It's been heart wrenching seeing the coverage of the ongoing earthquake disaster in Haiti. It's also been heart warming reading and hearing about all of the relief efforts and donations that are pouring in. For us, it hasn't been a question about if we would donate, but just a question as to what organization. My choice was easy thanks to Rachel Maddow's show last night; it's Partners In Health. Here's why...
My desire is that our meager donation provide the most 'bang for the buck'. I did not want to donate to a Charity that has large operating expenses or large fund raising costs. I also wanted to donate to a Charity that could actually DELIVER help as soon as possible. PIH fits the bill on both counts.
On Rachel Maddow's show last night, the author of the book "Mountains Beyond Mountains", Tracy Kidder, was on, describing the work of Dr. Paul Farmer and his organization Partners In Health (PIH). (Another amazing show - thank you Rachel Maddow!)I can't find the link, but it was worthy.
PIH has been on the ground in Haiti for 20 years, working with and employing Haitians to provide health care to those most in need. They have hospitals established throughout the countryside and have the connections, speak the language, and know the county. They are doing all they can (most of the facilities survived the earthquake) but they need help. Many of the personnel were in the capital, and those that are working at the clinics are overwhelmed with sick and injured. They have the expertise and the local 'boots on the ground' knowledge to get aid to those that most need it, and have been doing so in Haiti for a long time. So it appears that they are uniquely suited to field work... but what about costs?...
Here's what the independent charting rating site Charity Navigator has on PIH:
Organizational Efficiency
Program Expenses 94.8%
Administrative Expenses 2.8%
Fundraising Expenses 2.3%
More specifics on their rating as a charity can be found here:
Charity Navigator Rating
That's 95 cents of every dollar going INTO the PROGRAM providing relief!
I also hope that any donation I provide will not only help with the immediate needs, but will also help to bolster the long-term operation of such a worthy organization. PIH isn't going anywhere. Any help now is good for the long term too. Even if you can't donate today, months or years from now PIH will still be there looking for support.
If you're looking for a place to donate, I suggest you consider PIH. I'm sure they'll appreciate it, as will the unforunates who bennifit directly (95 cents on the dollar) for your donation.
here's a link:
Partners In Heath (www.pih.org) donation page
We're not affilated with any organization, We're just trying to help. Join in and get you some good karma :) (Thank you again Rachel Maddow).