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cassandraw:

marreka:

This article says something that needs to be said. Don’t give money just to Haiti.

Sure, donating money in a time of need is absolutely useful and will no doubt be helpful when catastrophe strikes. Charities like Médecins Sans Frontières and the US Red Cross get lots of money out of telethons, SMS donations, etc. but all with one unfortunate string attached. The string being that money donated can only be used in Haiti. This presents a problem, especially when large sums of money are donated, much more than what is needed for a disaster. For example, since the 2005 Tsunami, the US Red Cross has only been able to spend 83% of all its donations, money which could be used to help the people of Haiti now.

By donating to general funds, you give the charities freedom to use your donated money most effectively by allowing them to use it where it is needed the most. Haiti is in trouble now, but who knows who could be hit next.

Now, go read about Médecins sans Frontières (always do your research first!) and then donate to MSF’s Emergency Relief Fund (if you’re a US resident) or here for Canadian residents.

However, though the Tsunami in 2005 received lots of aid at the time of the disaster, the nations that were affected are still suffering today and do not have the aid they need anymore. When something drastic like the Tsunami in 2005 or the earthquake in Haiti occur, people everywhere will feel like they’re helping by donating to all these causes towards the area hit. It’s all over the news and fresh in everyone’s mind. But soon enough, the news stories will die down, people will start to forget, and the aid needed to rebuild these nations begins to disappear. It takes a long time to restore a country, especially a country like Haiti. By all means, I do agree that people should donate to causes other than Haiti, but the reality is, Haiti is what people automatically care about the most at this time. It was a serious disaster. Bigger than most we’ve seen in a while due to the extreme conditions these people lived in. Thus, we automatically want to donate our funds to what we feel needs it most in this desperate time.

The money you donate to Haiti (or any disaster) is strictly for disaster relief, not development. As far as I can tell, charities such as the Red Cross/Crescent, Medecins sans Frontieres, Mercy Corps, etc. are primarily emergency aid agencies. Money should go into development assistance, but that’s not what people donate to when they see “DONATE NOW!!!!” in ads and when celebrities tell them to.