In response to the recent disaster in Haiti, Humanitarian Appeal for the victims is officially launched by Islamic Relief Malaysia (IRM). The appeal is launched on humanitarian ground apart from raising awareness and contribution from the people in this region.

Haiti is the poorest country in the Western hemisphere, where endemic poverty, food shortages and conflict are a daily occurrence. About 80 percent of Haiti’s 9 million populations live in poverty.

Thousands of people are feared dead, after a 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck the Caribbean country, last Tuesday, 12 January 2010. The country often struggles with natural disasters such as hurricanes but this earthquake is a disaster of an unprecedented scale and people need urgent assistance to prevent many more lives being lost.

The actual scale of the disaster is not yet known as all communication lines are currently down. However, the initial report had stated that homes, government buildings and hotels were collapsed, and people are still digging out survivors and dead bodies from the rubble, some with their own bare hands. The badly affected area is close to the capital Port-au-Prince, which is largely made up of slums and poorly constructed houses, many of which were not able to withstand the force of such a large earthquake.

Majority of the people are afraid to return to their homes because of further aftershocks, and many are sleeping on the streets with no shelter. There are also many dead bodies lining the streets and pavements, raising fears of a health crisis.

Base on the update report from our partner office Islamic Relief – USA, the recent earthquake was the worst to strike Haiti in 200 years. Around three million people are badly affected, many of whom have been left homeless and without food or water. At present it appears that the most needs are for food, clean water, medical care and shelter. Islamic Relief emergency response team from the UK and the US is already been sent to Haiti for further emergency relief assessment on 15th January 2010.

The contribution from IRM humanitarian appeal will be channeled to the victims through Islamic Relief branch office in USA. Currently, a USD 1 million worth of emergency aid had already been sent to the affected areas. The aid distribution is done with cooperation and coordination with various parties including The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The updates and the progress of Islamic Relief work in Haiti will be closely monitored by IRM. At the moment, due to the cost and logistic factor, IRM has no plan to send team of volunteers for humanitarian aid.  However the level IRM involvement and participations will be reviewed and decided based on the requirement and progress report issued by Islamic Relief – USA.

Islamic Relief Malaysia (IRM) is a humanitarian aid development agency, non government organization (NGO) with the head office located in Birmingham, United Kingdom.  With 25 years experience of implementing humanitarian program all over the world, Islamic Relief hold a various status in the international humanitarian field including a consultative status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations (ECOSOC), member of Disaster Emergency Committee UK(DEC) and British Overseas NGO for Development (BOND) and is a signatory to the Code of Conduct for the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Moments and NGO’s Disaster Relief.

For any contribution and further information on the appeal please visit IRM website at www.irm.org.my or contact IRM office at 03-89486334.

source: irm.org.my

Halloween is just around the corner and junk food is the typical trick or treating fodder. Have you ever thought of treating something different? Something that is healthy for kids as well as environmentally safe? You have? That is great! I knew that you thought about it! Ok, I might have a suggestion for you to add in your list: chocolate milk in single serve, shelf stable cartons! That is right!

You don’t think that the idea is good? Before you brush this idea off, let’s go through these facts:

1. Kids love chocolate milk.

2. Chocolate milk in shelf stable cartons (Tetra Pak) can be kept in the pantry and refrigerated when needed.

3. Tetra Pak shelf stable cartons do not contain preservatives. They have a low carbon footprint and are recyclable.

So you think it’s a great idea after all! Great! To get started you can get a free Organic Valley and Hershey’s coupons from Trick or Treat Me website! Here, you can learn more from about the health and environmental benefits of serving milk in shelf stable cartons.

Once you’re there register yourself by filling in your name and e-mail.

When you hit continue, you got to choose up to five cute monsters. Hit continue, you will be instructed to upload an image for your monster. Upload your face or your friend’s face and crop. You can later send the file to your friend by e-mail, complete with your own message. I think it’s very cute! With every trick or treat you sent via e-mail, Tetra Pak will make a 10 cent donation to WWF (up to $30,000).

Not enough fun? Send a Halloween tweet to someone and find out who is the scariest twitterer at Twick or Tweet Me!

From Netster’s blog, I came to know that more than 20,000 dolphins and porpoises are being slaughtered each year and their meat, containing toxic levels of mercury, is being sold as food in Japan, often labeled as whale meat.

The majority of the world is not aware this is happening as the place of the slaughter activities, Taiji Cove, is blocked off from the public. Cameras are not allowed inside and the media does not cover the story. It’s critical that we get the word out in Japan.

There’s an on-going petition currently being held at Care2 Petitionsite to stop the killing and they need at least 50,000 signatures (currently there are over 43K signatures). I’ve already signed the petition and now it’s YOUR TURN.

My son is doing his bid by drawing a picture of dolphins:

When I read the news today about the rising number of deaths toll due to influenza A(H1N1), I got scared. I have been ignorant previously but certainly not anymore since today. I am collecting and reading information about influenza A(H1N1) to educate myself about this pandemic disease.

Todate, the deaths of five people within 72 hours have brought the number of the H1N1-related fatalities to 13 (read more here).

Below information is taken from WHO and I hope to help spread the information. PLEASE READ.

Symptoms
We will not be able to tell the difference between seasonal flu and influenza A(H1N1) without medical help. Typical symptoms to watch for are similar to seasonal viruses and include fever, cough, headache, body aches, sore throat and runny nose. Only medical practitioner and local health authority can confirm a case of influenza A(H1N1).

Protection from catching H1N1 Flu
The main route of transmission of the new influenza A(H1N1) virus seems to be similar to seasonal influenza, via droplets that are expelled by speaking, sneezing or coughing. You can prevent getting infected by avoiding close contact with people who show influenza-like symptoms (trying to maintain a distance of about 1 metre if possible) and taking the following measures:

1. avoid touching your mouth and nose;
2. clean hands thoroughly with soap and water, or cleanse them with an alcohol-based hand rub on a regular basis (especially if touching the mouth and nose, or surfaces that are potentially contaminated);
3. avoid close contact with people who might be ill;
4. reduce the time spent in crowded settings if possible;
5. improve airflow in your living space by opening windows;
6. practise good health habits including adequate sleep, eating nutritious food, and keeping physically active.

What should we do if we think we have the illness
If we feel unwell, have high fever, cough or sore throat:

1. stay at home and keep away from work, school or crowds;
2. rest and take plenty of fluids;
3. cover nose and mouth when coughing and sneezing and, if using tissues, make sure to dispose them carefully. Clean hands immediately with soap and water or cleanse them with an alcohol-based hand rub;
4. if no tissue close when we cough or sneeze, cover the mouth as much as possible with the crook of our elbow;
5. use a mask to help you contain the spread of droplets
6. inform family and friends about the illness and try to avoid contact with other people;
7. If possible, contact a health professional before traveling to a health facility to discuss whether a medical examination is necessary.

When should someone seek medical care?
A person should seek medical care if they experience shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, or if a fever continues more than three days. For parents with a young child who is ill, seek medical care if a child has fast or labored breathing, continuing fever or convulsions (seizures).