The Island of Haiti was struck by a devastating earthquake with a magnitude of 7.0 on Tuesday, January 12th 4:53 pm local time. The violent shaking, which lasted over a minute, caused horrific damage in Haiti’s capital city of Port-au-Prince, destroying scores of buildings: including hospitals, schools, the headquarter of the United Nations, Ministries, the National Palace…

Rescuers must face the difficulties of the situation: the roads are congested and many times blocked, many people are without electricity, telephone lines are destroyed… all this amplifying the confusion and panic for the victims in Haiti.

We must act quickly… thousands of people need our help!

The island urgently needs medical supplies, food, water…

This is why BNP Paribas Martinique and Guadeloupe have mobilised its employees into action, organizing a collection of donations, of which the bank will match up to 20,000 euros. These donations will be used to finance the purchase of bottled water and its immediate shipment to Port-au-Prince.

BNP Paribas USA has also launched a similar donation collection, where the bank will match employees’ contribution, up to 500 dollars for each employee. The two American relief organisations were chosen based on their ability to effectively deliver both short- and long-term relief and redevelopment efforts:

American Red Cross “International Response Fund”

Save the Children “Haiti Earthquake Children in Emergency Fund”