Haiti: Don't Forget, But Channel The Desire To Do Good

The suffering in Haiti continues. The Big Picture Blog captures the faces of those involved in the rescue and humanitarian missions, both the workers and the victims. These pictures are beautiful and touching and will keep Haiti and its people in your mind.

Faces of Haiti

We have all been asked to donate to the relief efforts and many of us have donated because we want to help and it feels like the easiest or most straight-forward way for us to help.

I have not donated. There are actually a lot of data and articles that claim that donating to Haiti right now doesn't help. The reason is that the Red Cross and other relief organizations have more money and resources than they can spend or deploy at the moment. In other words, the pictures we see of people not getting the help they need in Haiti are not caused by a lack of funds, but rather by an inability to deploy the massive amount of resources that Haiti currently requires.

Another example: Doctors Without Borders is specifically asking donors to give to their general fund, rather than the Haiti fund.

But don't despair. Instead, channel your desire to help the victims of the Haitian Earthquake and help others in need. Donate to the Red Cross or Doctors Without Borders, but make the donation unrestricted. These organizations are doing everything they can in Haiti, and they can help others in need around the world too, with the right support.