Haiti: ways to help

Photo by: United Nations Development Programme

The 7.0 magnitude earthquake that hit Haiti in Jan 12, left a death toll estimated to exceed 100,000, leaving more than two million Haitians homeless.
Rescue teams from different countries are arriving to Port-au-Prince, but the access to the city and the affected areas is too difficult. However certain organizations based in other areas of Haiti have been mobilizing victims to treat them in their hospitals and field hospitals.
Many organizations already have websites to make money donations, however we better be careful, because some people are taking advantage of the situation and scamming people. The safest is to donate to well known organizations listed in CNN impact, like the one I personally have been following and supporting for a couple of years, Partners in Health (PIH).
Partners in Health (PIH) was co founded by Doctor Paul Farmer and Ophelia Dahl 25 years ago, and has been providing health services to poor Haitians in the Central plateau and other areas.
With more than 100 doctors and 600 nurses and auxiliaries Haiti, PIH is currently trying to set field hospitals in Port-au-Prince and mobilizing people from Port-au-Prince to safe areas where they can receive healthcare.

Though the decades the programs of PIH have successful decreased chronic diseases like AIDS and tuberculosis in the areas where they work, with community-based care that relies on village health workers who are part of their local partner Zamni Lasante (Partners in Health in creole).
This model has been reproduced in other countries like Russia, Peru and Guatemala after its success in Haiti. To learn more about Paul Farmer, Ophelia Dahl and their mission with Partner in Health, check http://www.pih.org/home.html
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As for material donations, hospitals do not have supplies. Not even basic things like band-aids or aspirins, said co-founder of the American NGO Partners in Health (PIH) Ophelia Dahl to NPR. So any type of donations could help Haitians, however because of accessibility issues, monetary donations could be more efficient since Haiti based NGOs know the channels to get aid to the country.

Other organizations you can donate to (CNN impact list):

Providing Basic Needs:
• American Red Cross
• CARE
• United Nations Foundation/CERF
• World Vision
• UNICEF USA
• International Relief Teams
• Save the Children
• Catholic Relief Services
• Samaritan's Purse
• American Jewish World Services
• Clinton Foundation
• Yéle Haiti
• World Concern
• Mercy Corps
• Operation Blessing International
• Mercy & Sharing
• Oxfam America
• International Rescue Committee
• United Way Worldwide
• Episcopal Relief & Development
• Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
• Love a Child
• Project Hope
Providing Shelter:
• Shelterbox
• Habitat for Humanity International

Providing Medical Aid:
• Direct Relief International
• International Medical Corps
• Medical Teams International
• Doctors Without Borders
• Operation USA
• MAP International
• World Health Organization
• Americares
• Project Medishare
• Partners in Health

Providing Food:
• World Food Programme
• The Salvation Army
• Compassion International
• Food for the Poor
• World Water Relief
Organizations accepting international currencies:
• The International Committee of the Red Cross
• UK: The Disasters Emergency Committee
• Oxfam Great Britain
• British Red Cross
• The French Red Cross

Haiti, so what?

It's a mix of depression and rage.
I sat down at my school's lobby and started reading the Seattle Times. I tried to start a conversation with someone about the front page story on Haiti's earthquake, and all I got was a: ¿What happened?
¿What happened? ¿Seriously? Tens of thousands are dying, and there aren't enough resources and technology to save their lives. CNN stopped transmitting news and began transmitting Haiti news during the whole night on Tuesday and Wednesday. Most newspapers had pictures of children dying on their front pages and they still didn't not know what had happen.
But why would they care?
Because human beings are dying, human beings are loosing their entire families, human beings are suffering and not getting help on time. But the question might be, how would we know about this?
If you could at least take a few minutes everyday to open a newspaper and check the headlines you would know that there is more people in the world. Being informed is just a compassionate act, acknowledging that there is suffering in the world and understanding the situations that lead to the catastrophes that happen is just the least we can do.
Could you imagine being trapped in a country were thousands of people are dying, needing help, needing food and water, and your parents are trapped a couple of feet under your house roof? You will hope with all your heart that someone in another country will care and do something about it.
I personally have decided to be that person, and take some responsibility by reading and writing, because awareness leads to action.

Haiti, oportunidad de abrir los ojos y actuar

Aqui estoy yo sentada viendo como un grupo de Haitianos tratan de sacar a una adolescente que grita de dolor debajo de los escombros y después de horas de empujar con palas y empujar entre varios de ellos la logran sacar viva. Su tía y abuela murieron debajo de ella.

Un jóven que no puede ser mayor que yo llora en la pantalla porque ha perdido a toda su familia, todos abuelos, padres, h

ermanos. Todos aplastados por su propia casa y sin equipos de rescates que los puediera tratar de sacar a tiempo. Y yo estoy acá frente a un televisor. Qué no daría yo por poder ver esto con la tranquilidad que la película se va a acabar, pero lastimosamente no es una película y los cadáveres son reales. Los niños, los bebés todo estan muriendo a lado de más niños, padres desesperados, madres adoloridas. Quisiera poderla ver como veo una película y saber que todo es ficción, pero no. Eso esta pasando mientras escribo esto.

El cielo esta claro y azul, pero el futuro para estos seres humanos no s ve tan claro. Después de dos siglos de explotación y genocidios el país más pobre de América sufre uno de los peores terremotos en la historia reciente de nuestro hemisferio, pero sólo asi logran tener cubrimiento internacional.

Si, si existe, ese país del que hemos oído en cuentos de vodooh, pobreza y sangre. La antigua colonia francesa del Caribe, y é

l segundo país independiente del continente ignorado y descuidado por todos su vecinos logra subir la voz y gritar por ayuda.

Pero sinceramente, ¿tenía que pasar algo de esta magnitud para que oyeramos de Haiti?

Espero ahora más que nunca que todos re evaluemos nuestras vidas, logremos aprender algo de esta crisis, pero especialment

e que nunca más se pasen por alto todo el sufrimiento por el que pasa Haiti y todo lo que cada uno de nosotros podría hacer. No por los cientos de miles que han muerto en estos dos días, sino por toda la cantidad de sobrevi

vientes que necesitarán reconstruir su país y tratar de vivir como que si sus vidas enteras no se hubieran derrumbado.

PORFAVOR DONEN!