Americans donate over $4 mln to Haitian quake-hit areas through text message

NEW YORK, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- Alec Rose, a senior technology adviser to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Thursday that Americans had donated more than 4 million U.S. dollars to Haitian quake-hit areas through cell phone text message.

Speaking about 21th Century Statecraft at the New York Foreign Press Center, Rose said that one hour after the earthquake happened, Clinton directed her assistants to find the best way possible to help Americans donate. With the help of one senior company executive, whom Clinton is familiar with, a short message code "90999" was established.

People who hope to donate simply text "Haiti" on their cell phones and send it to 90999, then 10 dollars will be donated automatically, he said.

"Just a few hours before this meeting is held, over 400,000 Americans had donated more than 4 million dollars within 18 hours," he said.

Rose expressed the wish that leaders of various countries should make the best use of new technology to serve human beings and people in their own countries.