Post-Earthquake Action Steps for Haiti

In the wake of the catastrophic damage in Haiti caused by the recent earthquake, many people have expressed a desire to help in some way. This post offers some suggestions for ways to donate time, money or support. If you know of additional credible avenues to assist in Haiti, please add them in the Comments section.

People have been asking:

1) Where to contribute

a) Most reliable organizations seemingly best able to provide immediate assistance

These top 4 have people already on the ground & already tending to victims :

i. Having spoken to people on the ground, these two above are serving as a shelter for impacted survivors, providing food & water, but their reserves (normally for several hundred orphans & staff) will not last very long:

Go Free Ministries (www.gofreeministries.org)

- Click on 'donate' to give by Paypal or credit card
- Mail: Go Free Ministries Intl. PO BOX 163108, Fort Worth, TX 76161-3108.
- Email inquiries to: gmain@gfmionline.org (you can direct it to go specifically to earthquake relief efforts)
or
Hope Foundation International Ministries, Inc.
2822 54th Ave. South #229, St. Petersburg, FL 33712
or

ii. Partners in Health

www.pih.org/inforesources/news/Haiti_Earthquake.html or mail Partners In
Health, P.O. Box 845578, Boston, MA 02284-5578

iii. Doctors Without Borders

www.doctorswithoutborders.org, or toll-free at 1-888-392-0392 (24 hours a day, 7 days a week)
USA Headquarters 333 7th Avenue, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10001-5004.

b) Good for longer term support

i. Food for the Poor: http://www.foodforthepoor.org/

ii. The Lambi Fund: http://www.lambifund.org/

iii. World Vision: http://www.worldvision.org/

c) Unsure of time-table to get aid on the ground

i. YeleHaiti

http://www.yele.org/ (Wyclef's org)

ii. Red Cross (although unclear how to direct the funds to specifically Haiti):

http://american.redcross.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ntld_main&s_subsrc=RCO_ResponseStateSection

iii. For more complete lists of options, see:


http://content.usatoday.com/communities/kindness/post/2010/01/how-to-help-victims-of-the-haiti-earthquake/1
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34835478/ns/world_news-haiti_earthquake/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Haitian-Earthquake-Relief/288681741232
d) Clothing Donations

http://www.hopehaitifoundation.org/

e) Donate Relief Goods

http://matadorchange.com/haiti-earthquake-update-donations-list/

2) What actions can I take

a) Contact your Congresspeople (to get your Senator & Representative's
number to MAKE A QUICK CALL, visit http://www.contactingthecongress.org/) to
support IMMEDIATE RESCUE EFFORTS to Haiti; and

b) To request TPS for Haitians, not just "halting deportations"

The Obama administration should grant Haitians Temporary Protected Status
(TPS), which is regularly granted to the people of other countries who've
suffered much less disasters than Haiti; by DHS's own definition, even with
the hurricanes preceding this earthquake, Haiti is overqualified.
http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.5af9bb95919f35e66f614176543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=319c96981298d010VgnVCM10000048f3d6a1RCRD&vgnextchannel=828807b03d92b010VgnVCM10000045f3d6a1RCRD

c) If you want to help & go the extra mile, please WRITE in to media outlets like your local newspaper, and/or newstation's website.

3) VOLUNTEER

i. Plans are coming together for a trip of Matador volunteers to go to Haiti to assist in earthquake recovery and relief. http://matadorchange.com/
NOAH is also gearing up to head to Haiti.

ii. Hope for Haiti is looking for medical personnel & donations:
http://hopeforhaiti.com/volunteering.php

iii. So is: nationalnursesunited.com

4) PASS THIS ALONG