No matter how effective their fundraising campaigns, some Haiti relief organizations have been accused of keeping donated money from those in need or spending it unwisely. To give to organizations who are working directly with the Haitian people, check out these nonprofit groups.
by Jamie Beckman
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Surfer Jon Rose founded Waves for Water as a way for surfers to give back by bringing clean water to remote areas. The organization encourages wave-chasers and other travelers to carry water filters in their luggage when taking trips abroad. Since its inception in May of 2009, W4W has distributed 9,000 filters to Haiti alone, making clean water available to more than 90,000 people. (wavesforwater.com)
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The Material Management Relief Corps, run by Big Paul and Little Paul, aims to support the residents of Port-au-Prince. The organization’s efforts include transporting patients to hospitals, supporting the area¹s medical teams, and helping orphanages get the supplies they need — all without support from large corporations. (mmrcglobal.org)
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Two doctors from the University of Miami School of Medicine, Barth Green and Arthur Fournier, saw Haiti’s failing healthcare industry and started a program to bolster it. Project Medishare, whose staff includes chief medical officer DeGennaro, helps train Haitian medical professionals, develop sustainable medical programs, and equip clinics with necessary materials. (projectmedishare.org)
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Actor Sean Penn co-founded the J/P HRO relief organization, which brought doctors and medical supplies to Haiti hours after the earthquake hit. The organization’s Beat the Rain campaign began in January with the intent to shelter Haitians and prevent a public health disaster before hurricane season. Since then, it has set up a camp hospital serving 55,000 people; trained locals for an emergency response system; distributed tents, food, water filters, and medical supplies; and relocated those threatened by mudslides. (jphro.org)
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For Kitt Doucette’s story on Haiti’s Cowboy EMTs pick up our new October issue (available now).
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September 2nd, 2010 at 12:55 am
Medishare does fantastic work! I’ve been to their facility in Haiti and worked with them. Please consider helping them! Thanks. Alan
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September 2nd, 2010 at 1:26 pm
MMRC is an organization that provides organization! Having spent time with both Pauls in Haiti directly after the quake and 6 months later, I believe in them and the work they put forth for the Haitian people. If you want to know the money you donate is being used to actually help the people then this is the group for you. Don’t wait!
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September 11th, 2010 at 3:16 pm
Great article. I would highly recommend Operation Blessing as another organization getting things done in Haiti. I just spent a week in Port au Prince with them rebuilding the laundry facility at the General Hospital. OB has water filtration units at the hospital and in some of the tent camps. They are also working on many other programs in Haiti.
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September 13th, 2010 at 6:37 am
Thanks to Men’s Journal for the informative but distressing article on Haiti – how appalling that the many millions of dollars donated are languishing unused. Supporting small, independent charities in their work is one way to ensure that your donation is well spent. To this end, I’d like to mention the work of Artists Project Earth (APE). We produce fundraising albums of great music,supported by artists such as Bob Dylan, Wyclef Jean, Dizzee Rascal, Gorillaz and many more and proceeds from sales go directly to helping organisations such as Project Medishare, LambiFund, JP/HRO and others in Haiti (and Chile, Tibet and other regions suffering from natural disasters.) So to make a donation with a difference – ie: you get something lovely in return – please visit our websites: http://www.apeuk.org and http://www.rhythmsdelmundo.org. Your donation really will make a difference and our webpages show you how we have helped people in need so far.
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September 22nd, 2010 at 8:22 am
I would like to thank Men’s Journal for bringing this up, but it would have be more helpful to listed those specific organizations that you discovered are ripping Haiti off, I need to know and the public needs to know.
Our organization is the official Haiti Relief Fund, we have successfully been doing humanitarian work in Haiti. Please visit our site: http://www.HaitiReliefFund.org
The magic of these three words have no fancy meaning, however organizations that used Haiti Relief Fund to appeal to the public for funds, then collect those funds and then do not deliver to the Haitian people are about to get a wake up call. There is a list of these fraudulent organizations that will be submitted to the Attorney General and to the IRS, at the end of this years 2010 tax season.
You stated in the article: “No matter how effective their fundraising campaigns, some Haiti relief organizations have been accused of keeping donated money from those in need or spending it unwisely.”
Big and small organizations have raised millions and millions under Haiti Relief Fund purposely to help the victims of January 12, earthquake, however helping the people does not seem to be the case.
To the Editors at Mens’ Journal, you need to publish those organizations that are ripping off Haiti.
Thank you,
Carlo Thertus
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September 23rd, 2010 at 10:54 pm
in reference to the ” Haiti’sCowboy EMTs” article featured in the Oct. issue of Men’s Journal-
The man to the left (in the photo featured above) is Paul Waggoner. He’s from a small town in the Pan Handle of Florida called DeFuniak Springs.
He’s a good friend of my family.It was great to see that the work he and his small outfit are being recognized for their hard work in Haiti.It’s amazing how selfless and determined they all are. Haiti needs more volunteers like Paul- and more funding to back them up.
I know for a fact Paul, and many of his co- “cowboys”, left everything and everyone they’d ever known to make the trek to Haiti and give as much help as they could to a people desperately in need of it, and without looking to make a single dime in the process.One big Kudos for Men’s Journal. Keep us posted on our DeFuniak Springs cowboy.
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October 1st, 2010 at 1:10 pm
Having lived in Haiti for the past 4+ years, the last two of which working for American Red Cross, I focused all my energy after the earthquake on Haitians rather than responding to these types of poorly researched articles. However, I am home now and will repeat many of the points ARC has had to make to those who have published poorly researched pieces such as this. We ALL have done a part and no ONE organization can do it all. I was on a team of 13 staff before the earthquake. We lost one staff member, almost all of our 11 Haitian staff lost their homes and we lost our office. Immediately following the earthquake (meaning at 5pm on January 12th) our miniscule staff started administering first aid, transporting people to hospitals, unburying people and taking them for care and attempting to set up the camps of 20,000 people directly behind and around our office with latrines, water, lights for safety etc. All in all, the red cross is a movement of partners. ARC itself had five mobile health clinics serving a population of around 100,000 people in a section called deprez. I do not blame doctors or other NGOs for not knowing where everyone was because they too were scrambling to save lives and working in their little corners. In a city of 9 million it’s easy to get lost in a neighborhood. I never saw medishare but then again, I wasn’t working at the general hospital. I would encourage the authors to do more research. Now with 2 field hospitals, countless mobile health clinics throughout the city and employing thousands of Haitian “volunteers” for full-time work I can honestly say, biased as I might be, I was impressed with the mobilization of the RC movement. Yes, it’s all slow, and yes there are many imperfections in all our organizations, yes we didn’t have the capacity or interest to train American volunteers for jobs Haitian’s did better and yes we are all doing our small part. So I will repeat what I have said over and over the past 9 months. Unfounded criticism directs energy and resources towards defensive responses to articles such as this and detracts from the real issues. Haiti always has been a country of extreme poverty that should not exist in our world today. Let us try to focus on that point and keeping the focus on Haitians and what we can do to help. Thank you.
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Haley Reply:
November 1st, 2010 at 11:15 pm
“…we didn’t have the capacity or interest to train American volunteers for jobs Haitian’s did better and yes we are all doing our small part…”
The Red Cross didn’t have the capacity? Interest? Paul W.(and many,many others I’m sure- including many RC volunteers..)left their families,jobs,and lives in the states and went down there to help in any way possible. Who knows how many people Paul’s outfit (and many other smaller organizations as well) have helped- does it matter that they’re American Volunteers,and not Haitian? Does it matter they’re not RC volunteers? Absolutely not. They’re getting things done- saving lives- that’sall that matters- despite the fact that they’re not RedCross.. and that they are,indeed, American.
“Unfounded criticism directs energy and resources towards defensive responses to articles such as this and detracts from the real issues…”
That such a relatively small group is being applauded for all their efforts should not be offensive. If nothing else,it gave people a chance to find and donate to organizations who need the funding to help Haiti’s citizens. The article got the word out,and hopefully that generated more funding for any one in Haiti that needed it..that’s the scoop- Red Cross or no.
“Haiti always has been a country of extreme poverty that should not exist in our world today. Let us try to focus on that point and keeping the focus on Haitians and what we can do to help. Thank you.”
I’m sure the Red Cross is doing it’s “small part”. So are many others. I’m sure that Haiti is grateful for any and all help it recieves in this great time of need- no matter who it comes from…Thankyou.
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Haley Reply:
November 2nd, 2010 at 10:36 am
An excerpt from an article in the Montreal Gazette- proving that even a “poorly researched article” can make adifference…
Nanci Murdock read an article in the October issue of Men’s Journal magazine about the MMRC, and decided to help:
“Murdock contacted Big Paul five weeks ago and had a new website – with an easier donation process and a more credible face – up within 24 hours (mmrcglobal.org). A social media strategist, she started using the power of Twitter to get their online message out to as many people as possible. The hope was to attract journalists to ride along with the Pauls and bolster knowledge and funding.
It’s working – several have come on board, including one from People magazine who plans to spend two weeks with them in January.
Twitter has had unexpected scope, attracting pleas from Haiti for a helicopter to deliver drinking water to a remote village in despair (Little Paul was working on it yesterday) and for medical treatment for orphans (also being worked on)..”
“U.S. actor Sean Penn’s charitable organization donated a truckload of supplies to be brought to St. Marc, the epicentre of a cholera outbreak, but the Pauls were so broke Monday that Little Paul couldn’t get money for gas – until the owner of Garden Fresh Salsa, who saw the Men’s Journal article, decided he would make MMRC the company’s chosen charity this year, covering their expenses for at least the next six months.
Donations are also coming in to the website, $10 to $500 at a time, for an average of $100 to $200 a day.
The Pauls plan to spend the next five years starting a 911 service, then want to expand into making MMRC Global truly global, providing emergency medical supply organization to disaster zones 48 hours after catastrophes.
“I’m broke, malnourished, exhausted and happy,” Big Paul said.”
Funny how much good a little “bad” journalism can do,eh?
Read more about the MMRC’s plight and recovery: http://www.montrealgazette.com/health/Malnourished+exhausted+happy/3737737/story.html#ixzz148OlTFjj
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