Haiti Relief Effort

With all the talk about Haiti -and the various fund raising efforts going on - it's easy to assume that there is ample support for recovery. While the U.S. and other countries are doing their part to help those in Port-Au-Prince, there are still millions of Haitians starving and in need of other forms of assistance.

It can be a bit overwhelming to know how best to give. You want your donation to have the biggest impact possible. The rumors over Wyclef Jean's Haiti charity didn't help matters much. Though it seems that Yele Haiti is back on track after hiring a new accountant.

If you're looking for a good way to give, here are some suggestions based on my own research when deciding how to donate:


The World Food Programme
Here's a chance for your donations to go directly to helping feed the people of Haiti. Lack of food is one of the biggest problems facing the country right now as roads, supermarkets, and other infrastructure have been devastated by the quakes.
The great thing about the World Food Programme is that it's a part of the United Nations system - it's the UN's frontline agency mandated to combat global hunger. This means that there is some assurance of legitimacy when you give money to the program. On the Policy/Publications section of the website you can research information about how the program is funded, where donations go, and look at the company's annual financial reports.

The American Red Cross
Always a good place to give. Your donation to the American Red Cross serves a more general emergency assistance need and allows the organization to allocate funds wherever the need is greatest.


Central Emergency Response Fund
The best thing about donating here is that, because CERF is a part of the UN system, your funds can be assigned to various relief projects in Haiti - including those organized by the World Food Programme, UNICEF, and the World Health Organization. Again, you get the assurance of a legit organization and your funds will go where help is needed most.


Also, if you were hoping to find a way of helping other than giving money, take a look at this. The New York Times touched on this issue as well. Turns out the best way to help, though it may be the most impersonal, is to give cold, hard cash.

For other tips on how to help (and how not to) 

For a more comprehensive list of charities and relief organizations (still a good idea to do your own research before donating to an organization)