Beware Donating to Haitian relief!

[uppityperson]

There are scams already, and places collecting money that send on minimal amounts to those in need. PLEASE double check before donating anything as we want our assistance to be of assistance, not to be wasted. If it sounds too good to be true, it may be.

Rumor: American Airlines is NOT flying nurses/doctors to Haiti for free. American Airlines has denied this, and the phone # to call was the Haitian Embassy in NY. Please pass this on to anyone who sends this info.

Red Cross. There are 2 Red Cross organizations readily available to donate to (actually a bunch more, but for now for most of us there are these 2). American Red Cross and Red Cross International. I highly recommend donating to the INTERNATIONAL since I have found too much waste, red tape, slowness with the American one. ARC is good at doing first aid and cpr classes, and does help some very local people when they have problems, but overall they are slow, inefficient and waste a LOT of the money they get.

ARC has a way of donating through cell phones, but I really truly can not recommend doing so. It may be fast and easy but they wasted a whole lot of money after Katrina and other disasters. The money we raised in our small town was supposed to go to shelters in LA and MS, ended up in the general coffers "for future use".

International Red Cross is the one that has the good reputation, but many people don't know this. Here is link to them:
http://www.icrc.org/web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/html/helpicrc

Another reputable place is MSf (doctors without borders). They were already set up and working in Haiti before the earthquake. They are still missing some of their staff.
http://www.msf.org/
http://www.msf.org/msfinternational/invoke.cfm?objectid=2D47DA20-15C5-F00A-25E0534FD27E4395&component=toolkit.article&method=full_html

MSF readying temporary facilities to treat large medical demands after quake
An MSF field hospital, equipped with two operating theatres, is expected to arrive by air in the next 24 hours, along with extra surgeons and aneasthetists.
MSF medical teams in Haiti’s capital, Port au Prince, have been treating very large numbers of people who come to them with fractures, head injuries and other major trauma from the quake. Well over a thousand patients been through the four tented facilities that MSF has set up near the damaged buildings that it used to work in.

The main concern at the moment from the medical staff in those clinics is that the need for wound treatment and major surgery is overwhelming. One of the teams is moving into the major public hospital in the district of Cite Soleil, where MSF has previous experience of working. There is an operating theatre in that hospital, which will help to cope with some of those cases.

?An MSF field hospital, equipped with two operating theatres, is expected to arrive by air in the next 24 hours, along with extra surgeons and aneasthetists. The teams in Port au Prince are also trying to identify more medical structures that are intact and could be used to do surgery.

? ?Food, water and shelter materials are all in short supply, although medical stocks are not yet exhausted and more are on the way.

??"Basic provisions were always problematic for people in Port au Prince but the position is far worse now" said Vincent Hoedt, one of MSF's Emergency Coordinators. "And obviously there's a concern for people who are already weakened by injuries. There are also shortages of things like gasoline, which affects the working of all kinds of vital equipment."

??The struggle is also to get in more MSF medical staff and kit - there are seven charter flights lined up but only one of them so far has been able to get to Port-au-Prince. That came via MSF's logistical centre in Panama with 25 tons of relief material, including three medical disaster kits and blankets, plastic sheetings, hygiene and cooking sets, tents and jerry cans. Up to 80 additional MSF staff are expected to reinforce the efforts on the ground, once they can get into Haiti.

? ?MSF remains concerned about our staff in Port au Prince. The teams have not been able to confirm the whereabouts of all their Haitian staff because it is still very difficult to locate people in the city or to get working communications. That worry extends to some of the patients who were in MSF's buildings when they were damaged by the earthquake.

[Political_Junkie]

1. Thank you for this.

People should be aware of the scammers out there. Also thank you for the links. I have heard the same about the ARA re Katrina. I'll be giving my money to the MSF.

[Coventina]

2. Good post. I've been hesitant to voice criticism of ARC, but I do not

donate to them for the reasons you mention.

There are many NGOs "on the ground" in Haiti that people can donate to besides the ARC.

Maybe it's time to give that other thread another kick.

[nadinbrzezinski]

7. Oh I am critical of the ARC and have been for years

[uppityperson]

18. kick for IRC and for others who have had issues with ARC

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=7477963&mesg_id=7477963
please donate to IRC, not the fast easy fundraisers at ARC like this.

[lostnfound]

3. Partners in Health is Haitian-based and excellent.

That group, along with Doctors without Borders, are the best choices, in my opinion.

[frazzled]

4. I think it is important that people are giving to a wide range of organizations

As long as they are legitimate ones (the WH website has the info, as well as the major news organizations).

You can't funnel all the money to Doctors Without Borders, however ... since they would be unable to utilize it all most effectively in a short period of time. These first days are the most critical, so we should be trying to get as many different organizations and their personnel and supplies in there as quickly as possible.
Each of the organizations listed in the most prominent news and governmental sites has a role to play, and it puts more resources on the ground for us to spread the donations out among them.

[mainer]

5. A problem with International Red Cross donations

I just donated a large amount to them. But only AFTER I had okayed the amount, I got the message that, because it's a charity registered in Switzerland, US donors cannot deduct the donation on their income taxes. Had I known that, I would have given my donation to doctors without borders instead (which has a US office)

[nadinbrzezinski]

9. Maybe it is just me but I don't care

[mainer]

10. Is it better to give $1000 to IRCR or $2,000 to MSF?

If one is in a 50% tax bracket, then your donation can be twice as much, for the same amount out of your pocketbook. That's one reason to consider tax-deductibility.

[damntexdem]

6. I sent my donation to Doctors without Borders.

I trust them to do the correct thing.

[nadinbrzezinski]

8. Include Unicef

they are great for working with children in short and long term.

(Hell they are still working with Katrina kids

http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-136010949.html

[defendandprotect]

11. Donated to DOCTORS W/O BORDERS .... check, by mail --

[truedelphi]

12. Thank you for mentioning the Doctors without Borders org. They

Do great work, have much lower admin costs and I have never heard anything bad about them.

People in Calfiornia who donated to the Red Cross back when there were massive fires, they saw that their money mostly went to the coffers of the Red Cross more than to helping people whose homes burned down. So I am very skeptical of the Red Cross. The one thing they're truly good at is getting huge numbers of unpaid volunteers and doing a good job of co-ordinating those people.

But whenever the audits of the Red Cross occur they show that much more money is taken in by their continual appeals and very little goes out. Their excuse is that they have to have some for next time, but there never is a "next" time - they constantly stockpile their monies. Even did that during Katrina!

[glowing]

17. Check out who is at the top of the organization.. their take home pay.. and how affiliated

they are with Pukes. The intention and notoriety are there, however, the amt of money going into the agency could be better utilized.

[Shanti Mama]

13. Partners in Health is largely staffed by Haitian doctors, already working

to save lives.

Watch Rachel Maddow interview Tracy Kidder about the organization here: http://standwithhaiti.org/haiti/news-entry/tracy-kidder-on-the-rachel-maddow-show-video/

[uppityperson]

14. Thank you, have not heard of them, will check them out. MSF is there already also

been working in Haiti, still working even though missing many. I'll check out Partners in Health, thank you

[Raine]

15. I donated to Doctors without Borders thru Paypal

I don't trust the Red Cross at all.

[roody]

16. Two very trustworthy orgs:

www.soaw.org

www.ifconews.org

[Quantess]

19. Good to know.

[Contrary1]

20. You can also donate via Stiller Strong...

A website set up previously by Ben Stiller to fund schools in Haiti. All donations are now going toward earthquake relief.

http://www.stillerstrong.org/

[cooolandrew]

21. I think the main thing is if you give it's a positive thing even if funds don't get directed ...

straight to Haiti. It's the thought that counts despite what gets said about paypal I find it the safest payment method available. As long as you double check it hasn't gone on subscription if that isn't the donation method you wanted. Every positive thing done to help for the needy, has it's ripple effects of good will. I mean people sometimes worry that the begger on the street maybe a scammer, that shouldn't hold anyone back, as most times they will be real and even if not, the act of kindness may have a positive influence on the scam artist so they may recognize the good of being generoous, so if you're giving you're helping no matter what.