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A call to North Coast residents: how you can help
posted on: Jan 28 2010 9:26 by The Reporter. Viewed 696 times.
The initial impact on Haiti of thousands of people killed literally in a few minutes, while horrific, is not the sole aspect that demands our attention. Now, there are literally millions of people homeless, struggling to find enough food and water to feed their family for that day. The Red Cross, the Dominican Government and many other organizations are spending their resources to address these needs, but more is needed.
As North Coast residents, weve all probably already donated money to charities committed to assisting Haiti. But we can all individually help in so many more ways and you dont need to be financially rich to help.
There are trucks leaving the North Coast of the Dominican Republic each week taking much needed supplies to Haiti. After the initial rush to help, many organizers are reporting that supplies are running low even though they have the means to transport the supplies to Port-au-Prince.
As the Dominican Republic is the nearest neighbor to Haiti and shares road links, it makes good sense to use our resources to get as much material aid across the border as possible. We dont need to wait for runway clearance at over-congested airports; we can just send items over truck by truck.
The millions of homeless are missing basic necessities, such as clothing and blankets. These are easy to transport by road, as they are not perishable and easily obtainable. Do you have any items of clothing that you no longer use and could donate to someone in need?
Maybe you have children who have outgrown some items, or maybe there are some items you simply no longer wear? Donated clothing does not have to be new or in mint condition. If its wearable it will be of great benefit to someone who has lost everything.
There are a number of drop points, along the North Coast for items to be donated. If you are close to Sosua, drop your items in to Amber Guardian in the center of town. They have 200m2 of available storage space waiting to be filled with donated supplies. There are trucks leaving the area every week requiring more items to transport to those in need in Haiti, and there are thousands of volunteers working right now in Haiti to distribute items they just need more items to distribute.
Items that we know that are in particular demand and will be readily accepted at this drop point are: clothing and footwear, towels, bedding (blankets/sheets/pillows), tents or tarpaulins, cookware, pans, re-useable plastic plates & cups, baby feeding bottles, sanitary towels, wipes, diapers, soap. Drop these off at Amber Guardian and well ensure they are sent with the next truck load. If we receive too many items we will organize more trucks to transport them. Please note, we are not accepting money, food or other items not listed. We will add to the list of accepted items only if and when if we feel they can be transported and distributed effectively. If you do not have easy access to get into Sosua, send us an email and well try to link up people in the same area who may be able to help transport the items to a central drop-off point.
Over the last couple of weeks, weve heard a lot about people wanting to donate or give their time to help and we also know of lots of organizations in need of volunteers and donations. If you are an individual wanting to assist with donations or time, you can contact us and we will put you in touch with organizations we know that are providing relief help to Haiti. If you are such an organization, let us know and we can add you to the list that people can contact.
As each day goes by, the Haiti earthquake victims need your help more than ever. There is no quick fix, but for those of us living so close to Haiti there is a real need we can fulfill. So please dont hesitate, and consider some of the ways you can help.
Financial Donations
Some of the international organizations you can donate money directly to are:
Red Cross | Clinton Bush Haiti Fund | UNICEF | Partners in Health | Doctors Without Borders | Care | Feed the Children | World Food Program | Yele Haiti | Batey Relief Alliance
If you would like to get involved on a more basic level, tell us and well put you in touch with organizations locally you can link up with.For any questions relating to this, feel free to call us or send us an email. The email to use is haitiaid@theadscene.com. Please note, the Adscene, Amber Guardian and others are working to link up donations from North Coast residents with transportation and distribution networks in Haiti to expedite the sending of basic necessities. We are not accepting financial donations. If you are involved in an existing Haiti transportation and distribution network, please get in touch. If you are a local business able to donate excess stock, please let us know. Every item you provide will go to someone desperately in need in Haiti.
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