The BBC is reporting that as many as
half a million 50000 people may have been killed by the magnitude 7 earthquake that struck the capital of the impoverished Caribbean island. Because of longstanding pre-existing connections, this is an emergency in which donating through
Episcopal Relief and Development will be as good an option as is possible in the context of horror and chaos.
Thanks, Jan. Yes, to Episcopal Relief and Development. It is our largest diocese and sponsors 250 schools and many clinics--they have workers on the ground. I would add also Partners in Health because they are already providing care on the ground via their 10 non-affected hospitals outside the city, and because of their long-term understanding of how health care can be made possible in Haiti. www.pih.org, very reputable group .... also see Tracy Kidder's op-ed in the NYT for an understanding of their vision: http://nyti.ms/6RlCHx
ReplyDeletePartners in Health that Sarah refers to is the project begun by Dr. Paul Farmer whose work I discussed before on the blog, notably here. FWIW, that post gets hits everyday.
ReplyDeleteNobody will go wrong donating to Partners in Health.
Partners in Health just tweeted that their first medical supply truck has arrived in Port au Prince from the medical center in Hinche (well northeast of PaP, so unaffected by the earthquake).
ReplyDeleteThe magnitude of this is staggering. I just learned of the death of a friend's daughter in the quake, so it has been brought to that personal level for me....hard to imagine that grief x hundreds of thousands as is being speculated now. I can only pray, and give money, and spread the word.
Btw, PIH and others are asking for medical volunteers (doctors and nurses), esp those with specialization in orthopedic surgery. Please spread this call to those who may be able to help.