The earthquake that struck Haiti late Tuesday afternoon and leveled
much of Port-au-Prince, the country’s densely populated capital, is one
of the worst, if not the worst, humanitarian disasters in recent
memory. Five days later, the situation on the ground remains dire, with
tens of thousands of Haitians dead or missing, the Haitian government
and security forces in disarray, and humanitarian aid just beginning to
trickle into the devastated city. Individuals and organizations that
would like to contribute to the relief effort should check the Web
sites below for more information. (Last updated: Tuesday, January 19, 1:30 p.m. Giving totals compiled by the Chronicle of Philanthropy.)
News/Resources
- CNN Report: Haiti Faces Devastation offers breaking news and a list of resources.
- The Consulate General of Haiti in New York provides a list of Haitian organizations and community centers in the New York metropolitan area.
- The Embassy of Haiti in Washington, D.C., has created an Earthquake Information and Emergency Response area on its Web site.
- Global Voices is posting tweets and photos from Port-au-Prince.
- Google’s Crisis Response Page includes real-time updates on disaster relief efforts in Haiti.
- Haitifeed provides Twitter updates, photos, videos, and more on what is happening on the ground.
- InterAction lists more than fifty-nine well-vetted NGOs working to help survivors of the disaster.
- The Mobile Giving Foundation lists current donation options for giving via mobile phone on its Web site.
- The U.S. Department of State has posted phone
numbers for people asking for or providing information about U.S.
citizens in Haiti, and for U.S. citizens in Haiti seeking assistance or
reporting their status/whereabouts.
Organizations
Providing Immediate Relief
Emergency Supplies
- Action Against Hunger has mobilized a team in the devastated country to distribute an initial shipment of emergency supplies.
- The American Red Cross International Response Fund
is providing immediate relief and long-term support to assist those in
need. Text “HAITI” to 90999 from your mobile phone to donate $10 to
their relief efforts. (The organization had raised $87 million as of Saturday, $12 million of that through its text message campaign.)
- AmeriCares is working with partners on the ground to deliver humanitarian aid and disaster relief supplies. (The organization had raised more than $5.5 million as of Tuesday morning.)
- Beyond Borders is collecting emergency funds to respond to the urgent needs created by the earthquake.
- Catholic Relief Services
has been in Haiti for over fifty years. Staff members responding to the
emergency will be joining CRS experts already on the ground. (The organization had raised more than $16.5 million in donations and pledges as of Monday.)
- The Haitian Alliance
is accepting donations online and coordinating a campaign to collect,
ship, and distribute water, food, medicine, and temporary shelter to
the millions of Haitians affected by the earthquake.
- Hope for Haiti is sending emergency relief buckets, medical supplies, and bags of Kids Against Hunger fortified dried meals to Port-au-Prince.
- The Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City
will be directing cash contributions to organizations that are working
in the disaster zone. Dial 311 to make a donation from any phone in the
metro New York area. Update: Joint NYPD/FDNY urban search and rescue teams are heading to Haiti to help look for survivors.
- Mercy Corps
is deploying an emergency team to Haiti and is asking for donations.
For more information on the organization’s work, visit the Mercy Corps blog or check its Twitter feed. (The organization had raised more than $5.5 million as of Monday.)
- Operation USA
has readied emergency medical supplies, including large quantities of
broad-spectrum antibiotics, which are slated to leave Los Angeles early
next week. Two million water purification tablets have been ordered and
will be flown in directly from the manufacturer. (The organization had raised $500,000 in cash and $800,000 in in-kind donations as of Saturday.)
- Oxfam America
will help coordinate international aid groups on the ground in Haiti
working to deliver emergency water and sanitation services over the
next two weeks. For more information on the organization’s work in
Haiti, watch this video on YouTube. (The organization had raised $6.3 million as of Saturday.)
- The Salvation Army
is mobilizing resources and personnel to assist with relief efforts.
For more information on the organization’s work, visit the Salvation Army blog. (The organization had rasied more than $4 million as of Sunday.)
- United Way Worldwide is seeking donations to provide immediate disaster relief items such as food, shelter, supplies, and clothing.
- The William J. Clinton Foundation
— As the UN’s Special Envoy to Haiti, former President Clinton has
issued a statement asking all Americans to support immediate relief and
long-term recovery efforts in the devastated country. (Through its Haiti Relief Fund, the Clinton Foundation had raised more than $6.9 million as of Saturday.)
- World Vision is on the ground working to deliver emergency supplies to survivors. (The organization had raised $10.5 million as of Monday.)
Health Services
- CARE USA is
deploying additional emergency team members to distribute and/or
deliver food, hygiene kits, water, and emergency health services. (The organization had raised more than $6.7 million as of Monday.)
- Direct Relief International
is working in partnership with the Abbott Fund, Google.org, UN-SPIDER
(United Nations Space-based Information for Disaster Management and
Emergency Response), and ESRI (ArcGIS) to compile comprehensive GIS
mapping tools and assess damage to health facilities, roads, and public
infrastructure in Haiti.
- Doctors Without Borders (MSF)
teams are trying to ensure the safety and continued care of patients.
Because all three of the MSF medical facilities have been partially
damaged, most patients have been treated in tented clinics near
existing facilities.
- Hôpital Albert Schweitzer Haiti (HAS), located 40 miles NW of Port‐Au‐Prince, suffered minimal damage and is currently operating with a full staff.
- International Medical Corps has
an emergency response team on the way to Haiti, where it will focus on
providing lifesaving medical care and relief to survivors.
- MAP International will be providing vital medical supplies to emergency teams already on the ground in Haiti.
- Partners in Health is already on the ground in Haiti and is ramping up its emergency medical relief efforts. Update: PIH has issued a call for surgeons, nurses, and other medical personnel to come to Haiti and has launched a special Web site to provide updates on the relief efforts there.
Clothing, Food, and Shelter
- Feed My Starving Children
has worked with mission partners in Haiti for more than a decade.
Several of its in-country programs are currently offering FMSC meals to
survivors of the earthquake.
- Food for the Poor is collecting donations to help provide immediate emergency relief to survivors of the disaster.
- Foot Solutions,
on behalf of Soles4Souls, the international charity dedicated to
providing free footwear to people in desperate need, is asking the
public to drop off gently used shoes at any of their locations.
- The Friends of the World Food Program is mobilizing to bring food to the devastated country.
- ShelterBox teams are on their way to Haiti with tents and survival kits.
Children and Families in Crisis
- Childcare Worldwide
is only accepting monetary donations at this time. The organization is
in the process of sending a forty-foot container filled with twenty
tons of food and medical supplies to the devastated country.
- Save the Children has launched an emergency relief effort to assist children and families in Haiti. Using your mobile phone, text “SAVE” to 20222 to donate $10. (The organization had raised more than $10 million as of Tuesday morning, and the group’s international affiliates had raised an additional $16 million.)
- UNICEF is intensifying emergency supply operations to protect the health of children at risk in Haiti. (The U.S. Fund for UNICEF had raised $122.5 million af Tuesday morning.)
New and Established Funds
- The AARP Foundation is providing a 1:1 match for any gift made to the AARP Foundation Haiti Relief Fund, up to $500,000.
- Through its Strategic Crisis Fund, ActionAid is supporting the relief and recovery efforts of its teams in Port-au-Prince and surrounding areas.
- American Jewish World Service
has created a Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund to support its network of
grantees as they work to address the urgent needs of the affected
population. (The organization had raised more than $1.5 million as of Friday.)
- Global Giving is accepting donations through its Relief Fund for Haiti Earthquake. (The organization had raised more than $400,000 as of Friday.)
- The United Nations Foundation is taking mobile donations through an Emergency Response Fund. Using your mobile phone, text “CERF” to 90999 to donate $5.
- The Tides Foundation’s Relief and Reconstruction Fund has been re-activated to aid relief efforts in the devastated country.
- Yelé Haiti,
a charity created by the Haitian-American musician Wyclef Jean, is
accepting donations via text message. Using your mobile phone, text
“Yele” to 501501 to donate $5 to the Yelé Haiti Earthquake Fund.
Providing Long-Term Relief
- Architecture for Humanity,
which provides shelter for people forced to leave their homes after a
natural disaster, has launched an fundraising appeal focused
on long-term reconstruction efforts in the devastated country.
- The Grameen Foundation will provide long-term support to help poor families in Haiti rebuild their lives.
- Habitat for Humanity International has worked in Haiti for more than twenty-six years and will continue to serve the people there by helping them to rebuild. (The organization had raised more than $585,000 as of Friday.)
- The Lambi Fund of Haiti says it will be there to help Haitians rebuild “long after the relief service providers leave.”
Government and Multilateral Agencies Efforts
- The UN World Food Programme is preparing a six-month emergency operation to assist as many as two million people affected by the disaster.
- USAID
has deployed a Disaster Assistance Response Team (USAID/DART) to Hait¡
comprising up to seventeen members and has activated a D.C.-based
Response Management Team to support it. USAID/DART will assess
humanitarian needs and coordinate assistance with the U.S. embassy in
Port-au- Prince, the international community, and the Government of
Haiti (GoH).
- The United Nations Foundation is taking mobile donations through an Emergency Response Fund. Using your mobile phone, text “CERF” to 90999 to donate $5.
- The World Bank has pledged $100 million toward relief and recovery efforts. A variety of other institutions have also committed funds to immediate and long-term relief efforts.
Grantmakers/Grantmaker Associations
A number of organizations have created relief funds and/or special
sections on their Web sites with resources and information on how you
can help:
Advice to Donors
Social Media Efforts
- Causes on Facebook has a Haiti relief page.
The Center for International Disaster Information has launched a site with more information on emergency relief in the devastated country, including volunteering information.
- Haiti/2010 Earthquake Wiki
- Search giant Google has teamed with the U.S. State Department to create an online People Finder gadget that
allows people to submit information about missing persons in Haitia as
well as to search a database of that information. (See our post about
the effort here.)
- The International Committee of the Red Cross has launched an online tool for finding and listing missing persons.
- The Miami Herald‘s Haiti Connect feature lets readers upload pictures of missing loved ones.
- Network for Good has compiled a list of organizations providing emergency relief. (The organization had also raised more than $2 million for relief efforts as of Saturday.)
- Ushahidi has adapted their platform for crisis reporting and mapping of the situation in Haiti.
