Texting R.E.L.I.E.F. may not be best way to go

I have been reading a lot of articles in the past day indicating the drawbacks of making donations by text/sms. If that is the only way you would or could give (i.e., you don’t have a credit card etc) then it makes sense, but a direct donation to the relief organizations is a much more efficient way as illustrated below:

What happens to that money next depends in part on how it was given. Mobile phones have been a popular way to give — donors texted more than $24 million to the American Red Cross in the first week — but they’re not the speediest. The donation generally isn’t processed until the giver pays his or her phone bill, which means it can take up to 90 days for the charity to see a penny. (Phone companies have agreed to expedite the process.) Contributions made with a credit card, in most cases, are delivered to aid agencies’ coffers immediately.

Source: TIME MAGAZINE ONLINE

Haiti relief concert and telethon set for Friday – NY & LA

Wyclef Jean (press photo)

The music industry will unite this Friday for global telethon to raise fund’s for the victims of the natural disaster.

Dubbed “Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief,” the fundraiser will take place Friday and comprise events in New York City, Los Angeles, London and Haiti. Haiti native Wyclef Jean will host the New York City proceedings, while actor George Clooney will do the same in Los Angeles and CNN’s Anderson Cooper will report from Haiti.

In New York, Bruce Springsteen, Jennifer Hudson, Mary J. Blige, Shakira, Sting and Jean will all perform. Taylor Swift, Timberlake, Dave Matthews, John Legend, and Stevie Wonder will all perform in Los Angeles, where Keith Urban, Kid Rock and Sheryl Crow are also plan to collaborate. Jay-Z and Rihanna have planned a special joint performance with U2’s Bono and The Edge in London, where Coldplay will also perform from.

The Obama’s personal response: $15,000 Check for Haiti Recovery and Red Cross PSA

President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama “have been inspired by the way that millions of Americans have responded with tremendous generosity to the Haiti crisis – even in these tough economic times,” said Deputy White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest. “So, today, they sent their own check for $15,000 to the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund to support the ongoing relief efforts in that country.”

The Clinton-Bush Haiti fund was launched on Friday – in a joint effort by former presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, prompted by the president asking the two to help get Americans involved in relief efforts. As of today the fund has received more than 126,000 contributions for relief and recovery efforts.

Michelle Obama joined with the Ad Council and American Red Cross for a series of public service announcements to encourage Americans to support relief efforts in Haiti, as she said in this statement:

“I was eager to join the Ad Council and the Red Cross to launch this call to action in the wake of this weeks devastating earthquake. The people of Haiti are struggling just to survive. And every one of us has the power to help.”

See Michelle Obama’s series of Red Cross PSA’s: Here , Here and Here

NYC Police Officers/ Firefighters save children from rubble amidst aftershocks

 According to NY1 who stationed reporter Dean Meminger on the ground in Haiti  — the New York City Police and Fire Search and Rescue Task Force pulled a five-year-old boy and a 10-year-old girl from a building yesterday as seen in the above photo.

The children were taken alert to an Israeli tent hospital, where they were reunited with their parents. Dr. Dario Gonzalez of the Search and Rescue Task Force said “Both in wonderful condition, a little dehydrated, a little hungry. They’re both doing really well with no injuries.”

The rescue was a bittersweet victory for the NYC team as rescue workers also pulled the bodies of three other children from the same building. The deceased are said to be siblings of the two rescued children.

The 80 New Yorker task force members are still conducting searches through the devastated areas.

See video footage of the scene here: NY1

27 NYC doctors and other medical providers depart for Haiti this morning

I have just learned that a dedicated group of 27 surgeons, orthopedic surgeons, anesthesiologists, pediatricians, nurses, and surgical technicians left for Haiti from New York’s Mount Sinai Hospital on a donated private jet with 3000 lbs of supplies this morning. These are much needed efforts in light of the overwhelming medical need.

Source: NYDailyNews

U.S. medical students on the ground speak out on conditions in Haiti

These interviews with US medical students on the ground in Haiti for the past week highlight not only the progress being made to treat and care for the sick and injured, but also the tremendous journey ahead to save these people in desperate need as logistical and political barriers persist:

Alison Smith, a medical student at Tulane University, Wednesday (January 20):

The General Hospital in Port-au-Prince is slowly becoming more organized. When I think of how it was the first night I arrived (no physicians and no real medical care) to what we have now (seven operating rooms, medicine wards, a pre-operation and post-operation area, a pediatrics area), it is amazing.

Today I finally had the opportunity to go back and reassess people sleeping outside the hospital who may have received some basic medical care right after the earthquake. I was able to go back and change dressings, provide medicines and send people into the hospital who would have died in the next few days. We have limited food and water and some clothing, so I am trying to provide some to people who have no family. They are at the greatest risk for dying soon, as they have no one to care for them and we have no room for them in the hospital. We are supposed to get food and water for the patients tomorrow. There is a United Nations supply center that has food and supplies, but the Army has not brought them to us. The situation was more tense today as people are getting frustrated and we narrowly sidestepped some riots.

Josh Denson, 25, Tulane University Grad ’06 and third year medical student at Tulane, Wednesday (January 20):

I just woke up today sleeping on the concrete by this pool at some hotel to either an aftershock or an earthquake. The pool water was moving back and forth and the people were yelling a bit. There are sick people everywhere, people are losing limbs and different parts of their bodies constantly. Everyone has infections and there aren’t people or resources to even change all the bandages. Compared to three days ago when we first showed up at the general hospital in Port-au-Prince, it’s 100 percent better. Three days ago was absolute chaos.

Source: MTV

Bloggers get tough with their audiences: Haiti needs cash not clothes!

I read the following blog posting by aidwatcher’s Alanna Shaikh and thought it did a very good job of cutting through all the proverbial b.s. over how the average American can help in this relief effort:

Don’t donate goods. Donating stuff instead of money is a serious problem in emergency relief. Only the people on the ground know what’s actually necessary; those of us in the rest of the world can only guess. Some things, like summer clothes and expired medicines are going to be worthless in Haiti. Other stuff, like warm clothes and bottled water may be helpful to some people in some specific ways. Separating the useful from the useless takes manpower that can be doing more important work. It’s far better to give money so that organizations can buy the things they know they need.

Some people like to donate goods instead of cash because they worry that cash won’t be used in a way that helps the needy. If that’s you, I have two points. 1) Why are you donating to an organization you don’t trust? 2) What’s to stop them from selling your donated item and using the money for whatever they want?

After Hurricane Mitch in 1998, Honduras was flooded with shipments of donated goods. They clogged ports, overwhelmed military transport, and made it nearly impossible for relief agencies to ship in the things they really needed. Those donations did harm, not good. Expired drugs had to be carefully disposed of. Inappropriate donations had to be transported away and discarded. All of this wasted time and money.

Don’t go to Haiti. It’s close to the US, it’s a disaster area, and we all want to help. However, it’s dangerous right now and they don’t need “extra hands”. The people who are currently useful are people with training in medicine and emergency response. If all you can contribute is unskilled labor, stay home. There is no shortage of unskilled labor in Haiti, and Haitians will be a lot more committed than you are to the rebuilding process.
If you are a nurse or physician, especially with experience in trauma, and you want to volunteer, email Partners in Health – volunteer@pih.org – and offer your services. Or submit your details to International Medical Corps. They’ll take you if they can use you. Do not go to Haiti on your own, even if you are doctor. You’ll just add to the confusion, and you’ll be a burden to whoever ends up taking responsibility for your safety.

Don’t ignore rebuilding. The physical damage done to Port au Prince is going to take a long, long time to repair. The human consequences will have a similar slow recovery. Haiti will still need our help next year, and the years after that. It is going to take more than just a short-term infusion of relief money. Give your money to organizations that will be in Haiti for the long haul, and don’t forget about Haiti once the media attention moves on.

 For another good article elaborating on this subject see Saundra Schimmelpfennig timely titled blog “Good Intentions Are Not Enough”.

America’s famous Haitian-Americans! Yes, really!

While I was at the supermarket today, I overheard a couple engaged in a debate whether rapper Wyclef Jean was Haitian. I wanted to tell them that ‘yes, he is Haitian, and guess who else is!’ — but I realized that it would probably take 30 minutes and they would think that I was nuts so I just bought my organic milk and kept moving.

Just in case anybody else asks, here is a small list:

Notable Historical Figures

John James Audubon, naturist
W. E. B. Du Bois, civil rights activist[citation needed]
Jean Baptiste Pointe du Sable, founder of the City of Chicago
Pierre Toussaint, Beatified candidate for sainthood in the Roman Catholic Church

Business

Reggie Fils-Aime, president of Nintendo America
Ralph Gilles, Automobile designer (Chrysler 300)
Dumarsais Simeus, owner of Simeus Foods

Entertainment

Garcelle Beauvais, model/actress
Bigga Haitian, reggae musician
Black Dada, rapper
Jason Derulo, rapper/singer
Alex Désert, actor
Gary Dourdan, actor/singer
Jamie Hector, actor
Wyclef Jean, rapper/musician/producer, member of The Fugees
Jimmy Jean-Louis, actor
David Jude Jolicoeur, rapper from De La Soul
Kangol Kid, rapper UTFO
Maxwell, singer (Haitian mother)
Trina McGee-Davis, actress
MC Tee, rapper/cofounder of Mantronix
Pastor Troy, rapper
Pras, rapper/actor, founded The Fugees

Scientist/Researchers

Linda Marc, public health researcher

Sports

Josmer Altidore, soccer player, Hull City FC
D’Anthony Batiste, professional American football player
Andre Berto, professional boxer
Gosder Cherilus, Detroit Lions offensive tackle
Antonio Cromartie, professionalfootball player for the San Diego Chargers
Quincy Douby, NBA basketball player[
Mario Elie, Former Houston Rockets guard
Pierre Garçon, Indianapolis Colts, Wide receiver
Max Jean-Gilles, Philadelphia Eagles offensive guard
Rashad Jeanty, professional American football player
Davin Joseph, professional American football player
William Joseph, New York Giants defensive tackle
Jerrod Laventure, soccer player, forward (striker) for Red Bull New York
Vernand Morency, professional American football player
Steve Octavien, professional American football player
Olden Polynice, Former Utah Jazz NBA player
Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, professionalfootball player for the Arizona Cardinal
Jonathan Vilma, New Orleans Saints

Political figures

Ronald Brise, Florida House of Representative, District 108
Josaphat Celestin, mayor of North Miami, Florida from 2001- 2005
Alix Desulme, City Clerk for North Miami, Florida
Philippe Derose, North Miami Beach councilman
Mathieu Eugene, New York City councilman
Linda Dorcena Forry, Massachusetts State Representative
Patrick Gaspard, Director of the White House Office of Political Affairs (2009-Present)
Jean L. Jeudy, New Hampshire State Representative
Pierre-Richard Prosper, ambassador
Kwame Raoul, Illinois State Senator
Yolly Roberson, Florida State Representative, District 104
Marie St. Fleur, Massachusetts State Representative

Authors

Edwidge Danticat, renowned author

Other personalities

Lylah M. Alphonse, news editor
Jean-Michel Basquiat, artist
Patrick Dorismond, notable police abuse victim
Kendall Francois, notorious serial killer
Abner Louima, notable police abuse victim
Marjorie Vincent, Miss America 1991

For further info click: Here

The Presidential and Vice-Presidential Response to Haiti

I was heartened to hear America’s highest in command pledge the government’s unwaivering support for the people of Haiti.

Standing alongside two former presidents, President Barack Obama today promised that U.S. support for Haitian relief would continue long after the scenes of death and destruction fade from the headlines.

“In these difficult hours, America stands united,” Obama said. “We stand united with the people of Haiti, who have shown such an incredible resilience, and we will help them to recover and to rebuild.”

“But what these gentlemen are going to be able to do is when the news media starts seeing its attention drift to other things but there’s still enormous needs on the ground, these two gentlemen of extraordinary stature, I think, are going to be able to help ensure that these efforts are sustained,” Obama said of Bush and Bill Clinton.

Vice President Joe Biden traveled to Florida’s Homestead Air Reserve Base today to inspect the relief efforts for Haiti. Biden said:

“We’re in for the long haul. The Haitian people are our friends, they’re our partners, they’re our neighbors. We’re not going to abandon them in their time of need,”

Hillary Clinton arrived today on a Coast Guard C-130 transport plane carrying bottled water, packaged food, soap and other supplies. She was to depart on another plane carrying about 50 U.S. citizens to Jamaica before her return to Washington.

In Haiti, Clinton met with President Rene Preval and got an update on relief efforts. She was accompanied by Rajiv Shah, administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development, who is acting as the top U.S. relief coordinator. She told President Preval:

“We are here at the invitation of your government to help you,”

“As President Obama has said, we will be here today, tomorrow and for the time ahead. And speaking personally, I know of the great resilience and strength of the Haitian people. You have been severely tested. But I believe that Haiti can come back even stronger and better in the future.”

FBI and Charity Navigator tips how to best choose a charity for Haiti cause

The FBI and the online charity watchdog, Charity Navigator, have issued the following guidelines when deciding which charity for Hati to support:

•    Carefully review appeals before giving. Listen closely to the name of the group and beware of copycat names that sound like reputable charities.

•    Know the charity before you donate. Review the charity’s Web site and written material to assure the program is one you want to support. Check the organization’s financial filings to see how it spends its assets. Visithttp://www.charitynavigator.org/ to see how many cents on the dollar the charity uses for its programs. If it is less than 75 cents on every dollar going to the program then it is best to give elsewhere. Look for 4 stars on the Efficiency rating to be sure.

•    Avoid newly-formed groups and give to an established charity that has worked in Haiti. Several Web sites with “Haiti” in their names were registered immediately after the disaster and claim to be raising money, but have no records or financial information. Avoid such sites.

•    Make sure the charity is registered in the Attorney General’s Registry of Charitable Trusts. Registration does not guarantee that a charity is effective, but it is an important indicator. A searchable database is available at http://ag.ca.gov/charities.php.

•    Do not donate through e-mail solicitations or click on attachments, even if they claim to contain pictures from Haiti. Clicking on an e-mail may lead you to a Web site that looks authentic, but is established by identity thieves seeking to obtain money or personal information.

•    Be leery of anyone who contacts you claiming to be a victim. Unless you personally know a person in Haiti, anyone alleging to be in this position is probably part of a scam.

•    Do not give large amounts of cash.

•    Write checks to the charitable organization, not a solicitor or any individual.

•    Do not be pressured into giving. Even in times of emergency, reputable organizations do not expect you to contribute immediately if you are unfamiliar with their services.

•    Be wary of appeals that are long on emotion, but short on details about how the charity will help disaster victims.

•    If you are contacted by a solicitor, ask what percentage of your donations will be used for charitable activities that help victims and how much will be used to pay for administrative and fund-raising costs. State law requires solicitors to provide such information if requested by donors. Be wary of fund-raisers who balk at answering.

•    Do not send supplies. It is not practical in this situation. Instead of sending your own clothing, have a garage sale and turn your used goods into cash that you donate to a charity.

FULL STORY HERE: Huffington Post;  Additional article detailing FBI Warning

The Bronx coming out for Haiti!

 It was great to see Bronxites entering the fray to Help Haiti by donating their food, clothing and anything else they could. Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. said today:

One giant container has already been filled and is going down to Haiti as a reserve for when the people need food and clothing. A second container is being filled now and will be sent down soon.

SOURCE: 1010 WINS Radio Interview

CBS News: Video of Relief Effort in Haiti

Putting your money where your blog is – literally!

The blog Beyond Ramen is putting ‘her money where her blog is’ for the people of Haiti:

I don’t have the kind of traffic that will make a Beyond Ramen “comment for a donation” program much of a fundraiser, but what the heck: for each comment on this post between now and the end of the month I’ll donate $1 to Médecins Sans Frontières, UNICEF, or the Red Cross, as you wish.

Beyond Ramen went on to point readers to the host of other culinary blogs that are lining up to help the people of Haiti:

Here’s some of what the food blogosphere is doing to help those affected by the quake in Haiti, as well as some links if you’d like to make additional donations.

The Pioneer Woman has a twofer going on: not only is she sponsoring a giveaway of two $500 donations to Haiti-related charities, she’s also donating 10 cents for every entry in the giveaway.

Alice at Savory Sweet Life is donating $1 for every comment left on the linked post, up to $1000, through Sunday evening.

Saffron & Blueberry‘s Hilda is donating $10 for every comment on her blog (any post) through January 31.

Thursday Night Smackdown is donating a dollar for every comment left on the linked post through noon EST on Saturday (tomorrow).

Kay at the Keyboard is donating 50 cents for every comment left on the linked post, plus a matching bonus if you’ve already donated independently.

Amy Leavitt is doing a giveaway similar to Pioneer Woman’s; see her page for details.

See the following link for details (good work guys!!):Beyond Ramen Haiti Relief Effort

Additional creative culinary blog fundraisers include:

The Cooking Ninja “Comment To Help Raise Funds
What’s Gaby Cooking “Help For Haiti
Feeding The Saints “Open Hands: Helping Haiti”

Additional ‘bloggers for Haiti’:

*Attictales
*Cafebebe – UK Blog

The Children of Haiti: Lives on the edge

If the situation was dire for the children of Haiti before Tuesday, the situation has grown exponentially grave in the wake of the earthquake.

The country has the highest mortality rate for children younger than 5 in the Western Hemisphere, as well as a high death rate among infants and women giving birth. Just slightly over half of school-age children are actually enrolled in school.

For more than a quarter of a million young Haitians, slavery is not a vestige of the past, but rather a daily reality. These typically young Haitian girls belong to the class of the “restavek” (from the French reste avec, “one who stays with”). They are undocumented, unpaid, unprotected, live-in child workers. De facto slaves living less than 600 miles from the coast of the United States. The mere idea sends deep shivers of sadness through me.

According to the seminal work of Jean-Robert Cadet “Restavec: From Haitian Slave Child to Middle-Class American”:

Restavecs are slave children who “belong” to well-to-do families. They receive no pay and are kept out of school. Since the emancipation and independence of 1804, affluent blacks and mulattoes have reintroduced slavery by using children of the very poor as house servants. They promise poor families in faraway villages who have too many mouths to feed a better life for their children. Once acquired, these children lose all contact with their families and, like slaves of the past, are sometimes given new names for the sake of convenience.

What is the genesis for such tacitly endorsed slavery. Eighty percent of Haiti’s population lives below the poverty line, the average family income seldom exceeding $250 (U.S.) a year, a sum that must–on average–feed, clothe, and shelter four or five children. Most of the population is young (40 percent are under fifteen) and most Haitians die before fifty. Almost half of Haiti’s families are headed by single women, and the burden of sustaining their families can be too great. Many families fall apart.

Sadly, cultural norms also validate this well-worn institution. A popular Creole proverb says: ti moun seyen malere (“children are the unfortunate goods of the poor”). Children become “goods” in that they are a negotiable commodity that can be exploited or sold. They are “unfortunate” in that Haitians believe that any child who can turn a family’s fortune around has the obligation to do so. For Haitians, big families can be an insurance policy.

Top 10 "reputable" Charities for Haiti

The following lists represents charities that have been repeatedly cited as reputable by the mainstream media. Always cross-reference your decisions with a charitable watchdog sites like Charity Navigator:

– Save the Children. Donate at savethechildren.org or make checks out to “Save the Children” and mail to: Save the Children Income Processing Department, 54 Wilton Road, Westport, Conn. 06880

– UNICEF. Go online to unicefusa.org/haitiquake or call (800) 4UNICEF.

–  American Red Cross. Text “Haiti” to 90999 to donate $10, visit redcross.org or call (800) REDCROSS.

– Haiti Earthquake Children in Emergency Fund. Visit savethechildren.org.

– Direct Relief International. Donate online at directrelief.org.

– World Food Programme. Visit wfp.org/donate/haiti.

– Mercy Corp. Go online to mercycorps.org or mail checks to Haiti Earthquake Fund, Dept. NR, PO Box 2669, Portland, Ore. 97208 or call (888) 256-1900

– The Clinton Foundation. Text “Haiti” to 20222 to donate $10 or go to clintonfoundation.org.

– New York’s Catholic parishes will take a collection this weekend and forward the money to Catholic Relief Services for aid work in Haiti.

– The Caribbean-American Federation of Chaplains is accepting medical supplies, nonperishable food and water at its office, 1452 Flatbush Ave., Brooklyn.

– The Haitian Consulate of New York. Deposit funds at Chase Bank in account No. 761549039. The consulate is also looking for doctors to go to Haiti. If interested, call (212) 697-9767.

– The Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City will forward donations to the appropriate agencies. Call 311 or go to nyc.gov.

–  Text Yele. Wyclef Jean is urging donors to text ‘Yele’ to 501501 and make a $5 contribution to the relief effort over cell phone.  Click here to get more information via Wyclef’s Twitter page. 

SOURCES: CNN, Huffington Post

Haiti’s History of Natural Disasters

Severe deforestation, leading to flooding and landslides, and a lack of proper emergency services and infrastructure have historically magnified the effects of natural disaster that have plagued this proud island nation.

The following is a chronology of natural disasters that have challenged Haiti:

2008
Four separate hurricanes – Fay, Gustav, Hanna, and Ike – in the space of 30 days led to the deaths of more than 800 people. About 60 per cent of the country’s harvest was destroyed and entire cities were rendered desolate and uninhabitable.

2004
Tropical Storm Jeanne deluged the tiny Caribbean country. Resulting flooding and landslides killed up to 2,500 people and displacing thousands more.

1998
Hurricane George killed more than 400 people while destroying 80 per cent of all the crops in the country.

1994
Hurricane Gordon killed over 1000 Haitians.

1963
Hurricane Flora killed over 8000 people, making it the 6th most deadly hurricane ever.

1954
Hurricane Hazel killed more than 100 people and destroyed several towns. The storm also wiped out 40 per cent of the coffee trees and 50 per cent of the cacao crop.

1946
The largest recorded earthquake in modern times on the island of Hispaniola was an 8.1-magnitude temblor that produced a tsunami and killed 1,790 people. Centered in the Dominican Republic, it extended into Haiti.

1935
An unnamed storm killed more than 2000 people.

Mercy Corps: Offers Volunteers Creative Fundraising Options

I have been impressed with Mercy Corps’ humanitarian first-responder work over the years — especially their relief efforts in Hurricane Katrina in the US, Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar, and the Sichuan earthquake in China. I was not surprised to see that they quickly entered the fray to help in Haiti.

Mercy Corps is a charity with a solid 30 year history of alleviating suffering, poverty and oppression by helping people build secure, productive and just communities and a 4 star efficiency from Charity Navigator.

What struck me as creative was that on January 13th Mercy Corp provided its volunteers with creative online fundraising tools to assist in their life saving efforts in Haiti. Here is a quote from their site:

You can make an immediate difference for Haiti’s families. We’re relying on the creative fundraising of generous individuals and groups of all ages to raise money for our ongoing relief efforts for survivors of Haiti’s recent earthquake…And our online fundraising tools let you turn any occasion into a Mercy Corps fundraiser.

We’ve made it easy for you to raise money to help families affected by this tragic disaster and spread the word about your efforts online. You can customize your personal fundraising page by posting photos, telling people about your event and tracking your fundraising goals.

Source: Mercy Corps Fundraising Page

I was also struck by the immediacy that Americans took to creating their own Fundraising Pages. This did a lot in to assuage my fear that the word would sit idly by as millions of Haitians suffered (see my last blog entry).

At the time of this posting at 3pm on January 14th, I have counted over 20 pages and the stories contained in each page were no less touching. Here is a list of the Top 5 Fundraisers with their reasons for taking action together with supporters’ commentary — as an example of the outpouring of generosity by the average American for the people of Haiti:

JeremyBarnicle’s Haiti Earthquake Response Fundraiser
Jeremy Barnicle is a seasoned 5 year veteran of Mercy Corps and its communications director, who has served in the relief efforts of Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar, humanitarian missions in Darfur and rebuilding war-torn Uganda and Somalia to name a few together with the current response in Haiti.

His fundraiser seems to be a natural extension of his relief work with Mercy Corps in Haiti.

Commentary:

The college age daughter of our good friend was in Saint Rock Haiti last week on a medical mission trip with the Saint Rock Haiti Foundation. I hope this helps a bit. -Malissa Kenney

Thank you for doing this Jeremy. I’ve been to Haiti twice. It was a tragic, sad place even before the earthquake. I cant imagine what it’s like there now. – Yale Popowich

To all my friends in Haiti, and the great work of Mercy Corps. – Zachary Krahmer

Thanks for all the great work that you do Jeremy. – Jayan Kalathil

Thanks for doing this Jeremy. Prayers to all in Haiti. – Orsolya Herbein

This is so good, Jeremy. – Elizabeth Bruckel

Appreciate that you are doing the work you do! – Spitzi Barnicle

Yale School of Management’s Haiti Response Fundraiser
Mercy Corps is led by CEO Neal Keny-Guyer, a 1982 graduate of the school and a member of the Yale SOM Board of Advisors and the Yale Corporation. Yale SOM’s Dean, Sharon Oster, created the fundraising page (started with $1,000 of her own money) in support of Mercy Corps’ proven history of helping disaster victims worldwide. The solidarity and generosity of support amongst members of the Yale Community for Haiti has been truly remarkable and heartwarming.

Commentary:

There are always hopes and helps. – Yong Wang

Sending thoughts and prayers. – Amy Wrzesniewski

Dante C. Alberi’s Haiti Earthquake Response Fundraiser
Dante Alberi had been planning to go to Haiti as a volunteer, but found that entry into Haiti was officially restricted to medical personnel and disaster relief teams in the wake of the earthquake. Despite that fact, he decided to go forward and created a fundraiser donating what would have been his plane ticket, program costs, expenses and other volunteering incidentals in the form of cash to Mercy Corps’ emergency relief effort.

Commentary:

Our family’s heart and prayers are with the Haitian people. Dante, thank you for your intrepid volunteerism and always reaching out to make a difference in the lives of those in need. We are all so proud of you!  – Jeniffer Guerrero

It gives me great hope that we are able to come together and help those in need, especially at such times of devastation. Dante – you are truly a testament to the human spirit. Thank you for showing the way toward rebuilding the lives of those impacted by this horrendous earthquake. God Bless You! – Kim Frederick

Dante, it’s really amazing that you are doing this. I know that you have always been interested in working on humanitarian efforts in Haiti even before this earthquake occurred. Don’t be discouraged as you are keeping hope alive. I applaud your initiative and selflessness.  – Dionne Toussaint

Max’s Haiti Earthquake Response Fundraiser
Max was born and raised in Haiti, and after learning of the catastrophic earthquake stepped up and created a fundraiser with Mercy Corp to deliver the much needed shelter, basic supplies (food, clean water) and medical assistance to the over 3 million Haitians directly affected.

Commentary:

Max, thank you for organizing this. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family during these difficult times. – Courtney (and Dave) Mangus

Hello, Max I don’t know you personally, but your story touched me. I pray that all will be well with your family and community in Haiti. Thank you for creating this page – Gillian Grannum

Hey buddy, I am so sorry to hear about all the devastation in your country – you and your family will be with my thoughts and prayers. Cheers to you for helping in the recovery.- Chirayu Patel

Thank you for taking on the challenge of fundraising for the developing humanitarian crisis in Haiti, Max. Keep us updated on your family’s situation. – Elizabeth Clark

All the Best for this noble Initiative. – Mira Patel

Allison Savage-Cairns’s Challenge
Allison Savage-Cairn went a very creative route with her fundraiser for Haiti. She challenged her friends and family to donate an equal amount to Mercy Corps that they spent that day on something for themselves. She went onto to say:

“It doesn’t need to be much…maybe the amount you spent on your morning capuccino or the tank of gas you put in your car. I think we can get to $5,000. And to get this started, I purchased a gown today for an upcoming business conference’s black tie dinner for $488. And we’re off…”

The commentary in response to her request altruistic frugality was moving, interesting, and at times, comical (see the last entry about the gift card from Santa):

Amount I spent on new business cards to launch my new interior decorating business. – Georgina Martin

Great idea Allison, and thanks to Diane for the link on Facebook! – Martha Mcclure

I am donating today because I have a warm house, a fridge full of food, and I can wrap my arms around my loved ones. I wish the same were true of those in Haiti, and hope Mercy Corps can alleviate some of their suffering. – SuEllen Benson

Thursday: $240.00 for a renewal of my Tele Aid device in my car. -Allison Savage-Cairns

Cam Worland ~ This week’s allowance. – Shawn Worland

Grocery store today, 44,000 colones, about $77. – Jean Rogers

$7.00 from my gift card from Santa. – Sophia Cairns

Impressed with the average "American" response

As the reality of the quake and its devastation sank into my heart and mind, a deep feeling of dread took over. What if America and the world over sits back and fails to get involved. It has happened before on America’s own soil with Katrina — what hope does the often forgotten “other side” of the island of Hispaniola have?

I began to surf from channel to channel for anything evidencing a commitment by the US, and its citizens to plight of the Haitian people. In my cynical and panicked mind’s eye, I envisioned sporadic coverage and a lack of national focus despite the catastrophic nature of the quake. Instead, every channel and every news site was fully dedicated to not only what had happened, but also what the individual American could and should do to help the people of Haiti. There was a palpable level of advocacy and pro-activism that was missing in the wake of Katrina.

It was as if the failings of the past had somehow galvanized this surge of support and feelings of individual responsibility. The question now becomes how long will this surge of support and strength of focus remain in the forefront of the hearts and minds of the American people and the world over. As the old adage rings true ‘Time will tell…”

How bad is the destruction?

Tuesday afternoon, January 12th, the worst earthquake in 200 years – 7.0 in magnitude – struck less than ten miles from the Caribbean city of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The initial quake was later followed by twelve aftershocks greater than magnitude 5.0. Structures of all kinds were damaged or collapsed, from shantytown homes to national landmarks to the presidential palace as seen above via Google Earth.

Despite it being very early in the emergency recovery effort, millions (i.e., Port-au-Prince housed more than 3 million residents) are likely displaced, with multiple thousands feared dead as rescue teams from all over the world converge on Haiti.

What is clear, however, is that panic and chaos are seizing the impoverished country in the earthquake’s aftermath. Much of the damage seems to be to the capital itself with towns leveled, and rubble and bodies line the streets.

There are almost no emergency services, very little medical assistance, and all hospitals in Port-au-Prince have been either abandoned or have collapsed.

Back in States, ours homes are a constant source of movement and wrenching worry as we frantically call our aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents and friends to make sure that they are okay amidst these horrifying reports and images flashing across every channel.

My Background

I was born in Arcahaie, Haiti coming to the US when I was 10 years old. Although my immediate family migrated to the east coast of the United States, the majority of my family stayed behind. Although I have come to view America as my adopted (and adopting) home, my heart beats and soul shines for the beautiful shores and wonderful people of my homeland.

Today, my heart beats quicker and my soul’s shine flickers and dims in the light of bad news and unanswered phone calls from home.

Sadly our situation back in the States is neither unique nor solitary. As the series of Daily News interviews today painfully illustrated:

“My family’s whole house went down – women, children everything,” said bus driver Ulrick Alexis, 38, of Brooklyn. “This is really, really bad.”

Security guard Carl Jean, 30, repeatedly called relatives in Haiti, finally reaching a cousin whose description of the damage sounded like hell on Earth.

“So many people died,” Jean said. “My cousin says people are just standing in the road screaming and crying. They have nowhere to go. The hospitals and schools have just collapsed.”

Ninaj Raoul of the Brooklyn organization Haitian Women for Haitian Refugees said she was getting word of utter destruction all over Haiti.

“I just spoke to a friend who told me that a church went down in an area his family is from, which is called Croix de Mission [in the southwestern part of the country],” Raoul said.

Dahoud Andre, host of a local Haitian radio broadcast called Lakou New York, said the largest cell phone company in Haiti, Digicell, reported that most of its cell phone towers were destroyed in the 7.0-magnitude shaker.

“People are trying to reach family and it’s very difficult. There’s a lot of panic right now,” Andre said.
“Everybody here is calling us, trying to find out what we have heard, if we have been able to get through,” he said. “It’s just a very, very tense difficult moment right now.”

At the Brasserie Creole restaurant on Linden Blvd. in Jamaica, Queens, grim-faced patrons tried to comfort one another, hoping against hope that the catastrophe wasn’t as bad as reported on TV.

“I’m helpless right now. I can only pray,” said Ralph Muse, 40, of Elmont, L.I.
Muse said worried for his sister, who works a hospital in Port- au-Prince. He wasn’t sure if it was the hospital that collapsed in the quake.

“I’m just hoping that it’s not as bad as they say it is,” Muse said.

U.S. President Obama’s just issued this statement:

“My thoughts and prayers go out to those who have been affected by this earthquake. We are closely monitoring the situation and west and ready to assist the people of Haiti.”