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The BBC’s Jo Fidgen reports on a Haiti fundraiser held by an international church in Lusaka, Zambia.

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MARCO WERMAN: I’m Marco Werman.  This is The World.  Americans have opened their wallets in a big way to help Haiti.  U.S. charities have collected about $500,000,000.00 in private donations since the earthquake on January 12th.  Not surprising perhaps, despite a bad economy, since we’re one of the globes wealthiest countries, but the disaster in Haiti has moved people in poorer nations to donate as well.  We’re going to hear now from two developing countries where people have been moved to give to the Haiti relief effort.  We begin with a quick stop in Zambia.  The BBC’s Jo Fidgen visited an international church in the capital, Lusaka, where a collection for Haiti was underway.

PASTOR WALKER SHIRTS:  We want to announce that we were able to give twenty million to Samaritans Purse.  That wire has been sent.  It’s on the ground in Haiti blessing and helping those precious people.  Thank you for your generosity.

JO FIDGEN: Pastor Walker Shirts organized the collection.  Were you expecting such an overwhelming response?

PASTOR WALKER SHIRTS:  I must say I wasn’t that surprised because our folks have been very generous in other areas.  When the tsunami hit Southeast Asia a number of years ago they did something similar.  We hadn’t planned on this but it came from suggestions of the members saying that we should do this.

JO FIDGEN: The congregation, several hundred strong, is now filing out of the church into the car park.  Many have donated to the Haiti fund.

MALE VOICE 1:  People everywhere are concerned about the situation in Haiti.  The devastation, the loss of life, the displacement, the children, the women.  That plight opens our heart.

JO FIDGEN: It may surprise some people that Zambians are giving freely when there are so many problems here.

MALE VOICE 1:  Whatever we have is  blessing to give to a fellow human being who is in need.

FEMALE VOICE 1:  People might say we are a poor country, how come we are giving?  I can refer to them the widow, the poor widow who gave the last two coins and Jesus Christ has said this woman has given more than what the rich people have given because they gave from abundance and this woman gave from nothing.  She gave the last that she had.  This is what we Zambians are going to do.

FEMALE VOICE 2:  I don’t give to charities abroad.  Normally I give to the people within the country.  That was the first time I was giving to somebody outside the country.

JO FIDGEN: So why Haiti?

FEMALE VOICE 2:  I just felt touched by seeing so many dead bodies, children trying to leave, people having no water.  I just thought I had to give something.  Whatever was in my purse that morning, I just gave it away.

MARCO WERMAN: A parishioner at the Miracle Life Family Church in Lusaka, Zambia closing that report from the BBC’s Jo Fidgen.

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