This is the 19th diary on the earthquake disaster in Haiti. The first diary was by Dallasdoc. Previous diaries are linked below. The idea is to keep resources visible and easily available for those wishing to donate to the victims of the devastating earthquake in Haiti.
The following is a comprehensive list of disaster relief links that have been compiled, edited, and updated by the previous diarists. I will update and edit as necessary, but this list exists thanks to the hard work of the earlier diarists, as well as the many other members of the Daily Kos community who have contributed information by way of the comments in previous diary versions.
PLEASE RECOMMEND THIS DIARY IN ORDER TO KEEP THESE LINKS ON THE REC LIST. (As Dallasdoc noted earlier, these links are being used not only by regular Daily Kos users, but by visitors coming here looking for ways to help.)
We've all been watching the reports from Haiti. The situation there is still chaotic. Aid is arriving, but there are still enormous difficulties in getting that aid to those in need of it. And once immediate needs have been met, the long-term need will begin.
Anyone wishing to help continue this series of diaries should leave a note in the comments and I will publish the schedule at the end of this diary..
The now requisite warnings:
Unfortunately even in the midst of tragedy, there are those who will try to take advantage of other people's generosity for their own personal advantage. A story on MSNBC reminds us to be careful:
The FBI, Better Business Bureau and software security companies Wednesday all warned Internet users to exercise caution before opening their wallets to organizations claiming to be charities that will send financial assistance to Haiti. "Apply a critical eye," said the FBI in a statement, and do "due diligence before responding to those requests."
Please do your research before donating. The Charity Navigator tool is a useful resource for this purpose. For those not familiar with it, Charity Navigator evaluates and rates charities according to their financial responsibility and sustainability. The CN homepage now lists comprehensive information on the major organizations on the ground in Haiti now. (h/t DeepHarm and deb s) An additional resource for researching charities is the Better Business Bureau's Wise Giving Alliance site.
There are also a number of misunderstood messages, rumors, and outright hoaxes being circulated. If something sounds "too good to be true," or if you have questions about it, Snopes has a Haiti page to help with verification and debunking.
Government Agencies
UNICEF. At a glance: Haiti There is a donation page for Haiti here.
United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund, with donations here. (h/t aaraujo)
World Food Programme Update: See ImpeccableLiberalCredentials' diary on behalf of Friends of the World Food Program and the United Nations World Food Programme's pledge to feed 2 million
people.
Pan-American Relief PADF is the natural disaster relief arm of the Organization of American States' Pan-American Development Fund, which has more than 150 people working in Haiti on economic development, disaster mitigation and protecting human rights. PADF is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization based in Washington, D.C.
Disasters Emergency Committee is the umbrella group for Great Britain, which the British government is asking their citizens to donate to. (h/t NY brit expat)
USAID - USAID Responds immediately to Haiti earthquake
The State Department has set up another cellphone donation link: Text "HAITI" to 90999 and you will be charged for a $10 donation to relief efforts.
Americans seeking information on family members in Haiti may call 888-407-4747. An e-mail address has been set up as well, along with information for making inquiries. Please check the State Department's site for the necessary information.
Center for International Disaster Information has information on the humanitarian disaster, with links. There's an answer to the question of whether or not to give donations of goods. For the public, the answer is no, cash is better. (h/t dibsa)
Below are lists of both secular and religious-based relief organizations compiled by Daily Kos members. In addition, there are two lists of NGO's to which donations may be made: one on The Rachel Maddow Show website, the other at Reuters AlertNet.
Secular NGOs:
AmeriCares Their donation page is here. AmeriCares restores health and saves lives by delivering donated medicines, medical supplies and humanitarian aid to people in need around the world and here at home.
California Nurses Association call for volunteers. Another good link is the National Nurses United In addition: * @NationalNurses on twitter or by following: #haitiRN * Call the RNRN hotline: 1-800-578-8225 * Support the RNRN/NNU disaster relief effort in Haiti by donating at Send A Nurse or by sending checks c/o California Nurses Foundation, 2000 Franklin St., Oakland, CA 94612. Charitable contributions will be used to pay for travel costs and medical supplies for volunteer RN's on their emergency nursing mission in Haiti. (h/t Valadon)
CARE is one of the world's largest private international humanitarian organizations. They were already in Haiti, and CARE is deploying additional emergency team members to the devastated city of Port-au-Prince.
Direct Relief International sent a 40-foot container of ongoing aid the day of the earthquake. Direct Relief works with Partners in Health (see below) and their efforts will concentrate on rebuilding hospital infrastructure. (h/t Dallasdoc for update.)
Doctors Without Borders (aka Medecins Sans Frontieres or MSF) is an international group of medical professionals who work in chronically under-served countries, emergency sites, and refugee camps around the world. Here is the latest news of their work in Haiti from their site, MSF Teams Set up Clinics to Treat Injured After Facilities Are Damaged. ***Update (h/t NY brit expat) Inability to get new staff and supplies a serious problem.
Healing Hands for Haiti (a physical rehab and prosthetics organization based in Port au Prince), Lamp for Haiti, and a group that umbrellas several projects called Healing Haiti. parryander has personal experience with these groups, so I suggest checking out their comments.
The International Committee of the Red Cross is of course a standby of emergency response throughout the world. Though the American Red Cross took a hit for administrative costs in the wake of Katrina, few NGOs have the reach or the resources of the ICRC.
The International Medical Corps. It is a global, humanitarian, nonprofit organization dedicated to saving lives and relieving suffering through health care training and relief and development programs. Donations can be made here. (h/t glassbeadgame)
Mercy Corps is an excellent organization that is preparing an aid mission. Mercy Corps also allows you to donate through PayPal, Google Checkout and Amazon Payments.
Oxfam International provides assistance to victims of emergencies and ongoing disasters throughout the world. They are mobilizing to provide emergency assistance to victims in Haiti, and your donations will also help people in places like Darfur as well. This is the direct link to support Oxfam's Haiti relief effort. Update: Dallasdoc notes a BBC report which says Oxfam will be focusing on clean water and sanitation. Clean water will obviously be one of the most critical of needs. JekyllnHyde shares an e-mail from Al Gore in support of Oxfam.
Partners in Health has now started a BLOG about its efforts called Stand with Haiti. It has very useful information. Partners in Health is also putting out a call for health volunteers, in case you are a medical professional who can help out that way:
We are deeply grateful for the multitude of people who have contacted us wanting to provide medical assistance. As patients flood to our sites from Port-au-Prince, we're finding ourselves in need of both medical personnel and supplies. In particular, we need surgeons (especially trauma/orthopedic surgeons), ER doctors and nurses, and full surgical teams (including anesthesiologists, scrub and post-op nurses, and nurse anesthetists). If you are a health professional interested in volunteering, please send an email to volunteer@pih.org with information on: your credentials, language capabilities (Haitian Creole or French desired), overseas experience (if any), any prior experience in emergency/post-disaster relief efforts, availability, and contact information. As phone lines in Haiti remain down, and transportation and communication are difficult, PIH is still in the process of determining where we can set up operations in Port-au-Prince, and how we can transport patients and volunteers to our sites. We will be able to offer more concrete information after these logistical matters are resolved. Once again, thank you for your support. Kenbe fèm.
Portlight Strategies is gearing up to help Haitians with disabilities in the wake of the disaster. Working out of Charleston, SC and Atlanta, GA, this organization focuses a particularly large amount (93%) of its very small budget on direct aid. (h/t laderrick and Dallasdoc)
Saint Damien Hospital Haiti is the only free pediatric hospital in Haiti.
I know there is extensive damage at our new hospital, that the perimeter walls of all three of our Tabarre programs have fallen. I know there is damage to the hospital walls
Donations may be made through this page. (h/t parryander)
Save The Children has been working in Haiti since 1985. It has provided emergency relief and assistance to Haitian children and families following various recent disasters, including hurricanes and floods, and they are once again mobilizing.
ShelterBox USA, which provides pre-packaged shelter. TexMex is coordinating an impressive effort to drive donations to ShelterBox. As of this posting, the total number of ShelterBoxes purchased by Kossacks is an amazing 101 and counting! Please help TexMex and fellow-diarists continue to send these instant shelters to the people of Haiti!
TÉLÉCOMS SANS FRONTIÈRES. Communications infrastructure has been completely destroyed and helping to bring that back online will be a huge help to recovery efforts and to allow Haitians to get in touch with family they may have elsewhere in the world. (h/t yg17)
AARP Foundation has a matching gift program going: (h/t Terre)
In response to this tragedy in Haiti, AARP Foundation is proud to be working with HelpAge USA and its international parent organization HelpAge International, to rush emergency relief to the older and aged victims of the quake. AARP will match any gift you make to the AARP Foundation Haiti Relief Fund dollar for dollar up to $500,000. Any amount you give will be automatically doubled and go twice as far to provide relief.
Pure Water for the World, which already has a presence in Haiti and is partnered with USAID to provide clean drinking water to the people of Haiti. (h/t parryander and AntKat)
Help HIV patients in Haiti by donating to GHESKIO through Cornell Medical School. (h/t Hyde Park)
Veterans of Foreign Wars is assisting in humanitarian efforts in Haiti by providing U.S. service members — with relatives currently located in Haiti — with the funds necessary to purchase airline tickets to the devastated island, so that they may locate, assist or make burial arrangements for relatives affected by the recent earthquake. Funds also may be used to help provide sustenance or other necessities to sustain life.
Zanmi Lakay is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for current and former street children in Haiti by providing educational and economic opportunities and resources to help these children while they are on the streets and to help build a life for them off the streets. A Pacifica-based photographer who has been working in Haiti for years is planning to return next week, so donations will go straight to those who need it.
Another organization, The Honor and Respect Foundation, was described in a story on Narconews, called Getting Help to Haiti. The foundation was created by journalist Reed Lindsay, who is now Telsur's D.C. Bureau Chief, for children who couldn't get into other schools. Their website says that it "seeks to establish funds in support of several specific programs carried out by grassroots groups in the poorest neighborhoods of Port-au-Prince." I have a phone number for a contact there and will get direct information tonight.
V-Day is an organization that works to prevent violence against women, and funds safe houses and anti-violence movements. They had a safe house in Haiti, and are now starting a rescue fund.
Facebook Group Earthquake Haiti (h/t BCO Gal)
Animals will be in trouble as well. Donations can be made to:
Humane Society International, (h/t Mr. Rick)
United Animal Nations. (h/t cany)
World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPCA) (h/t triciawyse)
Long-term Development and Recovery NGO's
Heifer International. Though not first responders, this group does long term infrastructural work. HI currently has 16 projects under way with more than 16,000 families and several farmer associations. The projects in Haiti, which are scattered around the country, with none close to Port-au-Prince, range from training in sustainable farming and crop diversity to gifts of livestock, seeds, trees and grains to training in nutrition, aquaculture and fish production. (h/t PrometheusUnbound)
The Lambi Fund, a secular non-profit nonprofit whose mission is "to assist the popular, democratic movement in Haiti. Its goal is to help strengthen civil society as a necessary foundation of democracy and development. The fund channels financial and other resources to community-based organizations that promote the social and economic empowerment of the Haitian people." They support "projects that embrace the following principles: non-violent, non-partisan, community-based, promoting the advancement of women, using education and training for empowerment, and promoting the overall democratic movement."
Konpay is associated with the journalist Reed Lindsay. It focuses on Haitian solutions to environmental, social and economic problems and provides training and funding to grassroots and community-based projects. KONPAY is supporting Haitian-led efforts to reforest Haiti and protect the environment.
The Jean Cadet Restavek Foundation. Restaveks are child slaves. This is an organization for children run by a Haitian man who is a former child slave.
FINCA International is a microfinance organization whose mission is to provide financial services to the world's lowest-income entrepreneurs so they can create jobs, build assets and improve their standard of living. They have a presence in Haiti already and are taking donations for relief. (h/t calNM)
Architecture for Humanity is going to be primarily working in the reconstruction phase of post disaster situations and will be focused on transitional and permanent housing and community structures. We are partnering with AIDG, Yele Haiti and other local group by supplying them pro bono construction and design professionals, setting up community housing resource centers and support in the design and building of earthquake resistant structures.
Yele Haiti is a grassroots movement that builds global awareness for Haiti while helping to transform the country through programs in education, sports, the arts and environment. Yéle’s community service programs include food distribution and mobilizing emergency relief. Grammy-Award winning musician, humanitarian and Goodwill Ambassador to Haiti Wyclef Jean founded Yéle Haiti in 2005. Cell carriers will send on a $5 donation on your account if you text YELE to 501501. Update 01/16/10: Some questions have been raised about this charity. I'm leaving it in the links, but you may want to proceed with caution. (Norbrook)
Fonkoze, a micro-lending organization in Haiti. From their Web site:
Fonkoze is Haiti’s Alternative Bank for the Organized Poor. We are the largest micro-finance institution offering a full range of financial services to the rural-based poor in Haiti. Fonkoze is committed to the economic and social improvement of the people and communities of Haiti and to the reduction of poverty in the country.
According to their Web site, their offices have taken quite a hit. This is another one in the category of long-term rebuilding. (h/t parryander and dizzydean)
Crisis Commons is organizing for Crisis Camp Haiti. CrisisCommons brings together domain experts, developers, and first responders around improving technology and practice for humanitarian crisis management and disaster relief. h/t to Buffalo Girl
Religious Groups:
Two faith groups already on the ground in Haiti: Catholic Relief Services and World Vision, where you can also sponsor a Haitian child under their care. (h/t cybernun)
The Quakers' American Friends Service Committee, with its stellar track record of aid. (h/t LNK)
The United Methodist Committee on Relief which uses 100% of donations for relief. (h/t drmah)
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is also collecting donations, and will use 100% of the donations for relief. (h/t ecologist)
Church World Service. (h/t Frederick Clarkson)
Little by Little, (h/t Dan in Illinois)
Presbyterian Church (USA)
The Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago, which has started a Haitian Earthquake Relief Fund. According to the website, 100% of funds collected will go to aid - JUF will absorb all administrative costs. (h/t Sister Havana)
Convoy of Hope a nonprofit that networks with churches in the community where need exists. Provides necessities like food and water. Has Charity Navigator's highest rating year after year and was already in Haiti when the earthquake struck. (h/t DeepHarm)
The Salvation Army, who already has people on the ground in Haiti. (h/t Catte Nappe)
IMA World Health, which is a faith-based nonprofit organization that provides health care services and supplies. (h/t leevank)
The Mennonite Central Committee, a relief-and-development organization with staff currently in Haiti. (h/t AnnieJo)
American Jewish World Service Haiti Relief. (h/t The YENTA Of The Opera)
Mission's Door which has facilities and operations in Haiti. If interested, they have a donation page here; if you want donations to go to Haiti click "Haiti Earthquake Relief Project." (h/t Abraham Running For Congress When I Turn 25)
Episcopal Relief & Development Haiti Fund and Anglican Relief and Development (h/t aaraujo)
International Orthodox Christian Charities. "IOCC in the spirit of Christ's love offers emergency relief and development programs to those in need worldwide, without discrimination, and strengthen the capacity of the Orthodox Church to so respond." (h/t Pam from Calif)
The Unitarian Universalist Service Committee is also taking donations. "UUSC advances human rights and social justice around the world, partnering with those who confront unjust power structures and mobilizing to challenge oppressive policies." (h/t antimony)
TEXT a Donation:
There are numerous, easy ways to donate by texting. Donations are simply added to your cell phone bill. Because the donation amounts are small, this may be a more affordable option for many. NPR did a story on donating via text--The Red Cross alone reports $4.7 million dollars in text message donations for Haitian relief thus far! Here's a list of ways to donate via text, from betson08, with update by thebluecrayon:
• Text the word "Yele" to 501501 to donate $5 on behalf of the Yele Haiti Foundation, founded by Haitian musician Wyclef Jean.
• Text the word "Haiti" to 85944 to donate $5 to the Rescue Union Mission and MedCorp International.
• Text the word "Haiti" to 25383 to donate $5 to the International Rescue Committee.
• Text the word "Haiti" to 90999 to donate $10 to the American Red Cross.
• Text Haiti to 52000 to donate $10 to the Salvation Army. You can do it up to three times (no need to send STOP message)
• Text OXFAM to 25383 to make a $10 donation to Oxfam's Haiti Earthquake Response Fund."
• Text HAITI to 864833 The United Way Donates $5
• Text CERF to 90999 The United Nations Foundation Donates $5
• Text DISASTER to 90999 Compassion International
• Text HAITI to 20222 The Clinton Foundation Donates $10
• Text SUPPORT SHELTER to 20222 and you will donate $5 to Shelterbox
• Text SHELTERBOX to 56512 to send more money to Shelterbox (you will get a phone call back asking for amount and credit card info)
Note: Someone mentioned texting the word "STOP" after sending a text donation to avoid a recurring fee on your cell phone bill; however, I don't know if anyone has confirmed whether this is necessary in all cases. Something to keep in mind if you text donations.
If you have iTunes, Apple has a link set up where you can donate $10 to $100 dollars instantly. (h/t Brainwrap)
Other news and diaries:
This social network fundraising effort is attracting the attention of other media. The Dallas Morning News contacted Dallasdoc:
Tonight I had a conversation with a reporter from the Dallas Morning News, who noted our efforts to raise money for the victims in Haiti and emailed me because of my screenname. I had a long chat with him in which I extolled the good heart and caring nature of the people in this community. "We are liberals and progressives, we are interested in politics because we care about people," I told him. I described how this community responded to a simple appeal with incredible energy and self-sacrificing generosity, and that after five years here I had expected no less of us. He was impressed, and is working on an article about how new media and social networking sites are mobilizing to help the Haitians. He got the idea for that article from us.
Both the House and Senate have now voted unanimously in favor of allowing taxpayers who donate to Haitian earthquake relief prior to March 1, 2010 to write those donations off on their 2009 tax returns later this year. The legislation will allow those who text-messaged donations to use their telephone bills as proof of donation. (Similar legislation was passed following the 2004 tsunami.) Update: President Obama just signed the bill into law. (h/t Deep Harm)
Volunteers Needed in Boston:
In response to the earthquake in Haiti, Partners in Health is in need of additional support for our relief efforts. We are looking for volunteers who are prepared to assist PIH staff with emergency support in the Boston office:
■Responsibilities: The volunteer(s) will provide administrative and logistical support. The volunteer(s) will be assisting wherever needed, which may include communication with donors, assist with processing donations and data entry, coordinate travel plans, schedule meetings, provide communications assistance and other tasks as needed. This is a full-time volunteer position.
■Qualifications:
■Have demonstrated experience providing administrative support in an office setting.
■Ability to work independently and in a team.
■Strong writing, communication and organizational skills.
■Strong interpersonal skills.
■Ability to switch tasks easily.
■Flexibility is necessary.
■Interest in social justice.
Interested applicants should send a resume and cover letter to hr@pih.org. (h/t maryru)
Also, in the event you find yourself in front of most any sort of a screen tonight, the most widely-distributed global telethon in history, "Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief," will be airing on over 60 networks starting at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT and 7:00 p.m. CT. The event will also be live-streamed on-line via YouTube, Hulu, Myspace, AOL, MSN.com and Yahoo, and will be the first U.S.-based telethon ever to air in China. Facebook and Twitter have also signed on as official social-media partners to help drive donations to the telethon.
Participating artists include Christina Aguilera, Mary J. Blige, Bono, Coldplay, Sheryl Crow, The Edge, Jennifer Hudson, Jay-Z, Wyclef Jean, Alicia Keys, Dave Matthews, Kid Rock, Rihanna, Shakira, Bruce Springsteen, Sting, Taylor Swift, Keith Urban, and Stevie Wonder. Over 100 television and film stars will also appear, supporting the cause of Haitian earthquake relief with testimonials and by answering telephones alongside actor George Clooney in Los Angeles, musician Wyclef Jean in New York, and CNN anchor Anderson Cooper in Haiti.
Proceeds from "Hope for Haiti Now" will be split evenly among various relief funds. Those funds include Oxfam America, Partners in Health, the Red Cross, UNICEF and the Yele Haiti Foundation. All of the evening's musical performances will be available for purchase at the Apple iTunes Store starting Saturday, with those proceeds also benefiting the people of Haiti.
There are two excellent liveblogs by mindoca. This is the first one and this is the second. If you need more specific information, these are a great place to start. Mindoca has spent time in Haiti and offers a true first-hand view of disaster relief and Haiti itself.
By dharmafarmer, a photo diary on relief efforts.
Scioto provides helpful information about the circumstances under which various credit card fees may be waived for charitable donations.
VA gentlewoman has a diary about the infrastructure details for Haiti.
Thank you all for your reads, recs, and donations. If anyone has additional information, updates, or corrections, please leave a comment. The comments in all of the diary versions thus far have been gold mines of information. (It would be impossible to incorporate all the information gathered in the comments into this diary, but I will update as necessary/possible.)
If you would like to help keep this list of links visible, please consider volunteering to post a diary so that we can keep this effort going. As the previous diarists have done, I will forward the source code for all of the links to the person who offers to post the next diary.
Past diaries in this series:
- Dallasdoc 2. cosmic debris 3. Norbrook 4. betson08
- ALifeLessFrightening 6. swampus 7. Norbrook 8. Jimdotz
- Dallasdoc 10. marabout40 (Note: These last two diaries discuss ways to improve and/or focus our fundraising efforts as a community.)
- AntKat 12. betson08 13. oke 14. parryander
- allie123 16. betson08 17. Norbrook 18. Norbrook (Special thanks to Norbrook for doing a doublediaryshift last night and today, and for updating diary info codes and putting them on Google Docs! New Codes
Diary Schedule: Saturday -- Dallasdoc; Sunday -- volunteers?