Losses of people have unfortunately been just as bad, with the current death toll at between 200,000 and 250,000 people. In a country as big as America, these damages, though incredibly significant, would only impact a single state or area; in the small country of Haiti, the disaster has left the entire country a wreck.

Electric and phone services immediately stopped working in the country. Food and water shortages ran rampant as thousands of displaced citizens sought shelter elsewhere. Nearly 9,000 people–peace keepers from the United Nations and troops from the United States–have been dispensed to Haiti t help–and many of them have even perished in the rubble as hospitals and other buildings collapsed.

Though initial efforts to distribute food and aid were a disaster in and of themselves, the U.N. eventually implemented a voucher system to allow everyone access to food–not just the strongest people who could crowd distribution lines first–though some estimate that only a third of those who need the food are actually getting it as scam artists make copies of tickets to re-use.

Help can be given to Haiti easily by texting “Haiti” to 90999. A ten dollar donation to the American Red Cross will be automatically deducted from the cell phone user’s bill. Many local and national efforts to raise funds are also being conducted nationwide.

Take Hillary Duff. Apparently the pretty youth isn’t just a TV, film and pop sensation. She’s also a humanitarian. Duff, 21, recently distributed 3,000 backpacks full of food to poor kids in the Bogota, Columbia school district with the Blessings in a Backpack program.

“We’ve been working for four years feeding children over the weekends. They invited us to come here, and we got our first school in Bogota,” says Duff, who has been a part of the program for over four years.

She has actually helped to start this program, along with USA Harvest founder Stan Curtis. The idea is to distribute the backpacks of food every Friday so the kids can take them home and share them with their families during the weekend.

Hillary was dubbed the “Ambassador for the Youth” by Bogota during her stay. Other supporters of Blessings in a Backpack include rocker Sammy Hagar and football star Will Wolford.

Blessings in a Backpack has helped 26,000 K-5 kids in 106 schools in the U.S. and Canada. A donation of $80 can feed a single child for an entire year. Supplementing the Federal Free and Reduced Meal Program, it often provides weekend meals for children in Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Florida, Michigan, New York, Texas, California and Illinois.

To get involved, you can visit the website and adopt a school, volunteer, or donate backpacks, money or other needs. You can also send checks to:

Blessings in a Backpack
P.O. BOX 1628, LOUISVILLE, KY 40201-1628

Given that last year alone saw 300 natural disasters taking the lives of 236,000 people, the goal is a vital one to be met.

And as global warming continues, the issue is also likely to worsen.

In addition to loss of life, last year’s disasters affected a total of 200 million people. But natural disasters do not cost only human life; they also cause severe economical damages, of which last year’s totaled over $180 billion.

During the Second Session of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction, specific targets were also identified to meet this goal. Some of these include establishing a minimum of 10% of all reconstruction and humanitarian funding to be appointed for disaster risk reduction; an evaluation, followed by a plan for action, of schools and hospitals in disaster-prone countries; and a plan for all disaster-prone major cities to adhere to disaster risk reduction guidelines in land and building codes.

Still, a 50% reduction is a dramatic objective, which the U.N. fully recognizes. “It is very ambitious, but it also can be achieved, I think. You cannot stop the disasters happening, but you can make an enormous difference to whether they kill people and to some extent at least how many livelihoods they destroyed,” says UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, John Holmes.

And now, following the declaration of “peace” that was made in May, Sri Lanka has been added to this list.

While the country recently declared a “victory” over the Tamil Tigers who rebelled against the government, the acknowledgment of Sri Lanka’s actions as genocide against the Tamil people has been rapidly coming to light globally.

The declaration of peace was immediately met with some skepticism when humanitarian workers were unable to deliver much needed aid and supplies to the displaced Tamil people; and now, though officials are denying it, the country is being accused of firing at hospitals during the civil war that lasted nearly three decades.

During a visit to Dresden, Germany and the former Nazi concentration camp, Buchenwald, today, President Obama said that it is up to other nations to help stop genocide when a country is danger from its own government.

“The international community has an obligation, even when it’s inconvenient, to act when genocide is occurring,” he said, responding to reporters who inquired as to how “never again” might apply to the situations in Darfur and Sri Lanka today.

He said that the United States is currently working to stop the genocide in Darfur, even as Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir refuses to allow humanitarian aid into the country.

Though the president’s words were necessary and true, it is also true that words alone cannot stop genocide from happening. We can hope that President Obama’s words have not fallen on deaf ears, and that the international community–including the United States–collectively takes a stand and says together, “Never again,” this time, with an intent to make it so.

Peace Corps applications are up 40%, and officials are saying it’s because of the “Obama Effect.” Enrollment itself is up 16% as well–7% of which is coming from people over 50, a demographic that typically accounts for only 4% of volunteers.

“Obama represents what Americans really want to be asked to do. We want to hear how important service is, whether it is domestic or international,” says acting director Jody Olsen. And with a campaign slogan banking on hope and affirming our collective ability as a nation to create change, it’s no wonder that such altruism and goodwill stem from this administration.

But others say that the rise in applications is due to the economic downturn in the country. With a dismal job market awaiting college graduates, the Peace Corps provides another two years of learning, training, and making a difference–all while allowing volunteers extra time to decide what exactly they want to do with their lives.

Alexandra Hodgkins, 25, of New Hampshire, is one such volunteer. Currently serving in Panama, she says, “This is a good way to test whether this is what I want to do.”

And with hope, when these idealistic young folks–as well as the older ones–return, there will be a warmer welcoming at the job market for them than there is right now.

The government says that it will find homes for these 280,000 displaced people within six months; the delay, they say, is because Tamil Tiger rebels have to be found before people can return to their homes.

Humanitarian aid groups, on the other hand, say that the government seems willing to hold the displaced Tamil people indefinitely, and that they are being heavily restricted from distributing aid. These groups have been begging for better access to these “welfare villages,” the term used by the government.

Tamil Tigers call these areas “concentration camps.”

While their may be truth to both sides, it is certain that safety needs to come first, and the area landmines must be located and cleared before resettlement can happen.

The Tamil Tigers have agreed to lay down their weapons, and Sri Lanka has declared a victory… but at what price? We can all hope that Sri Lanka will look at the Tamil people as people, and help them re-establish their lives following this lengthy ordeal–as well as treat them as citizens with legitimate concerns that do need to be addressed.

The country has called out for international aid, and it has not been met with deaf ears. The United Nations sent in 120 tons of supplies on Wednesday, including emergency shelters, portable warehouses and much-needed mosquito nets.

Aside from the supplies, individual countries are answering the call with monetary help.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy has pledged 12 million euros to help these refugees in talks with Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari in Paris.

Sarkozy was firm in his beliefs that Pakistan should continue its efforts to combat the Taliban’s insurgency, a belief that Zardari surely shares.

“It is not a short term affair, it is a long term affair. It is challenging our way of life, they are trying to create a new world order,” he recently said at a press conference. He also maintains that the battle will continue for as long as it takes.

The Europen Union is also stepping in with 5.5 million euros.

“Pakistan is facing not only a security threat but also a humanitarian threat,” says European Humanitarian Aid Commissioner, Louis Michel.

Antonio Guterres, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, is echoing Zardari’s call for help, asking that nations over the world contribute as much as they can to aid the people trapped within this crisis.

To help with the humanitarian efforts in Pakistan, you can contact your representative and ask for help, donate, or organize a community effort to raise funds or needed supplies. To donate or send supplies, click here for a list of organizations that are helping with the aid efforts.