Does it help?

We've answered a lot of questions about the auction so far - we've not answered questions about the actual help yet. After all, Japan is a wealthy country? Does it even need help? Does this help? Short answers - yes, yes, and yes. This Jezebel article provides insight as to why Japan needs help and which organizations are working actively in Japan.

Save the Children is one of those and one of the organizations working specifically to aid with relief efforts. Some of the facts:

• An estimated 100,000 children have been displaced from their homes
• Japan is on high nuclear alert for two nuclear reactors in Fukushima
• Many tsunami-affected areas are still cut off from relief
• More than 380,000 people evacuated across the country

While long-term solutions can wait, the children of Japan can't:

Relief efforts for the Japan Earthquake and Tsunami continue to be hampered by the ongoing nuclear crisis, supply shortages and frigid temperatures. Save the Children carried out an exploratory mission north of hard-hit Sendai and found children living in desperate conditions.

Find more information on Save the Children's website, where among other things you can find an in-depth crisis report and recovery plan, with both relief efforts and long-term recovery plans, survivor stories and blogs from the relief workers.

So please, please help. Starting tomorrow the auction will go live with one of my most anticipated reads of 2011 - a chance to win a signed copy of Gayle Forman's If I Stay and a signed ARC of Where she went (!!!!!)

Until tomorrow :-)