Food and Health Crisis in Haiti

Urgent Action is needed to prevent more deaths in Haiti.

Not all aid is equal as we all learned from the fiasco in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Haiti’s January 12 earthquake has left thousands dead. Many more need urgent medical attention. Here is a short list of organizations that Food First is confident can address both urgent medical needs and prevent a deepening hunger crisis. Partners in Health and Doctors Without Borders have had a strong presence in Haiti prior to the quake. They are in a position to implement and advise on urgent medical care. Donations of cash are the best way to help meet the urgent needs in a timely manner.

With many Haitians already malnourished prior to this devastating earthquake, food is also urgently needed. Farmers in other parts of the country are growing food that can be purchased and given to those in and around Port-au-Prince. Both Grassroots International and their Haitian Partners and Haiti Action can help make such people to people exchanges possible.

Partners in Health

Founded by Dr. Paul Farmer, this nonprofit health delivery program has served Haiti’s poor since 1987. To donate for earthquake relief, go to

https://donate.pih.org/page/contribute/haiti_earthquake?source=earthquak...

In an urgent email from Port-au-Prince, Louise Ivers, Partners in Health clinical director in Haiti, appealed for assistance from her colleagues in the Central Plateau: "Port-au-Prince is devastated, lot of deaths. SOS. SOS... Temporary field hospital by us at UNDP needs supplies, pain meds, bandages. Please help us."

Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)

Doctors Without Borders was working in Haiti prior to the quake with a staff of 800. Here is a report on January 13, 2009 with a link to their donation page.

http://doctorswithoutborders.org/news/article.cfm?id=4148&cat=field-news

Haiti Action

Haiti’s grassroots movement – including labor unions, women’s groups, educators, human rights activists, support committees for prisoners and agricultural cooperatives – will attempt to funnel needed aid to those most hit by the earthquake. Grassroots organizers are doing what they can with the most limited of funds to make a difference. Please take this opportunity to lend them your support.

http://www.haitiaction.net/About/HERF/1_12_10.html

Grassroots International

Long time Food First partner Grassroots International has a long history of working with organizations on the ground in Haiti. Grassroots has committed to the extent possible to, “provide cash to our partners to make local purchases of the items they most need and to obtain food from farmers not hit by the disaster.”

http://www.grassrootsonline.org/news/blog/all-hands-responding-haiti-eme...