How to Help Haitian Earthquake Survivors

January 12, 2010 7:48 pm by Britt Bravo in Women of Haiti

The people of Haiti are going to need a lot of help after today's 7.0 earthquake. You can see photos of some of the damage as they come in on PicFog.

Below is a quick list of organizations asking for donations. If you know of other ways to help, please post ideas in the comments. I'm particularly interested in hearing about grassroots organizations.

• The American Red Cross is accepting donations for its International Response Fund. You can follow their work on the American Red Cross Disaster Newsroom blog, and on Twitter at @RedCross.

• U.S. Fund for UNICEF also needs donations. According to their press release:

"Funds are urgently needed to provide safe water, temporary shelter systems, essential medical supplies etc. . . . Haiti is the poorest country in the western hemisphere and has a population of 9.6 million inhabitants, of which more than half are under 21 years old."

You can follow UNICEF's work on their Field Notes blog, and on Twitter at @UnicefUSA.

• Mercy Corps is deploying an emergency team, and is asking for donations. You can follow their work on the Mercy Corps blog, and on Twitter at @mercycorps.

• According to their Twitter feed, Oxfam America is already on the ground in Haiti and is asking for donations. You can follow them on the Oxfam America blog and on Twitter at @oxfamamerica

• Musician Wyclef Jean, who established Yéle Haiti, tweeted, "Help Haiti Earthquake Relief Donate $5 by texting YELE to 501 501 right now please RT." You can follow him on his blog, and on Twitter at @wyclef.

Update: I've posted more info about how to help in a new post, Helping Haiti: Places to Donate, Creative Fundraising Ideas, and Being a Smart Donor .

BlogHer Contributing Editor, Britt Bravo, also blogs at Have Fun * Do Good, WE tv's WE Volunteer blog, The Extraordinaries, and the Global Center for Cultural Entrepreneurship blog. She is a Big Vision Consultant.

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Waiting to hear about the

lauriewrites January 12, 2010 - 8:54pm

Waiting to hear about the safety of a friend's sister who lives and does relief work there. 

This list from What Gives has some that are on your list plus some others. 

http://www.whatgives.com/2010/01/12/helping-haiti/

Laurie

LaurieWrites

Photos on Flickr

 

Thank you for posting this,

Jen M. January 12, 2010 - 9:49pm

Thank you for posting this, Britt.

 

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Hope and Help for Haiti

Tre - January 13, 2010 - 3:59am

Started to respond in the comments...turned into a post...

http://www.blogher.com/hope-and-help-haiti

I'm reminded after 9/11 the great need to hold eachother and help one another overcome the shock...

Obviously Haiti's needs are vast and huge..but the graphic images will hit everyone differently...so while figuring out how to help, what are the ways we can each help Haiti, let's pause too and stay so alert and aware to ourselves, how we react...let's take care of our hearts and those of each other...let's be mindful of images impact on others..small and big....let's use this to hold onto one another and collectively hug Haiti by hugging one another....

We can do this...

Thanks so much Britt for your post...

Tre~

tw:   @tresha

fb:    http://facebook.com/treshathorsen

e:     tre@thoughtbythought.net

blog: http://thoughtbythought.net

 

How Canadians can help

sassymonkey January 13, 2010 - 7:30am

Here are some links I've found for Canadians where they can donate.

Contributing Editor Sassymonkey also blogs at Sassymonkey and Sassymonkey Reads.

 

Another one

suebob January 13, 2010 - 10:20am

Direct Relief International does amazing things - turning $1 into $27 worth of medical supplies - and they already have working relationships in Haiti. Supplies reached Port au Prince today:

http://www.directrelief.org/EmergencyResponse/2010/EarthquakeHaiti.aspx

 

 

steadying on

Tre - January 13, 2010 - 11:17am

if there's ever been a moment when real change can happen...

i'm not pro displacing people ever..but think back to how we airlifted people to new beginnings after katrina...that's what i want to watch and hope for...

in a way here's hoping that any nation impelled to help will provide means and ways for people to establish new lives on or off island....

and i know in ways my heart is opening up to the thought of how we can all be more open to taking in people who are in need...helping practically....

more soon....

Tre~

tw:   @tresha

fb:    http://facebook.com/treshathorsen

e:     tre@thoughtbythought.net

blog: http://thoughtbythought.net

 

Grassroots organization in Haiti

ehmurphy January 13, 2010 - 1:18pm

The Haitian Timoun Foundation is a non-profit, grassroots organization headquartered in Georgia whose mission is to create a future of hope, sustainability, and dignity for the children of Haiti by identifying visionary Haitian-led organizations in the areas of Education, Poverty Eradication, and Leadership Development.  HTF works with Fonkoze, Haiti's largest micro-finance insitution, to lift women and children out of extreme poverty.  Many of our "family" there are still unaccounted for, and the St. Joseph Home for Boys was completely destroyed. 

You can go to www.htflive.org for updates and information about our partners in Haiti and to make emergency donations.

Peace,

Erin Murphy
@suwaneemama on Twitter

 

Haiti relief links and reflections

Britt Bravo January 13, 2010 - 2:47pm

You're welcome, Jen.

Laurie - Have you heard from your friend's sister?  Thank you for the link to the wonderfully extensive post.

Sassymonkey, Suebob, and Erin - Thanks for the Canadian links and info about Direct Relief International and the Haitian Timoun Foundation.

Tre - As always, thank you for your reflections (:

 

BlogHer Contributing Editor, Britt Bravo, also blogs at Have Fun * Do Good. 

 

Where to put stuff like this?

lauriewrites January 13, 2010 - 6:55pm

Two sisters from Pittsburgh running an orphanage in Port Au Prince have sent frightening messages via a popular Pittsburg blog written by Virginia Montanez called That's Church.

http://thatschurch.com/2010/01/13/its-getting-real-bad/

News story about them here:

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09358/1023084-54.stm

Sounds like they really need help so if anyone can RT or spread the word I guess that would help.

Laurie

LaurieWrites

Photos on Flickr

 

Erin/laurie/Elisa C can we give this info 2 WHITE HOUSE contacts

Tre - January 14, 2010 - 4:42am

Laurie thanks for this post re: Ginny's "That's Church" blog and the BRESME orphanage.

I get that the children almost have adoptive papers in place. Sounds like adoptions are almost finetuned. But the blog doesn't give specifics to those adoptive agencies.

As for their need for refugee status, I tweeted @whitehouse to please exempt them and I realized I can do better.

Can we, Elisa and Erin, can we please pass this on to whom you presented women's blogger's health intiative to when you all visited White House a month ago.

I know why are 16 children more important than whole island.

I don't want to single anyone out.

The blog acts as if the children are almost adoptible ..and that adoptive papers have almost gone thru.

Of course I want to rush their refugee status. But all I know to do it to get intouch w/ govt whoever is incharge of immigration papers.

Erin/Elisa...not trying to have Blogher have a special case/cause b/c everyone is vital and all need water..but can you guys pass this info on to whom you met at the White House.

Conceivably....adopting these children..getting them placed in their adoptive homes early on would get them out of Haiti and with their new families..how can we help this.


The babies need water. Orphanage and hospitals and schools all collapsed.

I know everyone's needs vital....but is there a way we can pass this info on to your contacts?

 

Tre~

tw:   @tresha

fb:    http://facebook.com/treshathorsen

e:     tre@thoughtbythought.net

blog: http://thoughtbythought.net

 

laurie thank you so much

Tre - January 13, 2010 - 7:36pm

huge.

how else will we know of stuff ...this is a great plae to post.

i can now share this with others, etc....just getting word out.

we don't know who has a private plane let alone who could help but as we each share this is important.

thank you. so much. what hashtags are you following on twitter?

Tre~

tw:   @tresha

fb:    http://facebook.com/treshathorsen

e:     tre@thoughtbythought.net

blog: http://thoughtbythought.net

 

Partners in Health

Candelaria Silva January 13, 2010 - 8:57pm

Partners in Health has clinics in Haiti.  (The work of co-founder, Dr. Paul Farmer, was written about eloquently in Mountains Upon Mountains.)  They are asking for help on their home page:  http://www.pih.org/home.html

They have been doing consistent work in Haiti for more than a decade.

 

 

http://blog.candelariasilva.com

Good and plenty!

 

Haiti Earthquake Relief Funds

millytant January 14, 2010 - 4:26am

I wrote a little post http://www.blogher.com/haiti-earthquake-you-can-help before I read this, to encourage people to give donations to the Haiti Earthquake relief funds - what a terrible, terrible disaster

 

@thebloggess posted this on twitter re: the orphanage

Tre - January 14, 2010 - 11:45am

http://www.flickr.com/photos/thebloggess/4274011275/

and so much coming in from miami that is good news;

a. private flights heading over every hour w/ drs, other helper types

b. containers being loaded at port of miami with tons of supplies, food, etc..and guards accompanying containers to be sure of safe distribution

c. obviously mobilized help crews coming / there starting from canada, us , caribbean, france, many many places

d. all air space restrictions over cuba being lifted (HALLELUYAH)

these are just little bits but it helps me.....a lot....to hear good news....

i know there's a whole population in Miami's little haiti that have lost their families...wrapper sponsoring fundraising event on south beach monday..this is all a bit of random updates of good....but i'll post more as i learn....

we can expect this kind of mobilization effort to help for a while..and there's gonna be reports of good and terrifying for a while too...

i am really hugging each of you and nudging all of us to take care of our hearts....the news can be daunting and the images horrifying...and we all react to trauma and tough circumstances differently...

writing a post now on what's helping me steady my own calm and it's all about self care and being mommy to ourselves..filtering the channels, knowing when enough is enough to take in...that kind of thing....

love......

 

Tre~

tw:   @tresha

fb:    http://facebook.com/treshathorsen

e:     tre@thoughtbythought.net

blog: http://thoughtbythought.net

 

Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund and Partners in Health

Britt Bravo January 14, 2010 - 2:39pm

Thanks for these links Candelaria and millytant!

BlogHer Contributing Editor, Britt Bravo, also blogs at Have Fun * Do Good.

 

I've updated How to Help Haitian Earthquake Survivors

Britt Bravo January 16, 2010 - 10:25am

Laurie, Jen M, Tre, Sassymonkey, Suebob, Erin, Candelaria, and millytant -

Just wanted to let you know that I've posted more info about how to help in a new post, Helping Haiti: Places to Donate, Creative Fundraising Ideas, and Being a Smart Donor.

 

Haiti earthquake

Lilie January 22, 2010 - 1:44pm

Hi all, 

I've come across a blog where people affected by the earthquake can share their experiences and feelings. It's a simple way to give the people who are emotionally affected an outlet for healing.

The blog site is:

http://thetwines.wordpress.com/2010/01/22/13/

Please pass along the information because we never who it might help.

Thanks.

 
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