Friends.
I live and work in Northern Haiti, but I grew up in the Haitian bubble of South Florida and in Port-au-Prince. I have heard from all my loved ones in the capital and can only be extremely grateful for the fact that there have only been relatively minor scrapes and bruises.
In other words: we are alive, but still in great pain.
Yes, there has been dramatic loss of life (estimates are now at 217,000, and rising) and homes. But Haiti suffering from the extreme unequal (under)development which is typical of many Third World countries, most of the state, cultural, economic and intellectual resources that were concentrated in the capital have also disappeared.
What's Being Done
Official progress reports are available at a few sites:
Noula.ht / Haïti Séisme 2010
http://www.noula.ht / http://haitiseisme2010.gouv.ht
OneResponse - Haiti Earthquake 2010
OneResponse is a portal for disaster and humanitarian response used by the UN agencies and major international organizations. You'll find information on their Haiti activities at the above address.
You can also check local media for news.
Radio Métropole
Le Nouvelliste
Radio Kiskeya
Haiti Press Network
http://www.haitipressnetwork.com
How You Can Help
There is a justified focus on emergency relief via medical care, food, water, sanitary interventions, etc. Please donate as much time, energy and financial and material resources as you can to organizations involved in such work.
AT THE SAME TIME
Consider setting aside a portion of whatever you have for smaller organizations that have less of a spotlight - and thus, receive a disproportionately small share of the resources.
If you or someone you know is organizing a fundraising event, please consider setting aside a portion of the proceeds for organizations like the following:
Dwa Fanm
Dwa Fanm (meaning "Women's Rights" in Creole) started as a volunteer-run community-based organization in 1999 when a group of eight Haitian and American women from diverse backgrounds met to discuss the state of women's rights in Haitian immigrant communities in the United States and in Haiti.
Groupe des citoyens concernés
Groupe des citoyens concernés (GCC) is a social and human rights advocacy group founded in 2005 that has been actively involved in relief efforts since the earthquake.
Lambi Fund of Haiti
The Lambi Fund's mission is to assist the popular, democratic movement in Haiti. Its goal is to help strengthen civil society as a necessary foundation of democracy and development.
Ciné Institute of Jacmel
Jacmel is the southern town my paternal grandfather's from and has also been very badly hit by the earthquake. The Cine Institute, and its International Film Festival are some of the most exciting developments in Haiti's cultural scene in years.
Ciné Institute provides Haitian youth with film education and edutainment, technical training, and media related micro enterprise opportunities. We integrate educational film screenings into classrooms of public schools, train aspiring filmmakers in all aspects of production, and develop and produce films of all kinds in partnership with our students and graduates.
Fonkoze
Fonkoze is Haiti’s Alternative Bank for the Organized Poor. They are the largest micro-finance institution offering a full range of financial services to the rural-based poor in Haiti.
FOKAL
FOKAL seeks:
To Promote the structures necessary to establish a just and durable democratic society, based on individual and collective autonomy and responsibility;
To Support the autonomy of individuals, critical spirit, clear judgment, sense of responsibility, initiative, creativity and free cooperation through education, training and communication;
To Reinforce the organizational processes which promote within groups the power of discrimination, the acquiring, sharing and comparing of knowledge and know-how necessary for an active participation in the democratic administration of public affairs and the flourishing of social, cultural and community life.
Veterimed
Veterimed's award-winning animal husbandry projects have set new standards for development work in Haiti, most successful of these being its Let Agogo product, which markets Haitian dairy at a scale heretofore impossible for small-scale producers to reach.
Haiti Soleil / Bibliotheque du Soleil
Haiti Soleil is a nonprofit corporation based in Berkeley, California. Haiti Soleil is founded on the belief that to bring about social change in Haiti, the country needs to empower young people by giving them access to safe nurturing spaces, and providing them with opportunities for intellectual exchange and creative expression.
Fondation AfricAmerica
Fondation AfricAmerica is a creative arts center connecting creators of African descent in Africa, the Caribbean and North America.
These are organizations that have a mostly Haitian leadership and staff, and work on a range of issues: economic development, arts and culture, social justice organizing, women's rights, etc.
Also, considering that we are expecting high levels of outmigration from the capital to surrounding towns and other major cities like Cap-Haitien (where I live), I would be remiss not to mention the two organizations I work with here in Northern Haiti:
SOIL
Sustainable Organic Integrated Livelihoods (SOIL) is a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting soil resources, empowering communities and transforming wastes into resources in Haiti.
Konbit Sante
Started in 2000, Konbit Sante Cap-Haitien Health Partnership is a Maine-based volunteer partnership to save lives and improve health care in northern Haiti. Rather than developing a second, parallel health system, Konbit Sante works with the Haitian Ministry of Health and with Haitian colleagues to build capacity within the public system for Haitians to care for Haitians.
AIDG
The Appropriate Infrastructure Development Group (AIDG) helps individuals and communities get affordable and environmentally sound access to electricity, sanitation and clean water. Through a combination of business incubation, education, and outreach, we help people get technology that will better their health and improve their lives.
These are all suggestions - you could also try to seek out any Haitian community organizations in your city. They often have direct contact with associations, faith organizations, development projects of myriad types on the ground. They too will be putting a lot of work into relief efforts.
Regardless of your choice - thank you in advance for your help and support!
In solidarity,
Nadine
