Chile Telethon Raises $60 Million For Emergency Homes

UPDATE: 'Chile Helps Chile' has exceeded expectations, bringing in over 30 billion Chilean pesos, equal to just over $60 million in U.S. currency.

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A telethon running on Chile TV and available in over 20 countries is working to raise money for relief and reconstruction efforts in the earthquake-damaged South American nation.

"Chile Helps Chile" was initiated by Don Francisco, host of the country's popular show, "Sabado Gigante." The telethon is streaming live online through Saturday night and includes a running total of funds raised and opportunities to contribute. Once on the page, click Dona Aqui to donate.

The goal of the telethon is to raise 15 billion Chilean pesos, equal to about $30 million in U.S. currency. The money will be used to build 30,000 emergency homes in Chile.

A large group of organizations have mobilized to bring aid to Chile. See our complete Chile Earthquake Relief page to learn how you can help the nation's continuing recovery.

January's Hope For Haiti telethon, instigated by George Clooney and Wyclef Jean, raised $57 million dollars for the Caribbean nation's recovery after being struck by a 7.0 earthquake on January 12.

Comments

[themodernleader]

06:50 PM on 03/07/2010

Chile is an emerging country that is learning that the worth of a country is counted in its growing competence, capability, knowledge, skill and confidence of its ordinary people. Money chasing money is not part of their fiancial, economic system? Or is it?

[anotherchrisbrown]

10:04 AM on 03/07/2010

Well, I think it's quite obvious nobody cares two bits about chile. I guess too many depressing natural disaster stories are no good for sales.

[SatiricalGenius]

02:03 PM on 03/07/2010

Naw, that's not it, they're just not getting the media coverage they deserve. Turns out that the Chileans are a lot harder to steal from. Just look at Haiti, talk about capitalizing on a crisis, they've become an international laundering room! Give it a few years, when the stories of rampant donation fraud and fund misallocations come out it's going to be explosive!

[bebopman21]

05:26 PM on 03/07/2010

Part of it is that Chile is not nearly as poor and as helpless as Haiti was.

[GerryS]

11:49 PM on 03/06/2010

I heard tonight that the Haiti donations reached $1b dollars this week.

what have we done for Chile? $10m, $20m?????????/

they tossed out the totalitarian government, voted in a democratic government, tossed that,
and now have a "business oriented" GOPher style govenment.

what is up GOPhers???? Where IS tha LUV??

[billtmore]

11:32 PM on 03/06/2010

NPR said they were trying to raise 300 million....

[sheoples]

09:58 PM on 03/06/2010

this is the new way for countries to make money.........telethons

[claudstar]

11:15 PM on 03/06/2010

maybe.. but Chileans have been called on to help each other in 'The Telethon' - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telet%C3%B3n_%28Chile%29 - for years

[PuddingPop]

10:02 AM on 03/07/2010

That's about all there is left to do after the massive consumer raids on the banks in 2007-2008.

The U.S. hasn't had any natural disasters of this magnitude yet...but the impending human/economic disaster lies in the almost 10% unemployment rate in this country. I think there should be a telethon for extending unemployment benefits and creating new jobs. Teachers are being laid off left and right in this country so there should also be a telethon for education.

These telethons are actually not a bad idea..hummm.

[Lorelepe]

06:30 PM on 03/06/2010

Americans are sensible people, generous and caring. Americans just don't know how fortunate they are and how rich they are.
Chile is trying to get the money to rebuild the country, but we are not rich people, not as americans or Europeans.
If YOU want to help, your help will be greatly appreciated. Not for me, I'm at home. My house resisted the earthquake and we had no tsunami in Santiago. It'll be appreciated for the Chileans that lost it all, everything...
If YOU want to help, THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!

[beingthebest]

06:51 PM on 03/06/2010

No one can rebuild alone. It doesn't matte what the disaster is. Americans needed help during Katrina and 9/11 and many other countries need help as you do now. Both you and Haiti have been hit hard, and I wish you the best. I have donated the little I can ad I hope that just this little drop in the bucket can help

[tangaka]

05:20 PM on 03/06/2010

Where's the Hollywood telethon? Oh, I forgot, they only do telethons for blacks.

[beingthebest]

05:54 PM on 03/06/2010

Wow.. you are pathetic. Where were you during the huge telethons done for 9/11.

[surfvenice]

01:37 PM on 03/07/2010

haha, true. africa, haiti etc...

[giants2000]

05:06 PM on 03/06/2010

hire tha contractor - $1,000 per house

[TJCole]

04:17 PM on 03/06/2010

We need an Earthquake, so the world will have a Telethon for America..!

Aim them Haarp Antennas at Dallas or Houston or Joe Lieberman's house...!

[beingthebest]

05:55 PM on 03/06/2010

You had Katrina, and guess what, all of us living in other countries did donate

[TJCole]

06:10 PM on 03/06/2010

Well thank you...

Alms for the poor...alms for the poor....

Won't you please help America, we've been Ayn Randed...

[beingthebest]

06:05 PM on 03/06/2010

But to be fair, I agree with your aimming

[TJCole]

06:08 PM on 03/06/2010

It's bit irreverent I must admit but thanks...

[Ana Vasquez]

03:14 PM on 03/06/2010

Don Francisco is the host of America's Sabado Gigante since it's made by Univision and in Miami and it's made for the hispanic population in this country.

[PKatherine]

03:49 PM on 03/06/2010

probably not since Don Fransisco is chilean.

[Ana Vasquez]

11:37 PM on 03/06/2010

he hosted the teleton but he lives in miami full time. he's still well known and cared for in chile, but sabado gigante is truly an american show in spanish.

[PKatherine]

03:50 PM on 03/06/2010

and it's called Chile helps Chile soo they might air it in univision but it's made in chile by chileans for chile.

[Patita]

02:15 PM on 03/06/2010

Go Chile, Go!!! You can do it.
To the Americans, please donate.
To rebuild the country, it will cost about 30 billion dollars...it is a huge task for a South American nation.
I'm surprised that the American government has donated so little, some 30 or a little more apparatus of communication. Maybe I'm wrong, but that his what I saw on TV.
VIVA CHILE!!!!!

[Chazz27]

03:51 PM on 03/06/2010

That is because Chile didn't want the US governments aid. There is a history there......

[PuddingPop]

09:56 AM on 03/07/2010

Chile doesn't want govn't aid? Boy, are you naive.

[Hector Rodriguez]

01:46 PM on 03/06/2010

WE HAVE ALREADY RAISE HALF OF THAT MONEY , WE , UNITED IN TIME OF DISTRESS WE ARE GOING TO GET TROUGH THIS , WE ARE A SOLIDARY NATION WE WERE ONE OF THE FIRST COUNTRY TO ARRIVE TO HAITI AFTER THE EARTHQUAKE , IM SO PROUD TO BE AN CHILEAN -AMERICAN. GOD BLESS CHILE.

[GerryS]

11:51 PM on 03/06/2010

hector, stop the cap-lock typing-----------

[PuddingPop]

09:58 AM on 03/07/2010

He's just so freekin' proud to be Chilean he want's to shout it out from the all caps zone. Of course, I'm not sure what there is to be proud (or ashamed for that matter) about being an earthquake victim...but that is truly another story.