OT: Haiti Earthquake Relief Aid | Arthritis Information

 

Medical care, water, food, shelter, fuel -- the urgent needs of Haiti, devastated by a massive earthquake, are immense, the suffering of the people, unimaginable.

For those who wish to contribute to relief efforts, there are many organizations needing contributions.  Texting is one way.

A donation can be texted to the Red Cross by texting "Haiti" to 90999.  Larger contributions can be made to the American Red Cross International Response Fund at Redcross.org or by calling 1-800-RED-CROSS.

<>For a list of other aid organizations, that include Doctors without Borders, UNICEF and World Food Program, see the link below: 100 Million is coming form the US in aid according to Obama. i dont mean to start anything bad at all but why havent we done this for children in our own country? Do you realize how many kids go hungry every day here in the united states?

I live in an area with lots of economically disadvantaged people.  There are many, many local grassroots organizations and churches whose members work tirelessly as volunteers, and also donate money to the best of their abilities to take care of those in our community who need help.  Do some fall through the cracks?  Most definitely.  But right now, the worst-off folks in my community are much better off than lots of those in Haiti.  Besides, the US, Spain, France, and the rest of the countries involved in the slave trade are at least partly to blame for Haiti's continual government problems (that's how Haiti came to be).  The country has been doomed since it was formed, and we keep meddling in their affairs.

I've donated some $$$ towards a Haitian relief fund, and I will continue to support the local efforts in my own community to help those in need.
[QUOTE=doobgirl32] i dont mean to start anything bad at all but why havent we done this for children in our own country? Do you realize how many kids go hungry every day here in the united states?
[/QUOTE]


In the USA, we have the food stamp program. Every state has it. If people are truly in need of food, they will get it. Many on here scream at the thought of more socialism. Any help we give to anyone is socialism.Haiti is a country that had nothing to begin with. Now they even have more nothing. Bodies are rotting in the streets They are using the bodies as baracades. There is no potable water, no electricity, little medical help, no medical supplies. People are walking around ...or scooting around with broken limbs. They don't have anywhere to put the bodies, morgues and cemeteries are full. These people need help. We cannot stand back and watch. Yeah, we have lots of problems here, but come on, you have to help these people. [QUOTE=lorster]Haiti is a country that had nothing to begin with. Now they even have more nothing. Bodies are rotting in the streets They are using the bodies as baracades. There is no potable water, no electricity, little medical help, no medical supplies. People are walking around ...or scooting around with broken limbs. They don't have anywhere to put the bodies, morgues and cemeteries are full. These people need help. We cannot stand back and watch. Yeah, we have lots of problems here, but come on, you have to help these people. [/QUOTE]

I agree.  I wish I had more to give.
Lorster I agree with you, our  countries do have their own poverty problems but Haiti needs all the help it can get right now. Our kids at school have obviously rallied due to our student.  The family mentioned in the article-The Carpenters-have many adopted children in the building and find sponsers for others.  They run an awesome organization to allow these children to receive medical care. [QUOTE=lorster]Haiti is a country that had nothing to begin with. Now they even have more nothing. Bodies are rotting in the streets They are using the bodies as baracades. There is no potable water, no electricity, little medical help, no medical supplies. People are walking around ...or scooting around with broken limbs. They don't have anywhere to put the bodies, morgues and cemeteries are full. These people need help. We cannot stand back and watch. Yeah, we have lots of problems here, but come on, you have to help these people. [/QUOTE] I agree with Doobgirl. If you have extra money to give, give it to a very local totally volunteer charity. Here in Michigan, specifically in the Detroit area, there is a non-profit charity practically every other block. They all have one thing in common. Parked in front of each of these charities is a brand new Lincoln, Cadilac or Mercedes. As far as the red cross, we had a farmer here in michigan who had fallen on hard times. The family hadn't paid there house insurance and wouldn't you know it, the tornado wiped out their farm. On the news the red cross was there with their red cross vehicle for the photo op. The red cross gave the family a voucher for one night in a motel. It's outrageous that all of these charities are begging for money when all of these governments are giving not just 100s of millions upon 100s of millions of dollars, but also water, food, troops, armed troops, doctors, rescue workers and everything needed. What more is the red cross going to do besides keep their 20% or send it to the red cresent. In 2007, the american people gave 208 billion dollars to charity. That's just what was reported. Think about that. Each of these charities keep a large percent of the monies. These tragedies are windfalls for these charities. Doobgirl and 6t5 are right on. www.charitywatch.org


Here is a site you can go to if you want to find out what kind of organization you are donating to. American Red Cross is on the top of the list but did not have a perfect score. If you have ever lived through a natural disaster, loosing everything you own, you might have a different perspective of the Red Cross. 

In '98, my family and I survived a devastating flood.  The water from the near by river breeched its banks and began to rise on a late October afternoon.  We thought the water might come close, but not into our home.  Still, we took the precaution of elevating as much of the furniture as we could and get things that were low up onto the elevated furniture.  We also sandbagged the doors - just in case. 

We never dreamed that within a few hours, we would have near 6 feet of water in our home.  When the water began to come into the house, we worked feverishly to get our most precious items out.  Imagine a mad scramble picking and choosing what to take and knowing that what is left will likely be ruined.  For DH and I, it wasn't just stuff, it was the history of our life together.  In the end, we were able to save very little, just what we could cram into our car.  We were all safe and that was what we held onto to maintain our sanity...but, it was devastating in ways I never imagined.  

The Red Cross was there within hours.  They had a safe, dry place for us to sleep along with hot food and dry clothing.  I will never forget, they gave me a pair of dry socks.  I remember looking at the socks in my hand thinking this was now the only pair of socks I had and feeling complete despair.   I sat, staring at the socks, feeling silent tears stream down my face.  I felt someone sit down beside me and take my hand, squeezing gently.  I looked up and saw my tears shared in the eyes of a woman, a red cross volunteer.  She sat quietly with me and did no more than offer her shoulder.

The Red Cross gave us counseling, vaccinations, (for mucking about in contaminated water) vouchers for temporary housing, food, sleeping bags, personal care kits, mattresses, clothing, deposit for rent and utilities, cleaning supplies, and a dresser.  While we sorted through our home, salvaging what we could, we could go to the shelter for hot meals.  It was several weeks before we got an apartment and it would have been impossible for us to pay deposits or restock our pantry without their aid.

I understand everyone's experience is not the same, but I am glad they were there for us.  We were renting the house we were living in, we had insurance and thought we had flood insurance, but it was for water coming down through a damaged roof, not for rising water.  Our insurance did nothing.  They never gave us cash, only vouchers, which assured the money distributed went where it was supposed to go. 

I realize there is a percentage that goes to profit by the Red Cross, but they were there for not only me, but my community.  The river wound through this college town, and I would guess there were about 4-5 thousand displaced by the flood.  Aid also came from FEMA, a distressing experience... but that is a different story!

<>Like you Waddie, I can speak about the Red Cross from my personal experience.  My parent's small town was inundated when a nearby river levee broke.   Flood waters were slow to recede, and their home sat in over 4 feet of water for over a week.  Once we were allowed back in to their home, we had to carry ruined, heavy, water soaked possessions -- furniture, hacked up wall to wall carpet -- in a wheel barrel, through a foot and half of water, that still surrounded the house to load into a pickup to be driven to a communal dump site.  Sheet rock and electrical wiring also had to be removed and replaced. Wells were contaminated, so we had no water to drink or to clean up with.  We had no electricity.  We had no place to go to the bathroom.  The Red Cross set up a headquarters where residents gathered.  It was a place to use a toilet and wash up, and also the center for information and assistance.  They provided drinking water and sandwiches for weary residents, who for months would work to restore their homes.  Teams of Red Cross volunteers visited homes, evaluating flood victims needs, providing vouchers for items, like beds.  For the residents of this community, the Red Cross played a critical role in helping them get through this disaster.    According to Charity Navigator, a site that evaluates charity organizations, the American Red Cross spends 90.1% on programs, 5.9% on administration, and 3.9% on fundraising. Joie2010-01-15 14:48:34 Snow, you are so right about not knowing about loved ones.  I forgot to mention that the Red Cross registered everyone who received aid to compile a list of survivors so loved ones would know we were alright.  They also provided us with phone cards so we could contact our loved ones.  My mom could not sleep or eat for worrying and DH's mom was literally sick. 

Hope... they do give that.

Joie, flood waters are so contaminated and make working to gather what few things left to salvage a nasty job.  That place for community to gather, clean up and get a hot meal becomes a very valuable thing!  I remember how quiet the shelter was despite it being filled to capacity. 

waddie2010-01-15 15:18:20The Red Cross also had some part in my son in law coming home from the military assignment when a relative had died, I just cannot remember the part they played in that. FROM THE RED CROSS WEBSITE

EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS SERVICES

When a military family experiences a crisis, the American Red Cross is there to help. Twenty-four hours a day, 365 days a year, the Red Cross relays urgent messages containing accurate, factual, complete and verified descriptions of the emergency to service members stationed anywhere in the world, including on ships at sea and at embassies and remote locations.

Red Cross emergency communications services keep military personnel in touch with their families following the death or serious illness of an immediate family member, the birth of a service member's child or grandchild or when a family faces other emergencies.

Where ever their military service takes them, he or she knows that the Red Cross will deliver notification in times of an emergency at home. Even if the service member receives an e-mail or phone call from home, Red Cross-verified information assists commanding officers with making a decision regarding emergency leave. Without this verification, the service member may not be able to come home during a family crisis.

http://www.redcross.org/portal/site/en/menuitem.d8aaecf214c576bf971e4cfe43181aa0/?vgnextoid=7f26912c9973b110VgnVCM10000089f0870aRCRD&vgnextfmt=def

So what then is all of that money going to do in haiti? What more can all that red cross and other charities do that the 100s of millions of governments dollars and troops and professionals can't do? They are nothing more than opportunists playing on the goodness of good people. I remember back in 1944 my brother was over in France fighting the war under General Patton.  While there his son was born and the Red Cross somehow notified him that he had a baby boy.  It's a miracle that that happened because he was killed and never got to see or hold his newborn baby.  That son lives in CA and comes to visit us every year. again why are we they wanting to bring so many over here if they are getting money for help? My buddy sent me some pics from Haiti. He works for the UN there. The Government is killing looters there by tieing them up and shooting them in the head . The thugs are already black marketing supplies . He said the devastation is unreal but this country is the wild wild west at times. I'm afaid this will be another 911. Billions of dollars sent in but nobody really knows where it went...Everything going in is being bottle necked...IDK what the solution is. Not to mention all the "false" organizations popping up asking for donations...jeesh. Well, From what I've read, relief efforts are hindered due to Haiti having only one airport, with one landing strip; the quake damaged port and cranes which would unload ships; and streets filled with rubble and debris from collapsed buildings blocking relief trucks from accessing quake victims. Before donating to a nongovernment organization (NGO), it's a good idea to research it by visiting the website, Charity Navigator, which assesses and rates NGOs.   An organization I'm donating to is "Partners in Health," established by Dr. Paul Farmer in 1986, that not only provides medical care, but also trains and employees Haitians, moving them toward self-sufficiency.  94.8% of donations go to programs and medicines to help Haitians.  From the WASHINGTON POST, January 17, 2010, a contributing factor to the exodus of farmers and rural folk to the slums of Port-au-Prince: " . . . Until the 1980s, Haiti grew almost all the rice that it ate. But in 1986, under pressure from foreign governments, including the United States, Haiti removed its tariff on imported rice. By 2007, 75 percent of the rice eaten in Haiti came from the United States, according to Robert Maguire, a professor at Trinity Washington University. Haitians took to calling the product "Miami Rice."

The switch to importing rice was driven by U.S. subsidies for its own growers, said Fritz Gutwein, co-director of the social justice organization Quixote Center and coordinator of its Haiti Reborn project. The result in Haiti was a neglect of domestic agriculture that left many of the country's farmers, still the majority of its population, unable to support themselves, fueling waves of urban migration and environmental degradation.

"America needs to look at how its own agricultural policies affect Haiti," Gutwein said.

 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/16/AR2010011601848_2.html

Joie2010-01-18 17:02:20
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