Don’t Donate Goods. Donating stuff instead of money is a serious problem in emergency relief. Only the people on the ground know what’s actually necessary; those of us in the rest of the world can only guess. If you are worrying that cash won’t be used in a way that helps the needy, two points: 1) Why are you donating to an organization you don’t trust? 2) What’s to stop them from selling your donated item and using the money for whatever they want?
Don’t Go To Haiti. It’s close to the US, it’s a disaster area, and we all want to help. However, it’s dangerous right now and they don’t need “extra hands”. The people who are currently useful are people with training in medicine and emergency response. If all you can contribute is unskilled labor, stay home. There is no shortage of unskilled labor in Haiti, and Haitians will be a lot more committed than you are to the rebuilding process.
Don’t Adopt a Haitian Child. After disasters there is often a heartfelt desire and a rush to adopt “orphans”. The problem is they are often not orphans – and even when they are, where possible it’s better for then to be cared for by extended family or adopted within their communities. After a major disaster when families are trying to reunite and child protection systems are weaker, it is not the time to “fast-track” international adoptions and remove the important safeguards that should normally be in place to protect the best interest of the child.
Don’t Ignore Rebuilding Efforts. The physical damage done to Port au Prince is going to take a long, long time to repair. Haiti will still need our help next year, and the years after that. Give your money to organizations that will be in Haiti for the long haul, and don’t forget about Haiti once the media attention moves on.
If you haven't donated yet, text the word "Haiti" to 90999-- it's easy, and the money goes straight to the Red Cross. If you want to donate more, click here.
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