Why You Should Care About the Election Disaster in Haiti
Because, for one thing, you're paying for it. For another, those are not professional victims of endless disaster, but real human beings. If you want to follow it in a way that moves a bit beyond "There goes another disaster in Haiti," here's a Twitter feed from someone who makes the headlines less abstract.
Of course a cholera center only smells like a chlorinated pool. It looks like nothing of the sort.12:10 AM Nov 26th via Twitterrific
Instead if yr eyes were closed and you did not know better it might feel like you were in a swimming pool locker room, w lots of chlorine11:58 PM Nov 25th via Twitterrific
Cholera leads to rice water diarrhea. No reason to wear a mask for the smell.11:55 PM Nov 25th via Twitterrific
Masks are not needed for cholera infection control.11:50 PM Nov 25th via Twitterrific
You may wish to take their cholera reporting with a grain of salt.11:50 PM Nov 25th via Twitterrific
When a news crew comes to your hospital wearing face masks to cover a story on cholera..,11:49 PM Nov 25th via Twitterrific
Doctor Coffee, I'm given to understand, "is a saint." From what I hear, if you want your money actually to go to something useful there, money sent to support her work at the HUEH Hospital would be well spent.
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Aug '10
Re: Why You Should Care About the Election Disaster in Haiti
The CRUDEM foundation, which runs Hôpital Sacré Coeur in Milot, also strikes me as a pretty up-and-up organization. I had heard in February that Hôpital Sacré Coeur, Milot is so well-respected that the US Army went out of its way to airlift special cases there, rather than to closer places, because the care was better. Here's their "latest news" page.
Sep '10
Re: Why You Should Care About the Election Disaster in Haiti
Claire,
This is excellent work on Haiti. As you know, one of the major difficulties many of us who label ourselves conservative or, drum roll please, theists of the papal inclination, have with donations to humanitarian causes by larger organizations, even religious ones, is knowing that the donations are being co-opted for another purpose.
One of the other difficulties, at least for Canadians, is that 501 c 3 non-profit corporations don't garner a charitable tax credit under Canadian income tax law, and few are the non-profits who will go to the trouble of dual US/Canadian non profit charitable status.
That said, this looks like a worthy group.
Jul '10
Re: Why You Should Care About the Election Disaster in Haiti
I applaud private charity groups who do good works to alleviate suffering.
But I abhor the confiscation of Americans' tax dollars to provide aid to foreigners. There is absolutely nothing in the Constitution that allows our government to redistribute the fruits of our labor abroad.
Aug '10
Re: Why You Should Care About the Election Disaster in Haiti
One need not be a papally-inclined feline to feel some trepidation about where one's charitable donation is actually going. Not knowing whether the donation'll be co-opted or not is the biggest reason why my husband hesitates to give to charity -- and I don't blame him.
Charity Navigator advertises itself as a resource for finding a charity you can trust, but while they provide useful information on stuff like a charity's overhead and efficiency, they're not so good at disclosing whether a charity's mission would seem, um... "co-optive" to a conservative.
Is there a conservative charity navigator out there?...
As for other charities that have successfully helped Haiti, Team Rubicon did an admirable job immediately after the quake (here's their after-action report), but they're a first-response team only. Cross International is an organization that sticks around, though.
May '10
Re: Why You Should Care About the Election Disaster in Haiti
As an evangelical, I tend to pick a couple with solid records, and then smaller entities that I know personally. I always look to see if a charity is approved by the ECFA, which audits them financially.
Internationally, it is always safe to go with Samaritan's Purse, and domestically, The Salvation Army. Bill Frist usually spends a couple of weeks with Samaritan's Purse every time there is a natural disaster some place.
I disagree with Kenneth that all foreign aid is distribution of "the fruits of our labor abroad". I think that most Americans want to help, and want be able to trust someone to actually do things effectively. I bet that if you polled 300 million Americans and asked them if they thought that sending the military, including naval hospital ships and food aid to the sites of international natural disasters was a good thing or a bad thing, 80%+ (in other words, everyone except the domestic very poor and the Ron Paul supporters) would approve.
Aug '10
Re: Why You Should Care About the Election Disaster in Haiti
Before Dionne Warwick and Bono team up for a charity concert in Cap d'Antibes or someplace, we should say a quick prayer for Haiti. This is because no amount of charity will ever bring that small nation out of the vortex of crime, poverty and corruption it exists in.
Being close to the international disaster response community, you'd be further saddened by how little aid went there after the earthquake. There were massive logistics problems with one good airfield, the port's receiving infrastructure in ruins, and the Dominican Republic rapidly shutting down the borders. Lots of efforts were made, preparations set up, traffic lanes opened, and supplies at the ready- but very ,very little moved.
Chile lost 214 people in a larger (8.8) earthquake. Haiti lost 230,000 in a much smaller (7.0) one.
Charity is a wonderful thing. But sometimes it is wasted . Haiti needs its people to stand up and build something for their families. Only Haitians can stop their countrymen from exploiting the country. When they finally realize that voodoo is just superstition it will start to change. For now, dead chickens signify more than a handout.