Vox Culture encourages everyone to give generously to the relief efforts for Haiti. Do something good today by giving to an organizations that can make a difference.
MSNBC has a good article here about the difference between good intentions and doing actual good. It's tempting to want to give things like water or clothing, but the simple math is this:
“When people give $1, it translates into $7 in the field,” he said. “If they spend $5 for bottled water, that’s nice and it makes them feel good, but probably it costs us more than $5 to send it. If they give us $5, we can get $35 worth of water.”
Our friends over at Plant with Purpose/Floresta are also starting to do relief work as people leave the big city to find refuge with friends and family in rural villages. Learn more through their blog. Donate here.
Another organization we recommend is World Vision. If you came to our global cafe in 2008, you probably remember that our benefit helped their disaster relief work in China.
There are plenty of other organizations doing good work. Look for one that has a positive reputation and a good track record in Haiti. But most importantly don't be paralyzed by bad feelings. Move ahead and do something appropriate and genuinely helpful.
- Ted