Haiti was always one of those magical places that when I hear about it, I feel like I have a connection with it even if I haven't been there yet. From paintings of Gaugin to working with one of it most important essential oils: Haitian vetiver. Not to mention the legendary Tiare flower and Monoi de Tahiti. I feel as if I have bonded with this island olfacatorily from a long distance... One of my students went for a visit there last year and told me so much about just one grapefruit she ate and how fragrant and flavourful it was. It may seem weird to be so obsessed about a grapefruit but it must have been something special. And it must also have something with the soil of this volcanic island. Which of course comes at a very heavy price. A tragedy that we have now witnessed all around the world through the internet, television, radio and newspapers.

The Examiner and Now Public have published its resources and recommendations for which charities are most trustworthy to donate to that will immediately and directly help the aggressive earthquake (7.0 on the Richter scale) that shattered the island of Haiti January 12th, 2010. These two publications have also made a promise to match the amount donated by their team of writers around the world; and being among them makes me even more motivated to contribute to the effort - knowing that it will be raising an even greater sum of money to bring some hope and relief to this tragic moment in human history.

What I am proposing is this: for every bottle that you order that contains Haitian Vetiver, I will contribute 45% of the retail price (up to $75 depending on size of bottle purchased) to Doctors Without Borders. Because we are pressed for time, the sooner we get this money out, the better. So I am extending this offer until Monday only - and than I'm going to see what else I can do to lend my (very little) hand to help out.

Participating fragrances:
Hanami
Sabotage
Vetiver Racinettes
Bon Zai
Coralle
l'Herbe Rouge
Megumi

The organizations that are supposed to be trustworthy and effective for this tragic event - to which you can send your donation or contribution on your own ASAP are:

Charity/Organization	What you can do	More info
Red Cross	Text "HAITI" to 90999 to donate $10	RedCross.org
Doctors Without Borders	Donate to help medical aid workers	DoctorsWithoutBorders.org
CARE	Donate miles for food distributors	Care.org
Partners in Health	Donate to support their field hospitals	PIH.org
Salvation Army	Help send boxes of rice, soy, vitamins	SalvationArmy.org
World Vision	Send supplies: blankets, tarps, etc.	WorldVision.org
Oxfam	Donate to help stationed volunteers	OxFamAmerica.org
UNICEF	Help children in Haiti	UnicefUSA.org
IRD	Help supply sanitation, medicine, etc.	IRD.org
Yéle Foundation	Text "Yele" to 501501 to donate $5	Yele.org
Soles 4 Souls	Donate your shoes to Haiti victims	Soles4Souls.org

P.s. I couldn't bring myself to post a picture of the earthquake here on this blog. It's devastating beyond belief. I'm sure you've seen the pictures already, but if not you can click here.