In an effort to help Pakistani refugees, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is using a relatively new fund-raising tool: text messages.

The secretary announced yesterday that by typing the word “swat” into cell phones and dialing 20222, Americans can make a $5 gift to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

The U.N. group is providing tents, clothing, food, and medicine to the almost 1.5 million people who have been displaced in the Swat Valley region of Pakistan, where the government is fighting the Taliban.

Ms. Clinton did not say how much she expected to garner with the campaign, but did say, “I’m hoping that we’ll have a big response to the text messaging. Just think if a million people in the United States gave at least $5, that’s $5-million. And that would be a significant contribution from ordinary citizens, just people who care about what’s happening.”

Text messages are becoming more popular as a fund-raising tool. Read The Chronicle’s article about new ways charities are using the technology.

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