Haiti – how can we help?

The recent earthquake in Haiti has captured the world’s attention.

One of the poorest countries in the world – 70% of Haiti’s population live on less that $2 a day and 50% are unemployed.

The consequence of a major natural disaster in a country such as Haiti is vast and catastrophic.

The death toll and the true extent of the earthquake’s impact are yet to be determined, but it is likely to be in excess of 50,000 people with up to 3 million displaced.

Many people are asking – “how can I help?”

The reality is that the people of Haiti desperately need emergency aid – food, water, clothing, medical supplies, rescue.

And the best way to ensure that they receive it is to donate to a reputable, locally based organisation with the capacity to most effectively translate money received into direct help on the ground.

Human does not specialise in emergency relief, but at this juncture I would encourage you to support organisations whose core business is emergency care and responding to humanitarian crises.

In my opinion, and many others in the global aid, development and capacity building sectors, one of the best organisations you can support in Haiti is Partners in Health

Partners in Health is one of the largest non-governmental health care providers in the Haiti and has been working there for almost 25 years.

Their vision is “whatever it takes” and they have a fundamental focus on working with, training and employing local people.

At Human, this disaster has captured our hearts and minds and generated much conversation about what we can do to help.

At this point, the simple answer is to give directly to the Haiti appeal.