More Donations are Needed for Earthquake Victims in Nepal

As rescue and relief teams tried to reach remote areas near the epicenter of Tuesday's magnitude-7.3 quake, a search was also on for a U.S. military helicopter that disappeared in the region. The UH-1 Huey helicopter had six U.S. Marines and two Nepali service members aboard when it lost contact Tuesday evening. Radio transmissions indicated its crew was having some type of fuel problem before it disappeared about 45 miles east of Kathmandu, the capital.

Meanwhile, fundraising efforts continue. Soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo put his money where his mouth is. He quietly donated more than 7.8 million dollars to the earthquake victims. The Guardian, reports the 30-year-old Portuguese athlete gave the money to Save the Children which provides food, water and hygiene kits to families in Nepal. Ronaldo, also posted on his official Facebook page, encouraging followers to give to the organization.

Wouldn't it be nice if all the millionaires and billionaires did what Ronaldo did.

But alas it is not happening. The United Nations reported last Thursday that so far it had received just $22.4 million of the $415 million it requested.

We can send in our little donations and of course it all adds up, but it would add up a lot faster if the rich people gave more instead of wasting money on designer clothes and pedicures for their dogs!

The Better Business Bureau has put together a list of reputable charities that are helping the earthquake victims.  You should probably check it out before making a donation.

If you are into Facebook you probably know what they did to spur donations. They let you donate from your page.  According to Facebook in the week after the quake, over 750,000 people from around the world contributed more than $15 million to support the International Medical Corps relief effort. Facebook is also donating an additional $2 million to local recovery efforts to help those in affected areas.