(WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) — On January 12, a 7.0-magnitude earthquake devastated Haiti, causing the deaths of as many as 200,000 people, and leaving an estimated 1.5 million people homeless. As the people of Haiti struggle with this tragedy, there remains a critical shortage of essential supplies and support personnel.
The online project, Hosting for Haiti (www.hostingforhaiti.com), has brought together a handful of hosting companies to raise funding and awareness for the American Red Cross’ (www.redcross.org) efforts in Haiti. Money raised through Hosting for Haiti will provide the American Red Cross the funds to mobilizing relief workers, send relief supplies, and provide financial resources for recovery. The growing group of participating companies includes Rackspace Hosting, Peer1 Hosting, GoGrid, The Planet, ServInt, Webair, HostGator.com, SingleHop, VPS.NET, Softlayer, and site5.
“Although normally fiercely competitive, as members of the hosting community we know that the power we wield as a group is much more than we can wield individually,” Softlayer chief strategy officer George Karidis wrote in an email to the WHIR. “And so we’ve come together to help assist those affected by this disaster. With the generosity of all our combined customers,we hope to make a difference. And you can too. One dollar helps. One hundred dollars helps one hundred times more.”
In an effort to increase the visibility of Hosting for Haiti, many of the participating companies have been blogging about the initiative, and the project also has a presence on Twitter (@hostingforhaiti) and the official hashtag, #hostingforhaiti.
Rackspace corporate communications director Fran Stephenson noted in a blog entry that Hosting for Haiti is hoping to expand its list of partners. “[W]e hope many others in web hosting and cloud computing will join us by making a donation,” she wrote. “With the generosity of our combined groups of customers, employees and others, we know we can make a difference.”
Industry partners are welcomed to contact Hosting for Haiti at info@hostingforhaiti.com to learn about joining the cause.
“It’s all for a good cause and will provide immediate assistance to tens of thousands of Haitians in need,” Stephenson wrote.
