Sunday, January 24, 2010

Standing with Haiti



I haven't mentioned Haiti yet, mostly because it's not what this blog is about, though of course it's been on my mind a lot lately. I'm at the point now though where I can't not talk about it. We went to a get-together on Friday for people in our neighborhood who are concerned about Haiti and it got me thinking about how I can do more. I figured it was worth at least one post here.

I've got a lot of connections to the country beyond my visit there a couple of years ago. My youngest brother was born there, my parents make a few trips there each year, and right now they're sponsoring a Haitian toddler who came to the Mayo clinic for some life-saving surgery. I know first-hand that the Haitians are a beautiful, hardy people and I'm glad that the rest of the world - especially the US - is finally paying attention to them. I only hope that that attention doesn't go away soon. Haiti's going to need a lot of it - and a lot of care - for quite a while.

Here are a few links to charities, information, and other relief efforts in case you'd like to help or know more and don't know where to go. No hard sell from me; I just hope you'll consider it.

Partners in Health – Stand with Haiti
Cancel Haitian debt
Lutheran World Relief
Haiti Outreach Ministries
St. Joseph’s Home for Boys
United States Foundation for the Children of Haiti
Feed My Starving Children
Mountains Beyond Mountains: Healing the World by Tracy Kidder
New Yorker article about Dr. Paul Farmer (the inspiration for Mountains Beyond Mountains and co-founder of Partners in Health)

2 comments:

Siskoid said...

I didn't know you had that intimate a connection to Haiti (does it explain the blog's fascination for things Carribean?) and I know what you mean about bringing real world issues in what is essentially a platform for geekery. I was in the same quandry.

Up here in Acadia, a sort of sister community to Haiti (many Acadians found their way to Haiti during the Deportation of 1755 and we share many family names and have the same motto), it's relatively common to have at least one friend who's been affected, and the tragedy takes on a personal dimension, even though, yes, we know there's a lot of misery in the world and we're not doing much for other countries in a similar state right now.

But while the awareness is raised and the opportunities are there to inflate donations (Canada is matching all the moneys sent to Red Cross Canada, for example, and many internet businesses have a similar route), let's help those we can.

I'm hoping Charity is on the rise in the West.

Michael May said...

Amen to that last paragraph.

That's so cool that you have a Haitian connection too. I'm amazed at discovering how many of my friends and acquaintances do.

My interest in the country was ignited by my existing interest in the Caribbean (due mostly to the pirate history), but fanned into flame and fed by my parents. Their extreme dedication to Haiti is contageous.

LinkWithin

Related Posts with Thumbnails