To Haiti, With Love

Monday Jan 18, 2010 – by Sky Obercam

Turmoil, anguish, devastation, despair, death, suffering, injustice, isolation – These words only attempt to paint a picture of modern day Haiti, prior to the 7.0 earthquake that has claimed untold lives since it struck last Tuesday (January 12). The current mayhem brought on since the massive seismism is akin to a final blow, of sorts, breaking down what remained of the Haiti’s corrupted, weak infrastructure – and once again, it is the citizens who are left to endure the full brunt of misery.

In the days following the destructive quake, many efforts have been underway to provide much needed assistance to devastated Haitians. Rescue relief efforts continue around the clock, even resulting in survivor recovery nearly a week after the initial quake. Sadly, it only amounts to a small scratch on the surface at this critical moment in time.

With families torn apart, and the dead, and dying strewn about the streets of the Port-Au-Prince region, images of pure anguish as experienced by the earthquake victims is enough to tug on the toughest of heart-strings. Add to this current tragedy, their previous state of misfortune brought on by a troubled government, and their level of despair becomes unfathomable.

But there is hope.

Hope in the form of bravery amongst fellow Haitians, and the benevolence of citizens of the greater international community – the generosity that we can provide. Each and every one of us can make a difference in the lives of our Haitian brothers and sisters, whether it’s donating clothes and goods or texting/Twittering from the comfort of your very own living room. Want to know how you can best serve the people of Haiti? Dig this list of agencies/organizations that can help get you, your money, and best intentions on their way to improving the lives of the endangered and devastated:

Contact your local churches, civic and community centers to learn about programs geared towards relief efforts in your area.

Haiti Earthquake Alliance, a partnership of between Wyclef Jean’s Yele Haiti organization and the following (asterisked):

You can also show your support via your airline of choice.

Clnmike says:

January 18, 2010 at 5:29 am

Great article.

↑ Reply

January 18, 2010 at 5:30 am

Great piece.

Lauren says:

January 18, 2010 at 5:34 am

Thanks for this article Clutch. There are so many organizations out there. I just want to know which ones are really going into the hands of the people in need. Honestly, I think the government should limit all these chairties to 2-3 and make it mandatory to see some financials and proof that they are really giving out the funds.

claire says:

January 23, 2010 at 10:46 am

it saddens me to no end that – as I type this – there are “3″ comments/responses on this article, but “45 comments” on the story featuring cover of “Last Bitch Standing” (no offense to the writer of that story — i haven’t read it, so it’s not a critique of their work…it’s more about being disappointed with what gets attention). There should be/could be dozens/hundreds of responses to this thread about what people are doing to help efforts in their own communities, or even just about how this tragedy has impacted them emotionally….made them/us think about our common humanity, social injustices, suffering of our brothers and sisters, whatever. If this observation were isolated, I’d feel so much better, but if you look at the pattern (just browse the last 6 weeks and see which articles are most responded to), you’ll see that the drama-filled/negative/scandalous runs away with the attention, while OFTEN the positive/ serious discussions about issues that impact our health/ self-esteem/ communities are yawned over and barely glanced at. I guess it’s human nature, but it’s still disheartening. I wish we would wake up.

Anyway, thank you SKY for penning this..and being the voice in th wind. It may not be as “sexy” as talking about what Tiger does with his penis or relationship drama, but reminding us that just south of our border millions of our brothers and sisters are suffering unimaginable pain and loss, hundreds of thousands are being piled up and buried in unmarked graves, families yearn to know the fate of loved ones who they’ll never find…is IMPORTANT.

sloane says:

January 23, 2010 at 3:57 pm

thank you for writing this and bringing awareness to some of the organizations that are helping the haitian people.

Als Simmons says:

January 26, 2010 at 6:10 pm

two interesting articles on the history and general misconception that most people have when it comes to Haiti.
http://lion-essence.blogspot.com/search/label/History