How You Can Help
It’s difficult to suggest a good way—or right way—to get involved in disaster relief. If you’re like me, you’ve got your work clothes and a shovel by the door, ready to go. You might already be raising money?
A few things you need to know about the earthquake in Haiti:
1) It effectively wiped out the government. Since utilities and certain financial services are state-run, the entire country is in the process of grinding to a halt. Without “movement” in the economy, people will begin taking survival into their own hands in a matter of days. For example, we live in a provincial capitol where many are employed by the government. Where is the next paycheck going to come from? On the radio, they announced that we have enough fuel for the city to give electricity for four-hours each night, for 19 more nights. Then we’re out of fuel—which is exclusively regulated through Port-au-Prince. The catastrophe is in Port-au-Prince at the moment, but it will be nationwide shortly.
2) Be realistic about aid. I’m 85 miles from ground zero, I have a truck, I speak Creole, I’m willing, able…but I’m having a tough time “getting involved” in a meaningful way. A 20-person “work team” is not realistic at the moment. Take care not to bombard your contacts in Haiti. Be ready and be patient. Be comforted in knowing that the residents of Port-au-Prince themselves are by far the most capable first-responders. They are knowledgeable, invested, and have the most at stake. Pray for them! Additionally, praise God that foreign militaries and mega-humanitarian organizations have the financial backing, manpower, resources, equipment, and supply lines, to get in quickly and help. Regardless of what the media reports, they are hands-down the ones leading the charge.
3) Avoid shipping containers. Hey, canned food drives are great! But the reality is that it will be absolute chaos at the port when the containers arrive. Also, the ports here are simply not equipped to handle the surge. A couple years ago, during the food crisis, it was crazy how much stuff sat around rotting. It can’t be handled fast enough and it goes to waste.
What do I recommend?
Personally, I do not feel that it’s a bad idea to make a donation to a large aid organization. You may not know where the money is going, and there is a lot of bureaucracy, but as I mentioned before—right now, they are the best suited for the task.
There is a philosophy for doing “development” work and a philosophy for doing “relief” work. The rules vary greatly. Right now in Haiti we are in “relief” mode, and the rules that we played by last week are now set aside indefinitely. Sustainable development is not the issue any more, survival is.
If you’re interested in partnering in a more personal way, I suggest fortifying trustworthy ministries that are on the ground in Haiti right now. If existing ministries are forced to evacuate, we lose ground in the relief effort. If you have friends in Haiti, ask them: Does your family need emergency funds to continue living and working in Haiti right now? Are you ministering to neighbors that are hurting and are additional supplies or funds needed? Are buildings that you live in and work in damaged? Are doctors accessible? Is medicine accessible? Is your vehicle in working order? How is your water supply? What are your plans for electricity? Communications? The rules changed Tuesday. Today, the needs are totally different. Rally your church, business partners, school, or circle of friends, and meet needs that will enable those in the trenches to stay in the trenches.
In terms of immediate relief, Pam and I have racked our brains. We’re a 12-hour drive from Port-au-Prince, but only 10 minutes from the Dominican Republic. Out of all the “missionaries” in Haiti we possibly live the closest to the border? What I’m proposing is to raise funds and enlist help to meet me in the D.R. and round up supplies to bring back to Haiti. There is an airstrip on the border where planes could be loaded and flown directly into Port-au-Prince. Alternatively, supplies could be trucked to PAP. We could target certain supplies and help inject the right aid into the right places, relatively quickly. We could also employ a number of people in our community to help shuttle supplies to their fellow countrymen in desperate need. From a logistical standpoint, we would need:
1) Funds. $50,000 to $100,000 to make the effort worth coordinating.
2) Ministries in Port-au-Prince to tell us what they need—we would attempt to deliver requested supplies in two or three days. Alternatively, if an organization is headquartered in the US or abroad, they could send $10,000, a shopping list, and a delivery address in PAP.
3) A bunch of people (maybe 5 to 10) willing to help facilitate this on my end—purchase supplies in the Dominican Republic, load trucks and shuttle supplies to the border. It would help to have some missionary contacts in Santiago, D.R. I would need a couple people to possibly commit 4 to 6 weeks. Also, Spanish-speakers and connections with Dominican churches would be needed.
4) The use of aircraft to transport supplies from Ouanaminthe to Port-au-Prince or Cap Haitien to Port-au-Prince—if this is not possible, we transport by land or locate needy communities in our region.
The ball is in your court now. Correspond with me and let me know what you think? Talk about it with your friends and/or contacts in Haiti? It won’t take much to launch, however, funds will be needed to get the ball rolling! A “Haiti Relief Fund” has been set up at our organization with 100% of donations going to the relief effort.
You can donate immediately at: www.fim.org
Mail checks to: Fellowship International Mission - 555 South 24th Street - Allentown, PA 18104 (memo: Haiti Relief Fund)
Or call: 610-435-9099
