Support for Haiti: How to Give and What to Look For

In addition to Child Identification, we here at Ident-A-Kid are concerned with the safety of children and adults across the world. Below is some information from www.charitynavigator.org about the disaster in Haiti.

On January 12th a 7.0 earthquake hit Haiti's capital, Port-Au-Prince and caused massive devastation to the city. The death toll is expected to be well in the thousands and a massive response by government agencies and non-profits has already begun. Below are a few 3 and 4-star charities from Charitynavigator.org that are responding to the crisis along with a synopsis of their plans. Each of these charities has a history of working on massive disasters and/or of working in Haiti.

• American Red Cross - The ARC is sending tarps, hygiene items and cooking sets for approximately 5,000 families and is helping the injured who may need blood. Thousands of local Red Cross volunteers are already aiding their fellow Haitians and ARC Disaster management specialists are scheduled to be on the ground soon.

• Americares - Sending $5 million of medical aid to survivors including antibiotics, pain relievers, bandages and medical supplies for survivors with trauma injuries.

• CARE - Deploying emergency team members to Port-au-Prince and will be distributing food. Over 100 staff members on the ground coordinating with U.N. agencies.

• Convoy of Hope - Setting up an emergency command center just outside Port-au-Prince where food, water and supplies are being distributed.

• Direct Relief International - Arranging an emergency airlift containing over $2 million in medicines and medical supplies that will depart on January 15.

• Doctors Without Borders - Currently treating people on the ground and will be operating an inflatable hospital.

• Food for the Poor - Accepting cash donations, canned eats, fish, condensed/evaporated/powdered milk, and water. Almost 100 containers of urgently needed medical supplies, rice and canned food from Food For The Poor are ready to be distributed to the people of Haiti. Another 300 containers are planned as a part of the initial relief effort.

• Partners in Health - Has been working in Haiti for 20 years. They are organizing medical personnel volunteers and gathering supplies.

• Save the Children - Has worked in Haiti for 25 years with 100 staff on the ground. Will be providing food, water, shelter and child-friendly spaces. Because Save the Children's offices did not suffer the structural damage of other non-governmental organizations, other aid workers have taken refuge in the agency's compound, where operations are being run out of offices and tents.

• Water Missions International -Raising funds so they can directly provide safe water to earthquake survivors. Has full-time staff on the ground in Port-au-Prince and are poised to respond as quickly as possible to the survivors of the quake.

Of course, these are just a few of the many charities offering aid. For other options for your philanthropic investment, please refer to our extended list of highly-rated charities below.

Tips For Funding Haiti Earthquake Relief Efforts

Avoid Newly-Formed Charities and Give To An Established Charity That Has Worked In Haiti - Establishing a new charity is hard enough, but in a crisis, the odds of succeeding are slim to none. Think of it this way: would you entrust all your savings in a financial firm that just opened, doesn't even have stationery, and whose employees have no experience in investing money? Doubtful. Find a charity with a proven track record of success in providing disaster relief and one that has worked in Haiti. Start with the list of charities below and if a group you are considering supporting isn’t there, then take the time to thoroughly research it before making a gift.

Do Not Give To The Haitian Government – Haiti is known to be a corrupt country. And news reports post earthquake indicate that the government is pretty much not functioning. If that isn’t enough reason not to give directly to the Haiti government, then consider the fact that contributions to foreign governments are not tax deductible.

Designate Your Investment – Generally, it is best to trust your chosen charity to spend your donation as it sees fit. But with disaster related giving, you should specify that you want your donation only used to respond to this particular crisis.

Do Not Send Supplies – Knowing that millions of people are desperately in need of food and water, it is hard not to want to pack up a box of supplies and send it to Haiti. But this type of philanthropy is simply not practical or efficient. Even if mail could get to Haiti, no one is set up to receive these goods, much less organize and distribute them to the victims. Furthermore, charities are often able to partner with companies to acquire large amounts of in-kind donations such as bottled water and new clothing. Instead of boxing up and sending your old clothing, have a garage sale and turn your used goods into cash and donate that to a worthy charity.

Be Careful Of Email Solicitations

Be Leery Of People That Contact You Online Claiming To Be A Victim – Unless you personally know someone in Haiti, anyone alleging to be in this position is most likely part of a scam. Obviously, people affected by the earthquake are in no position to contact you directly for assistance.

Delete Unsolicited Emails With Attachments - Never respond to unsolicited emails. Do not open any attachments to these emails even if they claim to contain pictures from Haiti. These attachments are probably viruses.

Seek Out The Charity’s Authorized Website

Is it safe to make a text donation? - So long as you do your homework, yes.

Consider The Nature Of The Charity’s Work – Not every charity is responding in the same way. Some are providing medical assistance, some shelter, some food and water. Others will be more focused on either short term or long term rebuilding efforts. And some are just helping to fundraise for other nonprofits. Think about what it is you want your philanthropic investment to accomplish and then take the time to find the charities doing that work.

Be Inspired By Social Media, But Still Do Your Homework – Social networking tools like Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and blogs are delivering heart-wrenching images and information about Haiti to our computers and phones. Many of them include pleas to donate. While these tools can be a powerful tool to inspire your desire to help, you should not blindly give via these vehicles. You must take the time to investigate the groups behind such pleas for help to ensure that it comes from a legitimate nonprofit. For example, you can donate $10 to the American Red Cross by texting “Haiti” to 90999. As of today, this tool has raised tens of millions for the Haiti earthquake relief efforts.

Avoid Telemarketers – As always, hang up the phone do your homework and give directly to a charity.

Do Not Expect Immediate Results, But Do Keep Tabs On What Your Donation Accomplishes- It takes time for charities to mobilize, to assess the problems that need to be addressed and to develop effective solutions. Donors need to be patient so charities will not feel pressured to plunge in and offer ineffective aid, simply to placate impatient donors. That doesn't mean donors shouldn't hold the charities accountable for delivering on their promises! Be sure to follow up with the charity in a few months to find out (a) how your donation was put to use and (b) if the organization needs additional support to complete the recovery effort.

Charities Providing Relief in Haiti Overall Rating

Action Against Hunger-USA
ActionAid International USA
ADRA
American Jewish World Service
AmeriCares
Beyond Borders
Bright Hope International
CARE
CHF International
Childcare Worldwide
Compassion International
Convoy of Hope
CRISTA Ministries
Cross International
Direct Relief International
Doctors Without Borders, USA
Episcopal Relief and Development
Feed My Starving Children
FINCA International
Food for the Hungry
Food For The Poor
Friends of the World Food Program
Giving Children Hope
Global Aid Network
Globus Relief
Haitian Health Foundation
Hands Together
Hope for Haiti
Hope for Haiti Children's Center
International Orthodox Christian Charities
International Relief Teams
International Rescue Committee
Islamic Relief USA
K.I.D.S.
Kids Alive International
Lions Clubs International Foundation
Love A Child, Inc.
MADRE
MAP International
Medical Benevolence Foundation
Medical Teams International
MedShare International
Operation USA
Oxfam America
Partners In Health
Physicians for Peace
Project HOPE
The Resource Foundation
Saint Boniface Haiti Foundation
Samaritan's Purse
Save the Children
United Methodist Committee on Relief
United States Fund for UNICEF
Water Missions International
William J. Clinton Foundation
World Help
World Hope International
World Neighbors
World Vision
American Red Cross
American Refugee Committee International
Fonkoze USA
Grant Foundation
Heifer Project International
International Medical Corps
The Lambi Fund of Haiti
Lutheran World Relief
Mercy Corps
National Disaster Search Dog Foundation
Plan USA
Project C.U.R.E.
Project Concern International
World Relief

To view the source of this article or to find out more about charities for Haiti, please visit www.charitynavigator.org