More than $8 million (£4.9 million) of the total $35 million raised by Red Cross has been done via text message.

The charity said that it will help to provide kits with kitchen equipment, shelter and personal hygiene packs to help [...]]]> Premium rate text messages are helping to raise funds for the victims of the Haiti disater.

More than $8 million (£4.9 million) of the total $35 million raised by Red Cross has been done via text message.

The charity said that it will help to provide kits with kitchen equipment, shelter and personal hygiene packs to help victims.

It added: “Please give what you can today to help thousands of people in desperate need of humanitarian assistance.”

Save The Children has said that premium rate text messages have brought on a new wave of donations, with its text service seeing many donations.

“Text messaging is helping to make the donation process more streamlined, so we can get aid to children and families more quickly,” said Anne-Marie Grey, vice president of resource development at the charity.

She added that the organisation expects the response to be bigger than the Indian Ocean tsunami’s public donation levels.

For more details on this appeal – visit – http://www.redcross.org.uk/