Help for Haiti: Short Term, Long Term Aid

My one-time  neighbor, Hebrew study partner, and dear friend is lost among the Haitian rubble. Her husband was airlifted to Florida. She has not been found. He stood ten feet from her when the four story building crumbled. Our sponsored child lives (we hope) in Haiti.  Just like you, we are praying for Haiti. But we know the best prayer is active prayer, prayer with hands and feet. So how do you best help Haiti?

As in any massive crisis such as this a few guidelines will apply for the near term and it is worth revisiting those (just as was necessary for the Asian Tsunami and Katrina.)

1. Send cash first, and send it right away. 

Cash gets there immediately. Aid agencies cannot commit funds they do not have and cannot reasonably expect. A credit card payment on the web shows up immediately. In other words, cash gets to Haiti faster than water, blankets, or volunteers. 

2. Send cash to established organizations in Haiti. 

If someone was not already in Haiti before the crisis hit, do not send them money. Plenty of shucksters and hawkers will arise like ambulance chasers. Crisis can equal money, so give to those who were committed to this extremely poor nation before the earthquake hit. The only exception is well known first responding agencies such as the Red Cross. Take Obama's advice and go through the White House web page to avoid any Red Cross look alikes (and ignore the Racist ignorant comments from Rush about it. He's worse than the ambulance chasers). If you aren't familiar with an organization check its efficiency ratings. A site like charity navigator can help you determine whether or not the organization lives up to its purposes. 

3. Do not get swept into critical statements and anger over kinks in the machine.

Every time aid is involved someone abuses it. Every time. The fallen human nature won't suddenly turn rosy just because thousands are dying. Drug addicts still face unbelievable compulsion for example. Someone will report it (some already are) and you might be tempted not to give. It never gets to where it needs to go, you are tempted to think. Wrong. It usually gets to where it needs to go. We hear about the smaller percentages of abuse and generalize them. If you give, and give following the guidelines in number 2, most of it gets there. 

4. Plan  for Long Term Giving. 

Obviously I am a fan of child sponsorship. It links you to faces, names, and lives. It keeps you from sending a check from a distance without any love. You write a note, you send a gift, you send prayers, you send pictures... you send love. One of the other long term considerations to give in helping Haiti will be of course aid for reconstruction. That will take years and years. Put Haiti into your five year giving plan. They will need it. Finally, consider giving to combat human trafficking in Haiti. Impoverished nations are always preyed upon by slave traders. Small amounts of cash will motivate people in these countries toward inhumane activities since they need food, or medicine, or water. Moreover, unsupervised children are easy targets. Think about a country already plagued by the modern slave trade, that suddenly loses thousands of parents, has an economic collapse, and can't even get clean water. You got it. The slave trade in Haiti will skyrocket. Some of them will be kidnapped, or 'rescued' by a seemingly helpful person only to be transferred here or elsewhere as sex slaves. Its more lucrative than cocaine or meth. You can sell a drug once, you can sell a person over and over and over. 

White House Site for Haitian Aid

Give Aid to Haiti, Sponsor a Child, or Combat Haitian Slavery

© 2009 David B. Ward All Rights Reserved.