Haiti Disaster Relief Donations

[Syzygy]

Hey all,

In case you have an interest in donating to the nascent relief effort that is gearing up for Haiti a friend of mine sent me along this e-mail.

First, here's what is going on from a photographer's perspective.

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/01/earthquake_in_haiti.html

Anyways this is the forwarded email...


Quote:
To Members of the HMS Community:

We all share in the shock and grief over yesterday¹s devastating earthquake
in Port-au-Prince. Our hearts go out to the millions who have been affected,
both in Haiti and closer to home.

With the information that we have as of this afternoon, I wanted to reassure
you that all HMS faculty and students with Partners In Health in Haiti have
been confirmed as safe. At the same time, we recognize that some members of
our community may be experiencing personal losses, and we want to offer them
our compassion and to provide them with the support they may need.

As you can imagine, members of the HMS community have mobilized in response
to this crisis. Faculty and staff with Partners In Health are already
delivering medical care in the hardest-hit areas. Dr. Louise Ivers is
helping manage their relief efforts in Port-au-Prince, and others‹including
Drs. Joia Mukherjee and David Walton‹are on their way to Haiti to assess the
situation and help clear the way for more logistical support. Once they
report back, Partners In Health will be sending supplies and other personnel
to help with further relief efforts.

Many other members of our community have been asking how they can help. One
opportunity is to visit the Partners In Health website, which has a link for
online donations to the earthquake relief efforts:
<https>.

Also, members of our community who may need counseling services and
referrals can call Harvard¹s Employee Assistance Program at 877-327-4278 or
contact their Human Resources representative.

Partners In Health will be posting updates on its website at
<http>. We are
grateful to its team on the ground in Haiti for all they are doing in the
face of this overwhelming tragedy.

Sincerely,

Jeffrey S. Flier, MD
Dean of the Faculty of Medicine


I looked up the foundation. It seems pretty legitimate.

http://www.givewell.net/international/top-charities/PIH

If you are still interested here is the link for the Partners in Health Haiti Rescue Effort page.

https://donate.pih.org/page/contribute/haiti_earthquake?source=earthquake

Peace,
Syzygy

[The Buddha]

I have 1 question only cos I cannot ask anyone who is actually running an operation there.

Why do they want cash. Its a devastated area, so they will get US $ after that they will have to convert it, then go buy somethign which BTW isn't available cos its been devastated. WTF, very similar to a guy on a highway off ramp wanting $ for buying food ... again, its 10 miles to the nearest gorcery store and you are going to walk to get food there ... gimme a break.

I am sorry there have been too many scam charities - the local chapter of united way was paying their chapter president 24 million a yr. Get this ... this is the funniest part of this scam ... Her name - Gloria Pays - King. Nice.

Cool.
Buddha.

[yamahonkawazuki]

What about teh red cross. can they do anything?, ill help however possible, BUT i want my money to go to those who need it. not corporate entities or anythign

[BaltimoreGS]

Not to poo poo on the Haiti effort but I think my money is better spent buying some groceries and dropping them off to the tent village of homeless families that has sprung up behind a local mall during this recession.  **East Point Mall, you can see it from the Merritt Blvd exit on 695 if anyone local cares to help out**  I think it was Pete Seger that said "think global, act local"

-Jessie

[The Buddha]

Good point Jessie - you drop cash off and it has abuse potential at all levels.
Any place that collects things like food clothes etc I like.
Cool.
Buddha.

[annguyen1981]

you can donate $10 to the Red Cross to help the efforts in Haiti just by texting "Haiti" to 90999. They'll send you a confirmation message, you just have to reply "YES", and they'll add the $10 to your phone bill this month.

[The Buddha]

Oh yea, that is one thing they have perfected - I mean adding things to your bill.

What next, lawyers who are also sleazy, hospitals who charge you without telling you what it costs and insurance companies who dont cover sheite ... woweee what will they think of next ...

OK of that 10 what goes to haiti ... and say it makes it way there and it is used to buy a burger for a guy ... I mean $10 for a burger ... that is not charity, that is a racket. I dunno, I will send stuff but never $ ...

Cool.
Buddha.

[bill14224]

Relief convoys are being attacked by local gangs.  This is why Haiti breaks your heart.  No matter how you try, you can't help them.  No matter what you do it won't work.  Whether you bring money, supplies, or both, it all gets stolen by whoever gets to it first.

[The Buddha]

I also dont understand why they dont air drop supplies. Even during katrina they didn't. What was worse was that Idiot FEMA director got on TV and said if we dropped it and it hit someone there it would be disaster ... WTF moron, You dont throw it out of a plane when you air drop things. You get it in a helicopter and lower it with a cable. Drop isn't actually "DROP".

They could easily take pallets with canned food and supplies and MRE's on a pallet, have a full contingent of armed soldiers on board, fly out of a carrier off the port, get to the exact spot even get a sign off from the USAID in charge at the location, and get back to ship. Its prolly very quick compared to land transport and safer too.

Cool.
Buddha.

[Toogoofy317]

From my understanding they are doing "drops" there. Our Church was already going to do a mission trip down there so I know by giving to my church that it will get there personally.

I gave to the United Way for 7 years at Disney out of every single paycheck. When I went into severe heart failure and needed help with food, medication, etc.. Was told to take a hike because I was single! I simply asked the person then if I could just have the money I had donated to them. If looks could kill I wouldn't be here today.

So, yeah I'd rather give my time to an organization than my money. I volunteer at the Christian Ministry Center that my church helps to run. Much more satisfying to me than just handing out money which I don't really have. Besides I "see" the results instead of hoping it goes to the right place.

My .02 cents

Mary

[The Buddha]

Oh yea your money to united way has been paid out to the CEO. That is after all his/her idea to start it and name it etc ...

They are a non profit y'know ... that is after they pay themselves all the money they collect, there is no profit.

My local church (oddly I am a contributor cos they do movie night @ my kids school) was already collecting new  toothpaste and brush before the earthquake. Now they are also taking in food and cash.

I dropped off cans etc. In fact I suggested that they should collect the pop open cans, cos the old style cans need a can opener, which isn't easily found when your house has collapsed.

Anyway, that effort I applaud. I like it extra cos it bypasses any traditional "charities".

Cool.
Buddha.

[homeyjosey]

in regards to the money....what ive wacthed on tv is that they want money for transportation like fuel....they have a lot of supplies but its all stuck at the airport they're not able to bring them to the places that they're needed.

[The Buddha]

Excellent - tell me who has the fuel and I'll send them the $ to fill up the next redcross vehicle that comes by.

And these people who have fuel are where - in Haiti ? lets see, they have fuel where they can help send supplies to their fellow country men and they want my $ to send it ... OK sounds great. Die and burn in he11 you racketeering mofos'.

The fuel is in tankers off shore near haiti - OK then whatever company owns that fuel, we find them and pay them the charity money and hit them with racketeering charges ...

From what I heard, people there are helping themselves now after having gotten tired of waiting for aid. So basically they were just waiting for a hand out, when that didn't come they decided to eat their own food. Great.

I dunno, like I said, I'll send food, if they wanted I'll even send a 5 gal can of gasoline. What they're not getitng from me is cash.

Cool.
Buddha.

[yamahonkawazuki]

I know it buddha, its been a bureocracy ( sp?) heck all organisations like this do it tbh  and haiti not   being attached to the continental us makes it kinda hard, a logistical nightmare if you will, to get things into a location

[Toogoofy317]

Well, our church is planning a mission trip over there but we already had it planned. Our motto is "Be the friendliest place in town" we don't want anyone to feel that they can't even get help in their own backyard which is becoming more and more true.

Case in point I've been extremely ill as a matter-of-fact I'm writing this from my hospital bed with an ileous yay me. But, that wasn't the biggest problem because I'm back in heart failure. My local docs want me to go to Boston and get re-evaluated for heart transplant. While I was last in the hospital one of my roommates stole my medication. One script $1,200 no way I could afford it and medicare wouldn't cover it even with the police report. On Sunday I finally went to my pastor and explained what was going on and how I could not afford to fly to Boston. His reply we are family here we take care of each other. Get everything ready come to the church and we will get you there no charge.

Our country should be doing more of this than "helping" others outside. They are going to get another $3 billion wouldn't that have helped alot of Katrina victims who are still living in unsafe governemnt trailers.

Sorry for the tirade my medication isn't working too well and I feel like I have a knife in my stomach!

Mary

[The Buddha]

Ooo Mary that is scary and sad. Wish you the best.

We do a lousy job of most everything charity or otherwise, we have no business lecturing others. Now of course there will always be people who fall through the cracks ... but that cannot be this large number. Yea Bail out now gonna cost 835B - 75B more, Yes while the CEO have made off in several billions in income for leading the financial system to slaughter.

Cool.
Buddha.

[JB848]

My 2 cents: Haiti is a shaZam! hole always has been since claiming independence from the French (another war these idiots lost)over a 200 years ago, 1804 to be exact.

Haiti has been turned from a country of corrupt government by the rich with peasants to a corrupt government receiving millions of aid with dead and injured peasants!

It amazes me that because of an earthquake all of a sudden people care? Where were they before? Where was the aid? Clinton tried to use the military to help the people against the government in the mid 90's under the auspices of a United Nations mission called United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti, UNSMH(and got some people I personally knew killed by street thugs and gangsters that actually run that country). It is, was, and will be the wild west of the Caribbean. Can you tell me why a country right next door, the same island of "Hispaniola", Dominican Republic prospers? This place Haiti could be a Caribbean resort area with a huge tourist economy! The only reason it is not is because of corruption and over population thanks to the Catholic religion that prohibits any form of birth control. Don't make a life if you can't take care of it and don't ask the world to raise your children because of your faith and 5 minutes of feel good time!

It all just don't make any sense to me. Let the French clean up another mess they have created. United States has enough Americans that could use this aide being sent to these barbarians.

[The Buddha]

Also yea earth quake preparedness ... of course in 200 years they have never been hit wiht one, so they are caught unawares ... however they get a hurricane every year, and so what is the difference between the 2.
Cool.
Buddha.

[jserio]

we have our own problems in our own country we need to fix first. why the hell are we giving money and "supplies" to another country when we got our own countrymen and women and children here in america who need help? f%$k haiti.

[The Buddha]

Katrina people are still in FEMA trailers ? or on the streets ? or motel ?

I also dont think the new orleans area needs to go back to what it was cos it was just too risky for a big storm to repeat katrina's, but there oughta be a serious effort to making a disaster resistant and still interesting city out of it.

Cool.
Buddha.