For Haiti: What We Can Do NOW

I’ve never been to Haiti, it’s probably one of the poorest countries in the world.  Today, more than ever, I wish I am already there!  Not as a tourist obviously, but as a volunteer doing anything and everything to help the disaster victims of a vicious earthquake.   This is the worst earthquake to hit Haiti in 200 years.

I am willing to do hard labor if needed.   Frankly, I am not good at dealing with blood, guts and bodies but  you know, that’s no reason for me not to do what needs to be done.

Perhaps I can be useful simply as a human being who cares about other human beings in desperate need for our kindness.

On twitter news travels faster than any other medium.    I’ve been following @RAMHaiti (Musician who lives in Haiti) since yesterday (1/12/10) and the more I read his updates the more my heart aches that I’m not already there.

So today and the following days before I get there, here are things I can do to make a difference and you can too!

Before you move on remember this quote from Anne Frank.

“No one has ever become poor by giving.”

Images and Videos

Images without borders:  Images from Haiti (Added 1/27/10)

NYT Lens Haiti through the eyes of a Haitian Photographer (Added 1/27/10)

Samaritan’s Purse – Haiti Relief Effort in Pictures (Added 1/22/10)

Paul McMaster, a Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) surgeon (Added 1/21/10)

CNN Mile Wide Smile (Added 1/21/10)

CNN- Peter Gabriel’s Heroes Video (Added 1/21/10)

LIFE – Haiti: Just Before the Quake (Added 1/19/10)

CNN Haiti Photos (Added 1/19/10)

WSJ Photo Journal (Added 1/18/10)

The Big Picture from the Boston Globe: 6 days later (Added 1/18/10)

American Red Cross Flicker Photos (Added 1/17/10)

The Big Picture from The Boston Globe (Added 1/13/10)

Stories

• Limb loss a grim, growing global crisis (Added 3/22/10)

• NPR – The Living Who Haunt (Added 1/29/10)

• CNN – Child Trafficking in Haiti (Added 1/28/10)

• CNN – Orphanages Attacked (Added 1/21/10)

• Haiti :  The Overwhelming Force (Added 1/21/10)

• Finding Marc’s Family: Marc Henry Bigot, a Haitian-American living in Miami, headed to Port-au-Prince to rescue his wife and two-year-old daughter. Wall Street Journal reporter Gina Chon is joining Marc on his journey (Add: 1/19/10)

• Heartaching READ  from Regine Cassagne (Added late 1/16/10)

• Tweeting Live from Haiti
  

Information

• Hands for Haiti hands for Haiti is dedicated to bringing updates about NYC on-going efforts and events that aid in the rebuilding of Haiti (Added 1/28/10)

• Hope for Haiti Now (Added 1/27/10)

• USA for Haiti @USAForHaiti (Added 1/21/10)

• 10 things you should know about Haiti via Causecast.org (Added 1/19/10)

• Hatian Earthquake Registry (Added 1/17/10)

• Latest updates from The Lede NYTimes Blog (Added 1/17/10)
  

• URGENT: Pharmacists needed in Dominican Republic. Follow link to learn more. (Added 1/16/10)
  

• Information about what we can do now from Idealist.org (Added late 1/16/10)

• On Facebook become a fan of Volunteers and Service Relief for Haiti NOW

• From TED Blog:  Ideas Worth Spreading:  Haiti Tragedy: How you can help  (Added 1/14/10)

• Be ware of FRAUD. Consider using Charity Navigator as your guide.

• Follow BBC’s How to Help Guide of Ortanizations

• For in-kind donations list click here >> MatadorNetwork

• For US Citizens in Haiti:  Follow this link to Department of State or @TravelGov (Added Late 1/13/10)

“The average Haitian =$1300/year.   The average American = $47,500/year. This is before earthquake. Give wisely and generously.”    Eugene Cho of One Day’s Wages

• Check on regular updates from Partners in Health.  They mobilize health care and medical volunteers.    They just published the most immediate needs in the disaster areas. For mail donations, please send to: Partners In Health PO Box 845578 Boston, MA 02284-5578 (Added 1/15/10)

• PASSPORT: In case you are thinking of volunteering in Haiti down the road, make sure you have a current US passport, unless you hear officially otherwise.  Personally, I would not enter into Haiti or any other country post disaster without it regardless of the capacity in which I enter.    You can apply for it online. (Added 1/14/10)

• Review the CDC health information (see below as well).  You will need to find a Travel Immunization Clinic in your area.  Usually not covered by your Health Insurance. (Added late 1/13/10)

• There are many who do not believe in or do not use Twitter or FB. That’s OK>  I have emailed them this link.  PLEASE do the same or any other link regarding the earthquake.

• Don’t let them stop talking about it.  Be the change you want to see as Gandhi would say!

• It is absolutely crucial that we keep Haiti in our heart and mind in the days ahead.  Just like any other disasters, once it goes away from the media, let us not forget about Haiti or any other countries and victims of natural disasters.

• I would also mention that with all disasters while immediate response is crucial and critical,  the long term recovery and rebuilding can last for years.  So be patient as I am trying to be, and we will all be able to be of support to our Haitian neighbors in due time. (Added 1/14/10)

“You make a living by what you get. You make a life by what you give.”  Winston Churchill

Donations

• Images Without Borders (For Photographers/Photo Lovers/Collectors) http://www.imageswithoutborders.org has organized photographers to donate photos for sale to art buyers with all proceeds going to Doctors Without Borders – If you are a photographer and would like to contribute contact Stacy at http://twitter.com/ithili or stacyericson@gmail.com If you are an art buyer, collector or enthusiast go to http://www.imageswithoutborders.org

• Check on regular updates from Partners in Health.  Text GIVE to 25383 to donate $10 They mobilize health care and medical volunteers.    For mail donations, please send to: Partners In Health PO Box 845578 Boston, MA 02284-5578 (Added Late 1/21/10)

• International Rescue Committee (IRC) Your support will go directly to the IRC’s efforts helping survivors of the Haiti earthquake cope in its devastating aftermath.  The IRC emergency response team is on the ground in Haiti rescuing lives.   (Added 1/21/10)

• Travel Connections Donate miles and points (Added 1/17/10)

• Donate to Clinton Bush Haiti Fund –  “The Clinton Bush Haiti Fund, will work to provide immediate relief and long-term support to earthquake survivors.   Theye will channel the collective goodwill around the globe to help the people of Haiti rebuild their cities, their neighborhoods, and their families.”  (Added 1/16/10)

• Donate to One Day’s Wages.  100% minus any transaction fees. I just asked them to establish a widget.  Once/if they do I will place that on our site and if you have a blog, you can too.

• Doctor’s without Borders in Haiti (they are already there on scene).  They are now asking for donation to Emergency Relief Funds not just for Haiti but other outside the Media spot light. (Updated 1/16/10)

• Donate to Concern. They have a a record of 94.4% of their funds going to program activities.
  

• Donate through Wyclef Jean a native Haitian who founded Yele.org in 2005.    Either you can use your cell phone to text “Yele” to 501501, which will automatically donate $5 to the Yele Haiti Earthquake Fund  (it will be charged to your cell phone bill), or you can visit Yele.org and click on DONATE.  (Added 1/14/10)

• You can text “HAITI” to 90999 to donate $10 to the Red Cross relief efforts in Haiti. This is not a scam.  (Added 1/14/10)

• Donate to AARP Foundation: Currently worrking with Help Age International to assist older and aged victims. (Added 1/14/10)

• Reach out to local agencies that are collecting donations. They will need help sorting them, boxing them and shipping them to Florida or Dominican Republic until there is a better infrastructure inside the country.

Volunteerism

As the Director of Volunteerism Initiatives, Erin Barnhart, of Idealist.or wrote on YP Nation: While many are willing and able to volunteer today—ready to hop on a plane to Port-au-Prince and lend a hand however they are needed—the reality is there may not yet be appropriate ways for most people to pitch in, especially in the days immediately following a disaster of this magnitude.

“Volunteers don’t get paid, not because they’re worthless, but because they’re priceless.” – Sherry Anderson

• Tips for staying healthy while volunteering abroad (Added 1/27/10)

• The Long Road to Recovery and how you can help! (Added 1/21/10)

• For more information about volunteering inside Haiti please get updates from Volunteer Global (Added Late 1/13/10)

• If you are so inclined and wish to help ONE individual volunteer, please take a look at Charyn Pfeuffer @Global_Gourmet and The Global Citizen Project. She will move up her departure date to Feb 2, if she meets her fundraising goal.  This is one DRIVEN and GOAL FOCUSED volunteer with an amazing project of working in 12 different countries in 12 months. (Added 1/14/10)

• How can our youth get involved >>Youth Service America @youthservice (Added 1/14/10)

• Disaster Relief Volunteering – Are you prepared?  What you need to know.  Excellent article can be found on @Idealist or Idealist.org READ IT HERE (Added 1/14/10)

• The Center for International Disaster Information (CIDI) has a volunteer registration page and it provides the following guideline, actually rules, for those interested in volunteering. (Added 1/14/10)

• Check on regular updates from Partners in Health.  They mobilize essential health care and medical volunteers.     (Added Late 1/14/10)

“If you continually give,  you will continually have.”

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Vaccine-Preventable Diseases

Vaccine recommendations are based on the best available risk information. Please note that the level of risk for vaccine-preventable diseases can change at any time.

Vaccination or Disease	Recommendations or Requirements for Vaccine-Preventable Diseases
Routine	Recommended if you are not up-to-date with routine shots such as, measles/mumps/rubella (MMR) vaccine, diphtheria/pertussis/tetanus (DPT) vaccine, poliovirus vaccine, etc.
Hepatitis A or immune globulin (IG)	Recommended for all unvaccinated people traveling to or working in countries with an intermediate or high level of hepatitis A virus infection (see map) where exposure might occur through food or water. Cases of travel-related hepatitis A can also occur in travelers to developing countries with “standard” tourist itineraries, accommodations, and food consumption behaviors.
Hepatitis B	Recommended for all unvaccinated persons traveling to or working in countries with intermediate to high levels of endemic HBV transmission (see map), especially those who might be exposed to blood or body fluids, have sexual contact with the local population, or be exposed through medical treatment (e.g., for an accident).
Typhoid	Recommended for all unvaccinated people traveling to or working in the Caribbean, especially if visiting smaller cities, villages, or rural areas and staying with friends or relatives where exposure might occur through food or water.
Rabies	Recommended for travelers spending a lot of time outdoors, especially in rural areas, involved in activities such as bicycling, camping, or hiking. Also recommended for travelers with significant occupational risks (such as veterinarians), for long-term travelers and expatriates living in areas with a significant risk of exposure, and for travelers involved in any activities that might bring them into direct contact with bats, carnivores, and other mammals. Children are considered at higher risk because they tend to play with animals, may receive more severe bites, or may not report bites.

Malaria

Areas of Haiti with Malaria: All (including Port Labadee).

If you will be visiting an area of Haiti with malaria, you will need to discuss with your doctor the best ways for you to avoid getting sick with malaria. Ways to prevent malaria include the following:

• Taking a prescription antimalarial drug
• Using insect repellent and wearing long pants and sleeves to prevent mosquito bites
• Sleeping in air-conditioned or well-screened rooms or using bednets

All of the following antimalarial drugs are equal options for preventing malaria in Haiti: Atovaquone/proguanil, chloroquine, doxycycline, or mefloquine. For information that can help you and your doctor decide which of these drugs would be best for you, please see Drugs to Prevent Malaria.

To find out more information on malaria throughout the world, you can use the interactive CDC malaria map. You can search or browse countries, cities, and place names for more specific malaria risk information and the recommended prevention medicines for that area.