The outpour of support of the internet community has pretty much blown me away. I’ve donated to the Swiss Red Cross and Glückskette, but it doesn’t seem enough in the face of all that suffering.
And then there was the lovely Kelly Diels, who writes an excellent blog on Cleavage:
Like you, I’m all torn up about Haiti.
But I haven’t said a word about it. To anyone.
There’s a reason why.
Talking Gets In The Way of Action
I think complaining and venting can be enervating. You’ve got this uncomfortably hot issue simmering and boiling and producing steam…and then you vent. All that energy dissipates into the atmosphere. You’re comfortable again. And so you carry on.
And nothing changes.
So these are my offers:
1. Hosting on one of my domains in exchange for your donation of at least $5. Fannish and personal sites welcome. I’ll be glad to help set you up in any way I can. (Obviously no illegal content.)
2. Snail mail from Switzerland. Depending on the size of your donation it’ll be a postcard or a care package.
3. English – German / German – English translation of any text, 2 hours work for every $10 donation. I’m a native German speaker with a German literature minor at university – not a professional translator, but I did get full marks in two different English exams and have been writing in English, both privately and at university (including my MA thesis in Switzerland and a graduate diploma in New Zealand) for years.
Donations should go to a reputable charity like the Red Cross or Doctors Without Borders.