it makes more sense to give to a UK-based charity so they can reclaim the tax you have already paid on the amount you are donating.
One simple solution is to donate to the Disaster Emergency Committee. The DEC is coordinating one giant Haiti appeal on behalf of 13 UK charities (ActionAid, British Red Cross, Cafod, Care International UK, Christian Aid, Concern Worldwide, Help the Aged, Islamic Relief, Merlin, Oxfam, Save the Chidren, Tearfund, World Vision). According to Brendan Paddy, DEC's media manager, the way the funds are distributed among the charities follows a "complex formula, but the money goes to those best to help. So the larger ones get a larger share of the money." To donate call 0370 6060900 or visit donate.bt.com/dec_form_haiti.html
However, not all aid agencies working in Haiti are covered by the DEC. And if you'd rather pick out one charity, rather than donating to an umbrella group, these are your best bets:
Médicins Sans Frontières (MSF)
MSF isn't under the DEC umbrella, but is active in Haiti, and three of its hospitals and clinics in Port-au-Prince were damaged in the quake. Many patients and staff were injured and hundreds of wounded are arriving at its offices for treatment. MSF has set up tented clinics, and 70 more MSF staff are due to arrive with a 100-bed hospital, complete with an inflatable surgical unit and nephrologists to deal with crush injuries.
Donations: msf.org.uk
United Nations World Food Programme
The WFP is the lead agency providing food assistance in Haiti, working with its existing food stocks there, organising transport of food and other humanitarian supplies, as well as emergency telecommunications on behalf of many aid agencies in Haiti. It has costed its operation at $246m for the next six months.
Donations: wfp.org/donate/haiti
Oxfam
With four offices in Haiti and more than 200 aid workers on the ground, "Oxfam's main delivery will be water and sanitation," says Louis Belanger, Oxfam spokesman in Haiti, in a podcast that describes his work "coordinating with other aid agencies to make sure we don't duplicate and bump into each other".
Donations: oxfam.org.uk/donate/haiti-earthquake, or call 0300 200 1999
Unicef
Unicef will help the thousands of children orphaned by the earthquake, and will provide clean water, sanitation and basic health care for women and children. Its focus will then expand to include "getting children back to school, psychological counselling and reuniting children with their families".
Donations: unicef.org.uk, or call 0800 316 5353
British Red Cross
The Red Cross provides relief supplies including kitchen kits, shelter kits and personal hygiene kits, and its volunteers are assisting in local hospitals. Further personnel are en route, to set up a mobile field hospital. The Red Cross has also set up a website to help Haitians who have lost contact with their loved ones.
Donations: redcross.org.uk, or call 0845 053 5353
Care International
Care International already has over 100 staff in the country and is deploying more to coordinate distribution of food, water, hygiene kits, temporary shelter and support for emergency health measures. Their website says they plan to "start food distributions using stocks of high-protein biscuits from our warehouses [there]".
Donations: careinternational.org.uk
