Disaster relief
Posted: January 20th, 2010 | Author: bill | Filed under: Uncategorized | No Comments »Disaster relief and non-governmental organizations:
- Action Against Hunger has mobilized an emergency response and has teams already on the ground, assessing and responding to needs;
- You can make a donation through the American Red Cross’ International Response Fund, and it will be allocated specifically for Haiti relief efforts;
- CARE, a leading humanitarian organization fighting global poverty, also needs donations for its on-ground work in Haiti;
- Doctors Without Borders needs donations to provide crucial medical treatment and supplies;
- Habitat for Humanity has been working in Haiti for 26 years and will be sending a team to assess the impact on affordable housing after the earthquake. To make a donation, go here;
- The Lions Clubs International Foundation is working through local Lions clubs members in Haiti. To make an online donation, go here and select Disaster, including “LCIF Haiti Earthquake Relief” in the comments section;
- Mercy Corps has a way for you to donate your money straight to its efforts in Haiti;
- The Pan American Development Foundation is the disaster relief arm of the Organization of American States. It has been in Haiti for over 30 years, and currently has over 150 people on the ground there. Go here to make an online donation or call 877-572-4484;
- Partners in Health (Paul Farmer’s organization), which has been on the ground in Haiti for over 20 years, works hard to “minimize overhead and truly focuses on getting help to people who need it,” reader jmlinton says. To support its efforts with a donation, go here;
- Project HOPE, which provide medical supplies and health care services to those in need, is seeking donations for its aid efforts in Haiti;
- Quisqueya International Organization Freedom & Development, founded by a former Peace Corps volunteer, is on-the-ground, assisting with relief efforts;
- Save the Children says that at least 2 million children or more have been affected by the earthquake. Donate online or by phone at 1-800-728-3843 to support their efforts to help Haitian children and families;
- UNICEF is working hard to help Haiti’s children. To donate to its ongoing emergency relief efforts, visit the website or call 1-800-4UNICEF.
- The United Nations World Food Program has teams “already on the scene, mobilizing emergency food assistance to families.” To support these efforts, you can make an emergency donation here;
- The United Way is accepting online donations to its United Way Worldwide Disaster Fund, which will directly benefit relief efforts in Haiti;
- Yele Haiti, an organization set up by musician Wyclef Jean, a native Haitian, is an additional option. Though, you may want to read this post first about the controversy surrounding the charity.
Faith-based organizations:
- American Jewish World Service is collecting donations for its “Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund,” which will help “their network of grantees in Haiti to meet the urgent needs of the population based on real-time, on-the-ground assessments;”
- Baptist Global Response, which coordinates the mercy efforts of the Southern Baptist Convention, is sending a team from Florida to help for its initial outreach. In addition to donations, the organization asks that concerned individuals join in focused prayer for Haiti’s 9 million people;
- Catholic Relief Services (CRS) has made an initial commitment of $5 million for immediate use in the relief effort. According to its press release, the CRS offices in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, ”were shaken, with some damage to the compound walls, but there were no injuries in the building.” Donations can be made via the website or by phone at 1-877-HELP-CRS 1-877-HELP-CRS 1-877-HELP-CRS ;
- Christian Aid Ministries, an Amish-Mennonite organization, has had staff and a distribution network in Haiti for over 20 years. To help earthquake survivors, they are providing search and rescue operations, emergency supplies such as medicines and food, and later on rebuilding of houses. Donations are being accepted through mail, credit card, or by phone at 330-893-2428;
- Compassion International, the world’s largest Christian child development program, serves 64,000 sponsored children in Haiti, most near the earthquake zone. The website allows donors to earmark contributions for Haiti;
- The Episcopal Diocese of New York, which has Haitian congregations and a partnership with the Episcopal Diocese of Haiti, is collecting aid both through the diocese and through the national denomination’s Episcopal Relief and Development;
- Islamic Relief USA, in coordination with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is flying a $1 million shipment of aid to Haiti. To donate to the “Haiti Emergency” fund, visit the website or call 888-479-4968;
- The Lutheran Church Missouri — Synod along with the mercy arm, LCMS World Relief and Human Care, announced it was making an initial grant of tens of thousands of dollars available to meet emergency needs. Support its efforts by making a donation here;
- The North American Mission Board for the Southern Baptists has more than more than 90,000 trained disaster relief volunteers and more than 2,000 disaster relief units including feeding, water purification, showers, laundry and communications. To support its efforts in Haiti, donate to the Haiti Relief Fund or call 866-407-6262;
- Operation Blessing International also has disaster relief teams on the way. A donation of $50 or more will bring emergency food, water, medicine and more to the quake victims;
- The Salvation Army is also sending personnel and supplies to assist in the relief effort and is in need of donations;
- Samaritan’s Purse, the international aid and development group headed by Rev. Franklin Graham, landed a medical supplies flight with teams of emergency medical workers Wednesday morning and will begin pouring in additional aid as needs become clear.
- The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) has long been working in Haiti. To support their its efforts, go here;
- World Vision, a Christian humanitarian charity organization, is also working to help children and families devastated by the quake. To learn more about its efforts and to donate, visit the website.
The fastest way to donate may be by text. Here are several options:
- Text HAITI to 25383 to donate $5 to International Rescue Committee
- Text CARE to 25383 to donate $10 to CARE
- Text OXFAM to 25383 to donate $10 to Oxfam International
- Text AJWS to 25383 to donate $10 to American Jewish World Service
- Text HABITAT to 25383 to donate $10 to Habitat for Humanity
- Text BABY to 20222 to donate $5 to March of Dimes
- Text GIVEto 25383 to donate $10 to Partners in Health
- Text HAITI to 90999 to donate $10 to the American Red Cross
- Text HAITI to 864833 to donate $5 to The United Way
- Text SAVE to 20222 to donate $10 to Save the Children
Mobile Commons provides a full list of organizations accepting text donations here.
There are so many options available that it’s hard to create accurate lists, but we want to point out a couple worthwhile efforts. Take a minute to check these out if you haven’t had luck with the sites we mentioned:
- Nick Zantop, a blogger, photographer and globetrotter who says she grew up in the Caribbean, has pulled together a comprehensive list of possibilities on Facebook and her blog, ItsJustLight.com;
- MSNBC has a nice list pulled together;
- First Coast News in Jacksonville, Fla., has a good list for folks local to the region;
- LoHud.com also has a roundup, focusing on efforts in New York’s Lower Hudson Valley.
How best to help
The Center of International Disaster Information (CIDI) says that “cash is best” for individuals and organizations interested in making contributions to help the victims of the earthquake.
Additionally, interested donors can visit InterAction.org to obtain its list of credible responding agencies for international emergencies, and www.give.org or CharityNavigator.org to get valuable information on making informed decisions when supporting charities.
Go here for advice on how to avoid Haiti relief scams.
The White House, which has pledged $100 million to help Haiti, has also set up a webpage with information on how to help.
