As the relief effort in American Samoa continues, people are asking how they can donate money or goods. On Friday, the 9th of October, the American Samoa government signed an agreement with the AidMatrix Network to begin accepting donations. The link below will take you to the AidMatrix portal for American Samoa and there you will be able to click on either "Financial Support" or "Product Donations".
AidMatrix - American Samoa Portal
One thing that is being stressed by FEMA, VOAD and various volunteer organizations involved in the effort is that financial donations are the best and quickest way to get support to the area. Besides enabling the organizations to purchase supplies that are available in the immediate area, your financial support also helps the local economy to rebound quicker from the effect of the disaster.
Donations of goods, while welcomed, also require shipping the goods into the area (either by plane or boat) and some agencies are already running into problems arranging flights and shipments. There are, however, some items which simply cannot be purchased locally, and National VOAD is looking for donations of the following:
Family-sized Tents (5-6 people, or larger): Some of the families affected have as many as 14 people living on a single piece of property, and larger tents are needed to accomodate them.
Baby Food & Baby Care Items: There is a serious need for formula, baby food and disposable diapers. There are also reports of lactose-intolerance in the area, so both milk-based and soy-based products are needed.
Wheelchairs: A total of 10 Wheelchairs are currently needed in Pago Pago.
As more items and needs are identified, we will continue to update this page and the links.
