Donations for Haiti?

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mountainannie

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I have been asked many times for ideas of which organizations in Haiti I would recommend for donations,

I will post those that I know. Sadly, the list of organizations that I know to which one ought not contribute is far longer.

I invite anyone else who actually KNOWS the work of any others to post here.

Per the instructions I posted on the DR General Thread:

No one knows the work of a local "charity" better than someone who has seen their work on the ground which few foreigners get to do. So I invite everyone to post their own pet project in this thread.
In order for this to be a useful on-going thread=

Please include the following information: If you do not know the answers to any of these questions, please make contact with the group and then supply them. It is not useful to anyone to have posts that read like :"There is a vet on the North Coast that does really good work with the street dogs."

1. The EXACT name of organization
2. How you know of their work
3. What in particular stood out for you about them
4. Whether or not they have a religious affiliation, and, if so, what is it?
5, How the money can be sent (some smaller Dominican organizations can accept only by direct deposits to their bank accounts
6. Whether or not they have official non-profit status from the Dominican government
7. Whether or not they have official non-profit status from any other government

This is the season for giving. I am certain the all of reading this board have at least $25 to gift to some organization. And I personally know you to be a very kind and generous community.

Blessed Be...!!!

MA
 
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mountainannie

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My primary donations in Haiti go to a group called FONKOZE which has small banks all across the country and specializes in micro-finance loans. They are very famous in Haiti - as is their backstory. They are now a 501-C3 in the USA (thus tax deductible) and have HQ in the US but their employees in Haiti far outstrip any sort of executive staff. They are non-denominational.

fonkoze.org

Home - Breaking the Cycle of Poverty Across Haiti- FONKOZE

To empower Haitians, primarily women, with financial and development services to lift their families out of poverty.About Fonkoze »
fonkoze.org fonkoze.org
 
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mountainannie

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This group was recommended to me by the director of the border project of the Pan American Development Fund (PADF is the NGO of the OAS) who had spent the previous 6 years in Haiti. PADF has operated in Haiti for 25 years. PADF receives huge grants from donor nations so I would not recommend them but this small NGO is reportedly doing very good work on the ground.

They are a registered US 501c3 and have no religious affiliation.

They are located on the southern peninsula right near where the last earthquake hit.

ORE development projects in Haiti: to improve environmental, agricultural and economic conditions

ORE is a non-profit organization working with development projects to improve the environmental, agricultural and economic conditions in Haiti with fruit trees, improved seeds and marketing programs. Grafting fruit trees such as mango, avocado and citrus, propagating bamboo and other high value...
www.oreworld.org www.oreworld.org
 
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mountainannie

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The most famous - and well respected - local Haitian organization is run by Jean Chauvanne Baptiste who has won international recognition for his work https://www.goldmanprize.org/recipient/chavannes-jean-baptiste/

They operate in the Artibonite - right across the DR border - and in the area struck by cholera.

A very worthy cause

Mouvman Peyizan Papay

www.mpphaiti.org www.mpphaiti.org

HOWEVER - Their Donation link is broken... And I can not find out how to fix it.,,. If and when I do make contact - I will post.

Mesi Davant (thanks ahead of time)
 
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johne

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It's a tough decision to donate to such a worthy cause when our own country (DR) has so many needs. Maybe what generous people should do is "spread the wealth around". I asked the Haitian woman who did some ironing for me yesterday what is the best way to donate.That went nowhere. She holds a Dominican passport as well as her children. Her first response was "mi casa". lol. She misunderstood but....indicative of the attitude and needs.
 
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mountainannie

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johne said:
It's a tough decision to donate to such a worthy cause when our own country (DR) has so many needs. Maybe what generous people should do is "spread the wealth around". I asked the Haitian woman who did some ironing for me yesterday what is the best way to donate.That went nowhere. She holds a Dominican passport as well as her children. Her first response was "mi casa". lol. She misunderstood but....indicative of the attitude and needs.
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Yes, I completely understand.

When I tried to pass on a brochure from "Fonkoze" to my Haitian neighbor, her response was "They are all crooks" . And certainly the entire idea of "volunteering" is not in the Dominican culture (please - I don't mean to offend - just that when I was attempting to "volunteer" it seemed a completely bizarre concept to any Dominican organization... or .. for that matter - many French!) So I wanted others to know of organizations who are NOT crooks.

I just posted my information for those who might be reading the Haitian thread who might wish to help in Haiti. For those of us who know both countries, their needs are hardly comparable. As one person I know said "Dominicans eat chicken every day. Haitians are lucky if they eat it once a month."

And - of course - I have never seen people sleeping on the streets of the Dominican Republic as I do here in the United States. There are great needs everywhere.
 
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bob saunders

bob saunders

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mountainannie said:
Yes, I completely understand.

When I tried to pass on a brochure from "Fonkoze" to my Haitian neighbor, her response was "They are all crooks" . And certainly the entire idea of "volunteering" is not in the Dominican culture (please - I don't mean to offend - just that when I was attempting to "volunteer" it seemed a completely bizarre concept to any Dominican organization... or .. for that matter - many French!) So I wanted others to know of organizations who are NOT crooks.

I just posted my information for those who might be reading the Haitian thread who might wish to help in Haiti. For those of us who know both countries, their needs are hardly comparable. As one person I know said "Dominicans eat chicken every day. Haitians are lucky if they eat it once a month."

And - of course - I have never seen people sleeping on the streets of the Dominican Republic as I do here in the United States. There are great needs everywhere.
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There are lots of Dominicans that do volunteer work.
 
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Auryn

Auryn

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Most Dominicans that I have encountered who volunteer are either evangelicals and called upon by their lord. Or they are wealthy and it’s a novelty thing for them.

Most are too busy trying to survive themselves and support a family on a few hundred dollars per month. But then there are exceptions of lower middle class and middle class people who grew up with nothing and just want to help.

Thank you for this list, MA. I would be very interested in one for the DR as well. I used to support several but now Strength for the Journey is one of the only ones that I trust.
 
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mountainannie

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Auryn said:
Most Dominicans that I have encountered who volunteer are either evangelicals and called upon by their lord. Or they are wealthy and it’s a novelty thing for them.

Most are too busy trying to survive themselves and support a family on a few hundred dollars per month. But then there are exceptions of lower middle class and middle class people who grew up with nothing and just want to help.

Thank you for this list, MA. I would be very interested in one for the DR as well. I used to support several but now Strength for the Journey is one of the only ones that I trust.
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In fairness, operating a group of "volunteers" is not an easy job. Folks often come in with a desire to help but no real skills or they want to volunteer for one or two days. Even long term volunteers require training. I am sure that many of us have had the experience of teaching someone something and being frustrated by the fact that it would have been easier to just do it ourselves.

It is in line with what I have seen - as Auryn said- that only church groups have "volunteers". There is even and industry in the DR which takes around "Tourists" on "volunteer vacations" for which the foreigners pay heavily. I guess it makes the "gringos" feel good - as if they are helping the poor - as if there are no poor in their home countries-- But I think that the MOST good that it does is to show the gringos how much of the world lives!

Anyway - none of the organizations that I posted are volunteer organizations. None of them take volunteers. They are all professional and non profit with trained staff members. But they are not corrupt - nor the personal purses of some politicians - nor a complete waste of money that absorbs all the money in administrative costs.

THAT list for Haiti would be MUCH, MUCH longer!
 
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mountainannie

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Sad news -
Ulrick Gaillard, J.D.

Ulrick Gaillard, J.D.​

Founder of Batey Relief Alliance (BRA)®️
6d
LATEST.—This is to inform that due to the evolving security situation in Haiti, the BRA Disaster Relief Initiative has officially cancelled its humanitarian response post the magnitude 7.2 earthquake that hit the southern part of the country on August 14, 2021. In collaboration with the P&G Children’s Safe Drinking Water program and local NGO Smallholder Farmers Alliance, BRA had scheduled to deliver 2,275,200 million liters of clean drinking water, 1000 kits and preventive health education to help 5000 affected families fight water-borne infections and COVID-19. Photo credit: P&G #education #security #covid #health #collaboration #water #help
 
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