Signal Boost: Haiti Assistance

[starlady]

I'm sure most people have heard by now that the worst earthquake in 200 years (magnitude 7.0) struck Haiti yesterday. The Times headline is Haiti in Ruin; Grim Search for the Dead, which seems to be all too apt.

Via a lot of people, skywardprodigal, who has local ties, has a list of trustworthy charities for those who would like to donate money. NB: The American Red Cross is not really a good organization for donating anything but blood.

ETA: The American Friends Service Committee is another worthy non-profit which will use donations effectively. It's an outreach of the Religious Society of Friends; the Committee won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1947. /ETA

A slightly more indirect, and fannish, response is help_haiti, a fandom auction. There's a lot of worthwhile stuff up for auction already, and more to come.

Comments

[kwviola.livejournal.com]

Thanks for posting that. This news makes me sad... I've been avoiding video news because I don't want to look at the devastation because knowing me I'd just start crying, and that doesn't help anyone.

[outou.livejournal.com]

I actually suggested donating to the Red Cross in my post, since it's at least on the ground in Port-au-Prince, but you're right about it not being the best organization to donate to. My parents donated to its relief efforts following the attacks on the World Trade Center, only to find out that their money went to building Red Cross offices in Oklahoma.

Setting that aside, thank you for the links.

[starlady38.livejournal.com]

Yikes. Yes, I'd heard from multiple former employees that donations don't go where they're meant. I know that Medicins sans Frontieres and Partners in Health are also currently on the ground (though PiH facilities are not in Port-au-Prince, from the radio coverage I've heard, but they are intact) and doing good work.

Silence didn't seem to be an option here. I know my office manager wants to go volunteer in-country if she can, so if she hears about rebuilding programs later in the year, I'll post that information too.