Two student organizations are working together to gather supplies that can help the people of Haiti after Hurricane Matthew.
From now until next Wednesday, students can donate items — from batteries to medicine — to drop boxes the Student Government Association and Friends of Haiti have set up around campus to aid one of the most impoverished nations in the world.
The country has yet to recover after the devastating 2010 earthquake when the hurricane hit. Hurricane Matthew is said to be the deadliest since Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
SGA’s Deputy Chief of Staff Winni Zhang said she and FOH have been monitoring the news coming out of Haiti.
“There’s the rising death toll, a cholera outbreak and a lot of the aid hasn’t reached Haiti,” Zhang said.
To increase the donation drive’s exposure, Zhang said SGA is coordinating with residence halls and other registered student organizations. A free pizza party awaits the student organization that contributes the most, as well as an ice-cream party for the most charitable residence hall.
Students can find the drop boxes at the Honors College and in front of SGA in the Student Center North. Zhang said there will also a donation box in the M.D. Anderson Library and each residence hall once permissions are granted.
FOH is a student-run organization that take students and medical professionals to Haiti in the summer to educate the community there about health care. The group is seeking funding for a trip in May 2017.