When a disaster like the earthquake in Haiti is brought to our attention we often think, "Oh wow, I have to do something." But let's make sure the something we do is the right thing.
Cash is best donation after disaster, aid groups say
Earthquake-devastated Haitians need donations of cash -- not clothes, food, medicine, or other relief supplies, as well intended as they might be, aid groups said Thursday.Such "in-kind" donations can at best take up valuable space in cargo shipments and waste aid workers' time in sorting through the items, charities said. At worst, the food or medicine could be unusable or even dangerous.
"Sending donated goods oversees is an appealing idea because it makes you feel like you're really helping while at the same time recycling things that are no longer of any use to you," writes former aid worker Saundra Schimmelpfennig in her blog about the impact of aid. "Unfortunately inappropriate donations can do more harm than good and it often costs more to ship used goods than to buy new goods locally." read more
Yes we might like the idea of providing hands on opportunities to make a difference but let's make sure we are getting as much bang for our buck as we can and that we're not making life more difficult for the aid agencies. Right now World Vision can multiply a gift for Haiti Relief and Long Term Support by three, the same is true for several of their other giving options for Haiti and other projects.
There are organizations like Church World Services who encourage you to make care kits to their specifications and they will get them to the people who need them. If you feel this is what you need to do then go for it, it really does make a difference and for some people the value of hands on work is what they need. (Personally I'd rather send my money knowing that an organization can get far more for the same amount I spend on the care kit supplies but I don't say that to put down the work of CWS).
If you haven't responded to this great need in our world today, please do.
