Haiti Relief Efforts

[The Judge]

The devastation in Haiti is massive and it seems as if the whole world is reaching out to the Haitian people to send aid.

I have a friend from another site called "SixFive" who works in the medical field and has travelled to Haiti on medical missions in the past. I have a lot of respect for this person having actually met him in person last summer. The quote below is from a post of his at his home forum and I thought that I would share it with the Mall in case there were others like myself who were looking for a way to donate to the relief efforts but were unsure of how their money could be most effective.

I made a donation this morning to NHCM and I encourage anyone who is in a position to do the same to consider this organization.

Originally Posted by SixFive

I know a lot here know that Haiti is very near and dear to me. I've been there several times, and I have a lot of friends there. Everyone that I know is either safe or I haven't heard from them. I wouldn't be surprised though if the death toll gets to the hundreds of thousands and if I don't know people who died in the horror. The country is so poor and destitute, and of course there is absolutely no infrastructure. .

I would like to post a couple of agencies you can donate to if you wish that I am personally familiar with and know the money goes where it is supposed to and not in some board member's pocket. Both of these organizations are Christian based, but please don't let that deter you even if you aren't a Christian.

The one I am most familiar with is Northwest Haiti Christian Mission. The northwest isn't nearly as hard hit as the Port au Prince area, but they do have damage. They have already loaded a truck with supplies and relief to head south. I have been there 3 times doing work, and there is no fluff. Actually, with this earthquake and the damage of the hospital in PAP, NWHCM arguably has the best surgical facilities in the whole country now. I'm sure there will be a lot more surgica trips planned now as that is an awesome resource. The money goes to the people. There are also current and running updates on the site.

www.nwhcm.org

The other organization that I know about is called IDES. It stands for International Disaster Emergency Service. The website is www.ides.org. This organization is very worldwide, and they concentrate in areas of disaster. They did a lot of work in the tsunami areas a few years ago, and there's no fluff here either.

Both organizations are very frugal and do a whole lot of good. Thanks for giving if you can, and please don't let some idiot like Pat Robertson dissuade you.

From the NHCH website:
Through the instrument of the church, we serve thousands of people across Northwest Haiti regardless of their age, gender, or religion. We do so through a diverse collection of programs that include – among others – primary schools, feeding projects, orphanages, medical clinics, church planting, a Bible college, and agricultural development. We are the largest employer in the zone and one of the largest ministries in Haiti.

Northwest Haiti Christian Mission is built around partnerships with churches and individuals who are interested in ministry in Haiti. Every year, hundreds of volunteers travel to Northwest Haiti on short-term trips to participate with us in our work.

[Keith]

In the other earthquake thread I also listed the site for the clintonfoundation to donate.

C'mon people. Even $5.00 will help.

[The Judge]

You can easily donate $10 to the American Red Cross by texting "Haiti" to 90999 and your donation will automatically be added to next month’s phone bill. To verify this you can go to the American Red Cross homepage.

It's easy and only $10; less than most of you guys spend on beer in any given day. ...