Habitat for Haiti
Jan142010
Habitat for Humanity is my national charity and right now they need everything they can get to help in Haiti. Molly Bell, their leadership development officer, just sent this to me:
Jenny,
Yesterday morning we awoke to the news of a 7.0 earthquake having struck near Port-au-Prince, Haiti; the images in the news have been heart-wrenching. Habitat for Humanity is gearing up to respond to this disaster, and we need your help. An assessment team is currently being sent into the impacted area. Habitat for Humanity’s ability to react effectively to this disaster will require support from donors, volunteers, corporate partners and community organizations. Donations can be made at https://www.habitat.org/cd/giving/donate.aspx?link=227.
Here are some details about what Habitat for Humanity is doing in Haiti:
Habitat for Humanity in Haiti
Habitat has been working in Haiti for 26 years, and has provided more than 2,000 Haitian families with housing solutions. Habitat has built capacity in construction skills, disaster mitigation and financial literacy, and works in coordination with community and government agencies. Haiti had already been identified as a focus country for Habitat’s efforts this year because of the strong program that has been built there and because of the great need in that country, even before this tragedy. We are ready to respond to this disaster.Habitat’s Disaster Response Experience
Habitat uses construction techniques that are designed to resist hurricanes, tsunamis and earthquakes. After the Asian Tsunami, in 2004, Habitat provided more than 30,000 housing solutions in that region. Habitat developed techniques to quickly provide permanent, safe housing for as many people as possible. The responses included full home construction, the use of “core houses,” home repairs and retrofits, and Habitat Resource Centers providing services to support housing activities.Jenny, you have been kind enough to correspond with me in the past, and I hope I won’t be imposing if I ask for your help now. Would you consider posting a link to Habitat for Humanity’s giving page on your website, or e-mailing it to a fan list?
So here’s that post. The situation in Haiti is unimaginably grim, and one of the worst problems is trying to figure out what to do first because so many people need help, so much there needs fixed. It’ll come as no surprise to anybody who’s read my books that I focus on housing because I think having a safe place to live, a hearth and a home, is one of the basic necessities of life. Habitat gives people that, and now more than ever, the people of Haiti need that. I know we’re all broke right now, but if you anything to spare, Habitat does good, good work and has been doing it for many years.
You can go here to donate.
Filed in Deep Thoughts
Loading ...
24 Comments to 'Habitat for Haiti'
On January 14, 2010 at 3:51 pm Sure thing said...
Thanks for the link.
On January 14, 2010 at 4:44 pm Anne said...
Jenny – the link isn’t right. It’s easy enough to find once your get there though.
I am also donating to Medicins Sans Frontiere. Hoping to help with both immediate and long term needs.
On January 14, 2010 at 5:27 pm Molly Bell said...
So sorry you had isues with the website, Anne. Here are some alternate ways to get there: https://www.habitat.org/cd/giving/donate.aspx?link=227, or go to our home page, http://www.habitat.org, and click on the “donate now” link under the heading “Help earthquake victims in Haiti.”
Many thanks to Jenny for her generosity in sharing request!
On January 14, 2010 at 5:32 pm Bethany said...
Thanks for posting this. It’s so easy to get a bit paralyzed by the sheer number of donation options out there.
On January 14, 2010 at 5:47 pm Bethany said...
Also, although I imagine most of the Cherry emailers read your blog, would you mind if I sent an email to the listserv with a link to this post?
On January 15, 2010 at 1:22 am Jenny said...
I checked with Jill and she said to go ahead, Bethany. Thank you!
On January 14, 2010 at 6:50 pm Absolute Cherry said...
I’m not sure if I’m doing this right – link to donate:
https://www.habitat.org/cd/giving/donate.aspx?link=227
On January 14, 2010 at 7:02 pm Micki said...
Thank you for posting this. I just found out that a classmate of my sister’s has been a missionary in Haiti for years. Several “Huh? WTF?” moments with that, because I never would have dreamed . . . she’d end up in Haiti, nor that Haiti would have missionaries (but I guess they have missionaries in Appalachia, so that’s just my narrow world view).
I’d been asking mutual friends for a way to help, but not getting any responses, so I’m glad you posted this. I’m really impressed by Habitats for Humanity, and although I can only give a little bit, I hope all those drops make a big bucket.
On January 14, 2010 at 7:10 pm Micki said...
Absolute Cherry, your link worked for me . . . (-: and they take credit cards! I live in an age and world of ease!
On January 14, 2010 at 10:10 pm sheagal said...
Thanks, Jenny. That was a great idea. Habitat for Humanity is a great organization. It’s the best use I’ve made of my credit card all week.
On January 15, 2010 at 1:37 am Carol Anne said...
We are still waiting to hear if our friend’s adopted son’s mother is alive. No-one has heard anything. The situation is so grim and expected to get worse before it gets better. A safe, dry and warm house, the basics, all the rest is cream.
On January 15, 2010 at 11:04 am Bonnie said...
I would like to mention goodsearch.com which donates a penny for every search you do. There is also a percentage given to your selected charity if you shop through the website.
I did several searches for Doctors without Borders and Yele Haiti yesterday.
On January 15, 2010 at 11:36 am TerriO said...
I didn’t even know HforH operated in Haiti so thanks for the link. Everytime I read or see another news story about this, I wish I could help. This morning a friend sent me the link to Wyclef Jean’s charity organization at http://www.yele.org (also mentioned by Bonnie) which gives 100% of donations so I’d recommending giving there as well.
On January 16, 2010 at 1:05 am Jenny said...
Yele Haiti is evidently not a disaster relief organization, and there are reports out there (Gawker, for example) that they may not be the best way to go. Huff Post has http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/12/haiti-earthquake-relief-h_n_421014.html for other choices. Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontieres is another proven one. I like giving to organizations who have a track record with disasters, and you can’t get much better than Habitat, Doctors Without Borders, and Unicef, but the Huff Post article has a long, long list.
On January 18, 2010 at 8:02 pm Terrio said...
I didn’t know about this so thanks for the heads up.
On January 15, 2010 at 1:16 pm Joleesa said...
Thank you, Jenny. My friend Pooja Bhatia lives in Haiti, and she wrote an amazing piece for the New York Times about the disaster. Check it out if you have a second.
On January 15, 2010 at 8:10 pm Sari said...
I don’t pretend to know either way, but just to let you know, The Smoking Gun is questioning how Wyclef’s charity is spending its money or at least how it has spent its money in the past. I know that it’s possible for facts to be misrepresented, and I don’t follow that website, so I can’t speak to its accuracy. Just that it’s out there.
Obviously, the important thing is to do whatever you can for Haiti through whichever organizations you trust.
On January 16, 2010 at 1:06 am Jenny said...
I think they have tax problems, mostly.
On January 16, 2010 at 1:41 pm marly said...
I love everything Heifer, International does to end hunger. Giving those goats and ducks and llamas is a lot of fun, too. But right now, groups like Habitat and Unicef can work immediate miracles. Thought I’d mention, if anyone sells on Ebay, that you can donate up to 100% of your sale to Haiti relief and also donate if you make a purchase. All gifts are administered by Mission Fish, the charitable partner of ebay. It’s not as immediate, as gifts are held in escrow until a refund period is over, but if you’re buying or selling anyway (uncluttering) it’s a good way to go.
On January 16, 2010 at 6:39 pm Jenny said...
Heifer International is my global charity. (One global, one national, one local.) It does excellent, excellent work because it gives people the means to make a living by providing them with livestock. It’s not a handout, it’s a start-up. I can’t recommend them enough.
On January 16, 2010 at 2:59 pm AgTigress said...
Anyone in the UK probably knows by now that the best donation option here is the umbrella organization DEC (Disasters Emergency Committee). It’s very easy to donate to them online (I did so a couple of days ago), or by phone, text, post or in any bank. They had received £12 million in donations from the British public by yesterday.
The worrying thing seems to be the difficulty of getting the aid which is now flooding in to where it is needed.
On January 16, 2010 at 6:40 pm Jenny said...
You know, they’re going to need that aid for a long, long time. And most of it will come in now, while the disaster is still up front in the press. DEC sounds like an excellent choice.
On January 18, 2010 at 3:19 pm Carol Anne said...
An update – good news to my earlier post. Pascal & Michel spoke to their mother last night, mother and siblings are safe. At the time of the quake, they were in the orphanage where Pascal & Michel’s adoption was handled ten years ago. All physically unharmed, but in desparate need. Canadian Govt is matching donations as well as the money, drs, rns, water, workers, etc already there and more on the way. Habitat is on the list. Stay warm and safe.
On February 10, 2010 at 5:31 pm Molly Bell said...
Hi Jenny, I thought you’d like an update about what Habitat for Humanity is doing in Haiti. Yesterday we announced a plan to provide 50,000 housing solutions in Haiti! There’s no misplaced decimal there, we really mean 50,000 families with a new or repaired home, that is safe and is constructed to withstand future disasters. It’s an ambitious goal, but we think we can do it, with the support of people like you and your fans. You can learn more about our approach at : http://www.habitat.org/ Thanks for getting the word out – it is appreciated! Molly