On January 12th a 7.0 earthquake hit Haitiapostrophes capital, Port-Au-Prince and caused massive devastation to the city. It is estimated that the quake destroyed more than 4,000 buildings in the capital and caused 250,000 fatalities. Lack of food, clean water, medical care and the spread of disease may push the death toll even higher.
The desperation and enormity of the situation has inspired Americans to respond quickly and generously. In just the first two weeks after the quake, 40 charities received more than half a billion dollars in donations to support their relief efforts in Haiti. If you are inspired to give it is important that you do your due diligence first. To help in that effort, we offer this list of a few of our 3 and 4-star charities responding to the crisis along with a synopsis of their plans. Each of these charities has a history of working on massive disasters and/or of working in Haiti.
• American Red Cross - The ARC is sending tarps, hygiene items and cooking sets for approximately 5,000 families and is helping the injured who may need blood. Thousands of local Red Cross volunteers are already aiding their fellow Haitians and ARC Disaster management specialists are scheduled to be on the ground soon.
• Americares - Sending $5 million of medical aid to survivors including antibiotics, pain relievers, bandages and medical supplies for survivors with trauma injuries.
• CARE - Deploying emergency team members to Port-au-Prince and will be distributing food. Over 100 staff members on the ground coordinating with U.N. agencies.
• Convoy of Hope - Setting up an emergency command center just outside Port-au-Prince where food, water and supplies are being distributed.
• Direct Relief International - Arranging an emergency airlift containing over $2 million in medicines and medical supplies that will depart on January 15.
• Doctors Without Borders - Currently treating people on the ground and will be operating an inflatable hospital.
• Food for the Poor - Accepting cash donations, canned eats, fish, condensed/evaporated/powdered milk, and water. Almost 100 containers of urgently needed medical supplies, rice and canned food from Food For The Poor are ready to be distributed to the people of Haiti. Another 300 containers are planned as a part of the initial relief effort.
• Partners in Health - Has been working in Haiti for 20 years. They are organizing medical personnel volunteers and gathering supplies.
• Save the Children - Has worked in Haiti for more than 32 years with 250 staff on the ground. Will be providing food, water, shelter and child-friendly spaces. Because Save the Childrenapostrophes offices did not suffer the structural damage of other non-governmental organizations, other aid workers have taken refuge in the agencyapostrophes compound, where operations are being run out of offices and tents.
• Water Missions International - Raising funds so they can directly provide safe water to earthquake survivors. Has full-time staff on the ground in Port-au-Prince and are poised to respond as quickly as possible to the survivors of the quake.
Of course, these are just a few of the many charities offering aid. For other options for your philanthropic investment, please refer to our extended list of highly-rated charities on the right.
Tips For Funding Haiti Earthquake Relief Efforts
Avoid Newly-Formed Charities and Give To An Established Charity That Has Worked In Haiti - Establishing a new charity is hard enough, but in a crisis, the odds of succeeding are slim to none. Think of it this way: would you entrust all your savings in a financial firm that just opened, doesnapostrophet even have stationery, and whose employees have no experience in investing money? Doubtful. Find a charity with a proven track record of success in providing disaster relief and one that has worked in Haiti. Start with the list of charities on the Charity Navigator website and if a group you are considering supporting isn’t there, then take the time to thoroughly research it before making a gift.
Do Not Give To The Haitian Government – Haiti is known to be a corrupt country ). And news reports post earthquake indicate that the government is pretty much not functioning. If that isn’t enough reason not to give directly to the Haiti government, then consider the fact that contributions to foreign governments are not tax deductible.
Designate Your Investment – Generally, it is best to trust your chosen charity to spend your donation as it sees fit. But with disaster related giving, you should specify that you want your donation only used to respond to this particular crisis.
Do Not Send Supplies – Knowing that millions of people are desperately in need of food and water, it is hard not to want to pack up a box of supplies and send it to Haiti. But this type of philanthropy is simply not practical or efficient. Even if mail could get to Haiti, no one is set up to receive these goods, much less organize and distribute them to the victims. Furthermore, charities are often able to partner with companies to acquire large amounts of in-kind donations such as bottled water and new clothing. Instead of boxing up and sending your old clothing, have a garage sale and turn your used goods into cash and donate that to a worthy charity.
Be Careful Of Email Solicitations
• Be Leery Of People That Contact You Online Claiming To Be A Victim – Unless you personally know someone in Haiti, anyone alleging to be in this position is most likely part of a scam. Obviously, people affected by the earthquake are in no position to contact you directly for assistance.
• Delete Unsolicited Emails With Attachments - Never respond to unsolicited emails. Do not open any attachments to these emails even if they claim to contain pictures from Haiti. These attachments are probably viruses.
Seek Out The Charity’s Authorized Website – Refer to our blogas to why this is important.
Is it safe to make a text donation? - So long as you do your homework, yes. Please visit our blog for a longer explanation.
Consider the Nature Of The Charity’s Work – Not every charity is responding in the same way. Some are providing medical assistance, some shelter, some food and water. Others will be more focused on either short term or long term rebuilding efforts. And some are just helping to fundraise for other nonprofits. Think about what it is you want your philanthropic investment to accomplish and then take the time to find the charities doing that work. At Charity Navigator we link to each charity’s website so that you can quickly learn more about their plans to help in Haiti.
Be Inspired By Social Media, But Still Do Your Homework – Social networking tools like Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and blogs are delivering heart-wrenching images and information about Haiti to our computers and phones. Many of them include pleas to donate. While these tools can be a powerful tool to inspire your desire to help, you should not blindly give via these vehicles. You must take the time to investigate the groups behind such pleas for h