MELBOURNE, Australia — All over the world, people have responded generously to the devastating earthquake that struck Haiti. In just three days, more than a million Americans had donated $10 by sending text messages from their cell phones. People with very little themselves, like Maria Pacheco, an unemployed single mother from Chicago, donated food and clothes.
Others did whatever they could — from pedicures to washing cars — to raise money. On current indications, the amount Americans will give to relief efforts in Haiti could surpass the $1.9 billion they gave to assist victims of the 2004 Asian tsunami, which until now has stood as a record for donations to a disaster outside the United States. Given that the U.S. is undergoing economic hard times, the size of the response has surprised many.
Haiti's proximity, plus the fact that close to a million Haitians live in the U.S., goes some way toward explaining why Americans have responded so generously. But the response has been worldwide.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.