As I'm sure everyone is aware, Haiti experienced a 7.0 magnitude earthquake on Tuesday, affecting most significantly the capital, Port-au-Prince, and its surrounding areas. If the magnitude of this disaster isn't enough to cause us to pause, even more foreboding is the infrastructure and systems that were lost on Tuesday. While an earthquake of this size is not unheard of, it occurred in the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Haiti has a history of political instability and harsh living conditions. Currently, Haitians in the capital have no access to electricity, cellphone coverage, and limited access to clean drinking water.
While it is difficult for us to do anything but reflect on this tragedy, it is important to remember than monetary donations to the relief efforts can go a long way. Roads need clearing, doctors need supplies, and organizations need a means to transport aid. Many organizations are accepting donations for relief efforts in Haiti, including the Red Cross.
I also urge you to consider checking out Partners in Health, a medical NGO with many hospitals in Haiti that are still functioning. Partners in Health was founded by someone for whom I have infinite respect, and whose work played a significant role in my decision to join Peace Corps. Paul Farmer has worked to improve healthcare in Haiti since 1983.
Donating to Partners in Health will allow these local functioning hospitals to provide immediate support to the thousands of victims stranded in Port-au-Prince. Like my friend Hanneke said in a recent email to her friends and family about the earthquake, if you can just give up your Starbucks or your trip to Panera for the day, every $5 or $10 will help.
And a random fact. If you are a fan of Roald Dahl's works, including James and the Giant Peach, you should be even more excited to donate, since Dahl's daughter, Ophelia Dahl is Partners in Health's President and Executive Director. She and Paul Farmer founded PIH in 1987.
Another random fact. Many in the Catholic Church (including Liberation Theologians) have made an effort in the past half a century to promote the idea of a preferential option for the poor, based on Jesus' teachings, and more specifically, The Beatitudes. While PIH is not a religiously affiliated organization, their mission is "to provide a preferential option for the poor in healthcare."
4 comments:
Cathlic Relief Services is another organization to consider who always does and is doing a lot of work overseas.
very well said
Great message, cousin!
Nice post Erin.
And oh man, I had forgotten Liberation Theology and preferential option for the poor! This takes me back to my freshmen theology class where the professor so loved those words that if you just threw "preferential option for the poor" into your short answer you were guaranteed to get at least partial credit!
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