Sometimes when there is a crisis such as this, people often wonder if thier donations are going to help those in need. The following information is from The Lede Blog on The New York Times web site. For real time updates on this blog click here.
By ROBERT MACKEY - A nonprofit group has provided a list of ten efficient aid organizations working in Haiti.
http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/01/19/latest-updates-on-the-crisis-in-haiti-2/?hp
As readers may know, there has been some controversy over the best way to donate aid to help survivors of the earthquake in Haiti. On Monday, The Lede pointed to a new video appeal for the Red Cross made by Wyclef Jean, the Haitian musician whose own Yele Haiti foundation started raising money almost immediately after the earthquake last week, but has been criticized by some experts for its lack of experience in emergency relief work. (Mr. Jean responsed to that criticism directly on Saturday and his foundation has formed partnerships with established groups including the Red Cross and Americares.)
In Tuesday's New York Times my colleague Stephanie Strom reported that the American Red Cross had collected pledges of over $100 million, but is mindful of criticism that it failed to respond efficiently to either Hurricane Katrina in 2005 or the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
Charity Navigator, a nonprofit group that rates charitable organizations based on their financial health, has posted a list of ten charities working in Haiti now that it has given an overall rating of 3 or 4 stars. (For specific information on how their ratings are compiled, see CharityNavigator.org.)
My colleague Janie Lorber reports:
According to Charity Navigator, financial stability is perhaps the single most important factor when making contribution decisions. Avoid new charities and the temptation to send supplies independently. Make sure your donation will be used only for the current disaster and definitely do not give directly to the Haitian government.
Charity Navigator's ratings are based on efficiency-how the charity balances fundraising, administrative and program expenses-and capacity for sustained growth-annual growth of revenue, programs and capitol ratio.
Nearly all of the groups on its Haiti list have been active in the country for more than a decade and have a long history of providing emergency relief.
Here is Charity Navigator's list of charities, in order of their overall rating from the group, with some details of the work each is engaged in now in Haiti:
Partners in Health: Overall Rating: 66.98 Efficiency Rating: 39.48 Capacity Rating: 27.5
Partners in Health has been working in Haiti for more than 20 years and is managing the major public hospital in Port-au-Prince at the direction of the World Health Organization. So far Partners in Health has brought 60 orthopedic and trauma surgeons to the Haiti to supplement the 4,000 Haitian employees already working for them before the earthquake. The organization has also sent 15 employees to focus on structural damage, restoring infrastructure and electricity.
They are running four operating rooms to the North and West of the Port-au-Prince and have brought five Haitians for emergency treatment at American hospitals.
Paul Farmer, the organization's co-founder and deputy to former President Bill Clinton, U.N. Special Envoy to Haiti, offered his perspective on the crisis in Sunday's Miami Herald.
Water Missions International: Overall Rating: 66.02 Efficiency Rating: 38.52 Capacity Rating: 27.50
Water Missions International has had a permanent team in Haiti for two years and have seven staff members on the ground now. By Monday night, they expect to have delivered 22 water purification systems to the country. The organization plans to ship 20 more systems in the next two days and manufacture five more each day going forward. From start to finish, each system costs roughly $25,000 - $35,000 and can serve 5,000 people indefinitely. Water Missions International is one of the smaller organizations with just under $3.5 million in net assets but maintains high efficiency scores because of its specialized nature.
Save the Children: Overall Rating: 64.17 Efficiency Rating: 39.17 Capacity Rating: 25.00
Save the Children has worked in Haiti for 30 years and have 170 staff members on the ground now. They have delivered 10 metric tons of medical supplies, food and water to 14 hospitals and clinics in Port au Prince. They are also bringing in additional doctors from the U.S. and delivering medications and assisting with child delivery at city clinics.
Unlike many organizations that struggled to get aide into the country because of a bottleneck at the airport, Save the Children was able to truck family supply kits, including temporary shelter, bottled water and cooking supplies, from the Dominican Republic within 24 hours of the earthquake.
CARE: Overall Rating: 62.53 Efficiency Rating: 39.03 Capacity Rating: 23.49
CARE has had a permanent team in Haiti since 1954 with at least 145 employees on ground now. They have delivered 600,000 water purification packets each of which treat nearly three gallons of water. Now one of their major focuses is caring for and delivering hygiene kits for an estimated 37,000 pregnant women. Further donations will go to their water programs as well as food, tent and mattress distribution.
Direct Relief International: Overall Rating: 62.39 Efficiency Rating: 39.89 Capacity Rating: 22.50
Direct Relief International has been supplying local clinics and hospitals since 1964, delivering $150,000 million in medical material since 2000. Sunday morning their first airlift containing $1 million in medical supplies arrived on the ground along with their emergency responder team.
Food for the Poor: Overall Rating: 62.25 Efficiency Rating: 39.75 Capacity Rating: 22.50
Food for the Poor is accepting cash donations, canned food, fish, and condensed milk. They have already sent 100 containers of rice, canned food and medical supplies. Another shipment of 189 tons of goods went out Sunday.
Americares: Overall Rating: 61.28 Efficiency Rating: 39.87 Capacity Rating: 21.4
Americares has been delivering medical supplies to local partners in Haiti since 1984. Their first airlift arrived on the ground Sunday night with $6 million in medical aid for survivors including antibiotics, pain relievers, bandages and trauma supplies.
Convoy of Hope: Overall Rating: 61.50 Efficiency Rating: 39.00 Capacity Rating: 22.50
Convoy of Hope has been in Haiti for three years partnering with local schools and have about 15 employees on the ground now. Since the earthquake they have distributed 160,000 meals. Convoy of Hope was able to deliver food immediately following the disaster because their warehouse 19 miles north of Port au Prince had been fully stocked just days before the earthquake hit.
Doctors Without Borders, USA: Overall Rating: 61.23 Efficiency Rating: 33.73 Capacity Rating: 27.50
Doctors Without Borders has given primary care to an estimated 3,000 people in Port-au-Prince and performed more than 400 surgeries. They have also begun building an inflatable hospital with two operating theaters and 100-bed capacity in an open field not far from the airport. The group has been active in Haiti since 1991 has nearly 750 international and Haitian employees in the country now.
American Red Cross: Overall Rating: 54.62 Efficiency Rating: 36.51 Capacity Rating: 18.11
The American Red Cross has had a team in Haiti since 2004 and currently has 23 employees on the ground. They have set up an emergency camp near the airport where they are distributing blankets, mosquito nets, hygiene kits, kitchen sets and other emergency supplies. They have also set up a land and air bridge between Panama, the Dominican Republic and Haiti to speed delivery of aid.
