Haiti

We have readers from all over the world, and I know we have some readers from Haiti. I think they’re lurkers, as I only hear from them occasionally via email, but I’m sick and sad seeing the images from the earthquake in Port-au-Prince last night and I hope the death toll is far, far lower than news sources are predicting (which need to shut the hell up about how many Americans were involved already before I break my own tv).

If you’d like to help, OxFam America is already in Port-au-Prince, and there’s a podcast and a report on their site. The donation page is crashing repeatedly, though, likely from traffic. (Charity Navigator rating: four stars).

In addition, Save the Children is also in Port-au-Prince, and has more information about conditions there, and ways to help. (Charity Navigator rating: four stars.)

I am always amazed by how small the world is online, and how few boundaries there are between people who share a common joy like romance, even if they don’t share a common language. If you have any sources for donations or information you’d like to share, please share in the comments.

Comments are Closed

  1. Sally says:

    I just found out another great way to donate is through the Red Cross. You can actually contribute using your Amazon acct (I hate putting in my credit card number online). Thanks for the reminder about making a donation. It’s easy to get overwhelmed and feel like a little wouldn’t help!

  2. Thanks, Sarah, for providing the links.

  3. The BBC have a list of links to a number of charities which those of us in the UK and US might consider giving to.

  4. Trish Gwynn says:

    You can also donate thru Wyclef Jean’s Yele site at http://www.yele.org/  However, the site has reportedly crashed several times from all the people trying to access it. You can also donate $5 to his Twitter acct – his number is 501501

  5. Roobarb says:

    Action Aid are also working over there.  My daughter and I sponsor some children through them.  I’m going to see if I can get our students in college to help out too

  6. Leslie Kelly says:

    It’s easy and fast to donate $10 to the Red Cross. Just text the word “haiti” to 90999 and they’ll charge a $10 donation to your cell phone bill.

  7. Wherever you choose to donate, I hope people will take a few minutes to check out your charity at Charity Navigator-it’s a great site.

    One thing I’ve heard is that sometimes getting staff in is a problem so if a charity already has a presence there or a relationship with the country, it helps.

    Some of the charities I like:
    World Vision-4 stars (already has a presence in Haiti)
    Mercy Corps 3 Stars (mobilizing to send staff)
    Doctors without Borders 4 stars (sounds like they already have staff working on current projects there)
    Compassion International 4 stars (can’t tell if they have staff there now, but they are fairly active, if I recall correctly)

  8. Amanda from Baltimore says:

    I made a donation at Doctors Without Borders today. They already have people on the ground there. Their hospital is damaged, so they are treating people in tents on the grounds.

    I wanted to donate where the help would get there fast.  If you want to read some about their efforts, go over to The Yarn Harlot’s blog and check out the response from the Knitosphere.

  9. Fiamma says:

    Good for you for promoting all these charities and encouraging your readers. Doctors Without Borders has always been our go to charity because they go where no one else usually will. Plus they got hit pretty hard in Haiti as well.

  10. MicheleKS says:

    Leslie, thank you for the Red Cross text donation info. My aunt works for them and I know they’ll send aid.

    My prayers to all those in Haiti.

  11. Maris says:

    I’ll add an endorsement for the Red Cross – they have trained volunteers who are experienced in dealing with disasters (which have their own unique challenges) – they even have inflatable hospitals (no, really), trained disaster nurses and mental health counselors, as well as the BEST distribution supply chain I’ve ever seen (and that includes with my ‘regular’ Fortune 50 employer).

    They do it almost all with volunteers (only something like 8% of Red Cross personnel are paid staff), so your donation goes a very long way.

  12. Does anyone know if this will be like Katrina as in donating other items other than money?  For those who are toughing it out because of the Recession anyway…may not be able to send donations of money—-however, they might be able to donate things like blankets, baby accessories, clothes, etc? I know we all have that stuff stashed in attics and so forth.

    By the way, everytime I try to post here, it takes a bunch of times trying. An error message says I am not typing the word exactly how it appears. Um, yeah I am.

  13. saltwaterknitter says:

    I really appreciate the tip about the cell phone donation to Red Cross. I don’t have any credit cards because of a messy divorce, so that’s exactly the kind of thing I was looking for. Thank You!

    I would also be interested in non-monetary donation information.

  14. mingqi says:

    thanks for the tips on which organizations to donate.  like C.H. Scarlett, i’m also curious abt whether they will be accepting donations of clothes, blankets, etc.

  15. Amanda says:

    Thank you for the links and for the other services that are being provided from many countries.

    Amanda M.

  16. Patrice says:

    Another non profit I’ve read great things about is Shelter Box International. They pack a big hard side box with all needed for shelter and cooking supplies for a family. Their site is shelterbox.org. They are in Miami now staging boxes to be delivered to Port au Prince tomorrow. Red Cross is always amazing. I saw on CNN that Doctors without Borders have 800 people already in Haiti but most of them were missing as of this afternoon. The relief planes are landing and the Coast Guard have had helicopters and ships there since this morning. (I heard the big CG choppers leaving this morning. We’re in FLA where they deployed from first) The main problem now and in the next 12-24 hours is getting the supplies out to the people, and of course getting the search & rescue teams out and medical treatment facilities running again. Those will have to be the mobile units shipped in because the hospitals are destroyed. As far as monetary donations, every little bit helps so don’t feel even a 1.00 would not help. If everyone gave 1.00 it would add up fast!
    Bless everyone who helps in whatever way and Bless all the people of Haiti.

  17. Gina says:

    Hi fellow romance bloggers,

    I just wanted to say that I have an sponsor daughter (technically adopted) who lives in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. I’ve worked in the capital teaching English and feeding children every summer since Freshman year of high school. I have very strong ties to the beloved people of Haiti and am currently praying for the people there and especially the women and children in the ghettos.

    The bottom line of this comment was to tell you one of my fondest memories of working in Port-au-Prince was staying up late in the mission compound translating romance novels to the Haitian teen girls. In all honesty, I butchered most of the American slang and nuances of the story—however, you couldn’t tell from their faces that the stories were anything less than perfect. Even though I have been known to scoff at the cover art of a lot of the romance novels—the Haitian girls loved the Fabio lookalikes (complete with man-titty and mullets)!

    Isn’t it wonderful how a simple book can build bridges between women?

    With prayers for Haiti,
    Gina

  18. mischief says:

    Catholic Relief Services is also taking donations:
    http://donate.crs.org/site/PageServer?pagename=mg_emergency

    Also, money is a lot more effective than in-kind donations, because of its flexibility and ease of transport, which is why they mostly want money.

    And—don’t earmark your money.  Pick a charity you trust and trust them with your money.  Yes, it might go for something other than the earthquake victims, but that’s because there are a lot of worthy things that charities do that never get above the radar, and big disasters can suck up all the oxygen in the room from people as badly in need.  And it will help, just a little, by cutting adminstrative costs.

  19. Jemi Fraser says:

    In Canada, or at least my area, most donations appear to be going through the Red Cross.

  20. Trumystique says:

    While Haiti is known by many to be the poorest nation in this hemisphere- it is also the first independent black nation of the world, home to great intellectuals, artists, musicians and a rich spiritual/cultural tradition. There are many local organizations on the ground- formed by Haitians’ helping each other- that I would ask you to consider. Additionally, there are many international organizations that have a demonstrated and independently verified record of helping people in need, responding to disasters etc. Charity Navigator as so many people have mentioned on this thread is wonderful.

    I would ask you to consider giving to the organizations below. These organizations are ones in which close friends or family members of mine have witnessed the quality and dedication of the humanitarian work performed.

    You can also collect cash donations at your place of work in the days and coming weeks and send to the organizations below. The motto on the Haitian flag “L’Union fait la force” means in “ in unity is strength” so many small donations (as little as $1) would be a help.

    Finally, the first 72 hours of a disaster are critical. You can also help by calling your elected officials and ask them what they are doing to ensure a swift, sure and effective US government led humanitarian response. Contact the White House at 202-456-1111 or 202-456-1414. And contact your Senator or Representative by following this link http://www.contactingthecongress.org/ Tell .them that the world and country is watching how the most powerful country in this world responds to this crisis.

    1. Saint Boniface Foundation in Haiti

    http://www.haitihealth.org/
    781-963-7243

    Catholic clinic and organization that my sister volunteered with in Haiti. Do amazing work taking care of the medical and social needs of the whole family and village.

    2. H.E.L.P Inc

    http://www.helpinconline.org/

    This clinic is near the epicenter of the disaster. I have not been able to confirm if the hospital is still standing. But the staff at this hospital are a dedicated group and will be at the heart of reaching out and helping.

    3.World Vision

    http://www.worldvision.org/

    I saw WV on the front line in Uganda helping constantly in many ways ( building wells, homes, clinics, vaccinating kids etc). They are in Haiti with a significant presence and have a proven track record in disaster relief. They do this work well, with low administrative overhead so you know the money will be going directly to people in need

    4. Doctors without Borders

    http://doctorswithoutborders.org/

    Finally another well known organization that is always on the front lines of disaster relief. I have many close friends who volunteered with this organization and have nothing but wonderful things to say about their work. They do this work well and with low administrative overhead.

    Thanks to SB Sarah and the SmartBitchery for your heart. Continue to keep your positive thoughts, prayers and actions focused on Haiti.

  21. mischief says:

    BTW, if you wish to “donate things like blankets, baby accessories, clothes, etc”—you may want to look at your local charities, which can use such things.

    Such charities are likely to be hurting.  The recession has cut down on charitable donations, more people are in need, and part of the flood to Haiti will be money that would otherwise be going to local charities.

  22. Ashley Ladd says:

    Food For The Poor is one of the largest charities working in Haiti and is the #1 International Relief Agency.

    Donations needed most are monetary (to gather supplies to rebuild) but also water, canned meat, canned fish, and canned milk.

    Charity Navigator has awarded 4 stars to Food For The Poor for the past 9 years in a row. Ministry Watch also gives it 4 stars and it meets all of the BBB’s Wise Giving guidelines.

    http://www.foodforthepoor.org

  23. Ashley Ladd says:

    Oops!

    Let me give the exact url for Haiti earthquake relief.

    http://www.foodforthepoor.org/haitiquake

  24. Amanda from Baltimore says:

    You know, I think Pat Robertson needs to shut the he-l-l up. Every time something tragic happens in the world he blames the people who live there for not being godly. New Orleans was hit by Katrina because of the French Quarter being sinful. Now, Haiti “brought this on it’self by making a deal with the devil to oust the French.”  WTF??

    I’d love to punch him in the nose for his idiot comments. And he needs to shuttup because every time he opens his mouth he gives Christianity a bad name.

    I listened to the NPR coverage this morning and was practically in tears about the dismal situation on the ground there.

  25. Debjc says:

    Another option to consider is Partners In Health
    http://www.pih.org/inforesources/news/Haiti_Earthquake.html

    Charity Navigator 4* rated
    On the ground in Haiti since 1985
    Affiliated with Paul Farmer and Brigham & Women’s Hospital

  26. Lindlee says:

    Hey everyone, go to the Pioneer Woman website and leave a comment. She’s donating a dime to Haitian recovery efforts for every comment left.

    http://thepioneerwoman.com/confessions/

  27. Karen says:

    Through someone I know on the internet, I learned of FilterPure (http://www.filterpurefilters.org/our_vision.htm) which is a non-profit organization with a current physical presence in the Dominican Republic and Haiti.  The organization creates ceramic water filters which can be used inside a simple bucket. It requires no electricity or boiling to work and a filter lasts for up to 5 years, which makes water filtration simple, cheap and efficient right on the ground, right where people are, right now.

    The employees in Haiti are safe, but their building is wrecked, so they don’t know how many (if any) filters they have in Haiti at the moment.  The director is (or has) sending all filters she has in the Dominican Republic to Haiti and any donations made on their website will go directly to relief efforts in Haiti.

    I have no affiliation with this organization, and I’m not emotionally wedded to the idea of only donating to them, so if you have preferred charities I’m certainly not suggesting you change your mind.  But if you’re looking for a good way to help get one of the most important needs taken care of (clean drinking water affordably and possible, given the current conditions in Haiti), IMO, this is perhaps a charity to consider.

  28. lilywhite says:

    i donated to doctors without borders.  as others mentioned, they were already there on the ground, and as of yesterday were bringing in two inflatable hospitals.

    they also use only 1% of donations for administrative costs, which is a heywhoa awesome thing.

    http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org

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