Here are the organizations that I’ve supported historically – and to whom I’m sending a bit of cash right now. and I budget for charitable giving, and we’re front loading the year with these donations. Basically, I’m making our planned donations through June, today. I think there’s a chance that the three organizations below can save lives if they have a few extra bucks right now.
I encourage you to do likewise.
Partners in Health. This is Paul Farmer’s group – they’ve been in Haiti for more than 25 years. Wherever possible, their clinics and services are Haitian requested, Haitian run, and staffed by a mix of Haitians and other volunteers. In other words, he’s building the capability of the country to help itself. Farmer is one of the smartest and most inspiring public health physicians alive today.
A PiH person was the first quote that I saw reported in the New York Times. By the time communications were back up, they had a makeshift clinic running and were sending urgent requests for bandages and pain medications.
Doctors without Borders (or MSF for the francophiles). These people are incredibly courageous physicians and nurses who sprint into the most dangerous places that the world can offer. They are so crazily risk insensitive that I will not travel with them. They are also in Haiti, right now, setting up clinics and so on.
Family Health Ministries: This is the group with whom I’ve traveled to Haiti several times. I know them personally, and trust them 100%. This is almost undoubtedly the group with whom I will wind up going there to help out.
I’m not personally a big a fan of the US Red Cross. It strikes me as too politicized, too beaurocratic, and too slow – especially right now. Perhaps the International Red Cross is better – I just don’t know.
Also, I hate having to say this, but there are already scammers and fraud artists using the Haitian catastrophe for their own enrichment. Double check your causes, and don’t forget to do your due diligence. Don’t get robbed when you think you’re doing a good thing.
