This week's mega-earthquake in Haiti certainly puts our municipality's issues in perspective: the loss of life in that desperately-poor Caribbean nation is horrific and it will take years to rebuild. The potholes on our streets or which storefront will ultimately fill that large lot on Castle Shannon Blvd. pale in comparison to this catastrophe.
What can we do as neighborly citizens of the world ("of the universe!" my Star-Wars-crazed son would say)? The following orgs are all reputable according to friends in the non-profit sector and worthy of our donations:
Partners In Health, which has been working in Haiti for over 25 years
Doctors Without Borders, a past winner of the Nobel Peace Prize
International Committee of the Red Cross
We are truly blessed here in Mt. Lebanon and now more than ever is the time to share our blessings with those desperately in need in Haiti. Thanks for your support and please spread the word about orgs like these that are doing the good work.
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I just gave to Partners In Health. According to Cal Newport, "They have great infrastructure in place in Haiti, including over 120 doctors and 500 nurses, longterm relationships with the Haitian people, and an obsession with results. A donation to Partners in Health will have an immediate impact on real people who are really suffering right now."
ReplyDeletePIH seems like a great group that rapidly and efficiently converts funds to aid in Haiti.
Seriously, folks, if you haven't given yet, please consider making a donation.
Cheers,
Tom
Another great organization is Hopital Albert Schweitzer Haiti (http://www.hashaiti.org/). This is a Pittsburgh-based hospital directed by Ian Rawson who lives in Point Breeze. The hospital is outside of Haiti and was not damaged. They are taking injured people by the truckload and working feverishly around the clock to save lives.
ReplyDeleteIan is blogging about what is happening at the hospital on the website--he happened to be there last week when the quake struck--and his entries are the closest I know I will get to what is going on there: they are definitely worth a read. The organization has been around for 50 years and is completely dedicated to the people of that country. Just another suggestion for a hometown-based organization to help with your donation, as it struggles to deal with this overwhelming crisis.