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@nrojas0131 We are currently accepting donations for local partners in Chile, but are not responding at this time.
1 March 2010
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Video of Mercy Corps' distribution of 300 Comfort Kits for kids in Haiti: http://bit.ly/98QqZA
1 March 2010
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1 March 2010
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Article
The Next Steps to Haiti's Recovery
In the devastated but proud neighborhoods of Port-au-Prince, thousands of people have organized into local committees to help manage, guide and pitch in for what needs to be done in their communities. They are Mercy Corps' partners in the critical work of recovery and rebuilding. In several places, this means building community latrines, installing supply tanks and — most importantly — creating a drainage plan and digging ditches to prevent flooding during the oncoming rainy season. Rubble remains, but the pulse of life in Haiti's capital is quickening. Our cash-for-work programs are helping hard-working people restore beauty and order to their communities, while earning money to buy food for their families. This helps put cash in the pockets of industrious food sellers in hundreds of food stalls. And so an honest day's work benefits a lot more than the person with the shovel — it's helping restore dignity to thousands of earthquake survivors. Here are three stories from the neighborhoods where we're working — places where you can help us do even more: Adrèna Marc, 26, lives in the Impasse Corail tent camp. She and her extended family ran a small shop on a side street and lived above the shop. When the earthquake hit, Adrèna was in a different neighborhood visiting friends. She immediately thought of her family and her home and ran for 20 minutes through the crowded streets to get back home. Her home collapsed and only the first floor room that housed the shop remains intact, although no engineers or officials have been out to check that it is structurally sound. When the house fell down, three of her cousins were inside and were injured but, fortunately, all of them survived. Adrèna is now employed by Mercy Corps' cash-for-work program, and says that if she can save up enough money, she will try to reopen her store. Carl Robert is nine years old and lives in the Impasse Corail tent camp with his parents. He has no brothers or sisters, but plays with the other kids in the camp. He told us that a friend had taught him how to fly a kite and they had made a new one together out of string and a torn plastic bag. Our Comfort for Kids program is helping children like Carl recover from the trauma of the earthquake so they can resume childhood pursuits like flying kites with friends. Quindra Céléstin, 28, when another house fell on it. She was not able to pull out any of her possessions. So today, she has only a small cook stove and a bucket in the tent where she's living. At night, she lays out a bed sheet on the gravel so she and her eight-year-old daughter can sleep on the ground. Mercy Corps' cash-for-work program is helping her cope for now, while making money for a day when they will have a roof over their heads once again. Quindra, Carl and Adrèna are just three of the thousands we're helping in Haiti. And, even though the cameras and reporters have moved on from that shattered country, enormous needs remain. Your gift today will help families and communities for months to come.
1 March 2010
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Food Crisis Looms in Rural Haiti
More than a month after the devastating earthquake that struck Haiti on January 12, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and CARE have issued a joint alert over a national food crisis.'This is a hidden but pervasive crisis that has already touched all corners of the country,' said Dick Trenchard, assessments coordinator for FAO in Haiti. 'Rural areas experiencing the highest levels of displacement from Port-au-Prince and surrounding areas are the most affected, particularly the Artibonite in the west and Grand'Anse in the south.'
1 March 2010
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CARE Expresses Sympathy for People Affected by Chile's Earthquake
CARE was shocked and deeply saddened by the tragedy of the recent earthquake in Chile. The loss of life and intense emotional trauma suffered by those who survived the quake has aroused sympathy around the world.
1 March 2010
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RT @seattletimes: Pacific Tsunami Warning Center has cancelled tsunami warning in Hawaii: http://bit.ly/9cYSC1
27 February 2010
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Our thoughts & prayers go out to people affected by this morning's earthquake & resulting tsunami. We are closely monitoring the situation.
27 February 2010
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Article
Giving Donations that Transform Haiti
Katherina Rosqueta and Carol McLaughlin February 24, 2010 http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/02/24/opinion/main6240444.shtml Source Publication: CBS News Haiti has already begun to fade from the headlines. But for individual donors, the real opportunity to have impact has just begun. As Haiti transitions from rescue and relief to recovery and rebuilding, the most lasting change will come from nonprofits with at least one of two characteristics. The first is specific expertise in moving from immediate disaster relief to mid-term recovery to long-term development. The second is experience and a track record of results operating on the ground in Haiti. Both of these characteristics indicate a capacity for sustainable impact. In other words, supporting these models ensures that the impact of your donations will stick long after the headlines and the celebrity appeals end. The extreme poverty that existed in Haiti before the earthquake has made all efforts to help - including philanthropic ones - especially challenging. Haiti will need much more than high impact philanthropic capital to address its needs. However, the models and agents we describe below are focused on areas that represent the three pillars of effective development: health, education and livelihood. All address both mid-term recovery and long-term development, and all have operations on the ground in Haiti. Health - Comprehensive primary healthcare systems in Haiti have demonstrated impact in improving the health and well-being of the populations they serve, especially children. These programs utilize community health workers, mobile clinics and health educators to reach each household. They deliver both effective prevention, like immunization and clean water, and medical treatment. In addition, they are linked to quality clinics and referral hospitals when more advanced care is needed, such as trying to save a mother’s life during complicated child birth. By emphasizing primary and preventive care, these programs can be not only highly effective but also highly cost-efficient. Two organizations currently implementing successful systems in Haiti are: Hôpital Albert Schweitzer and Partners in Health. Philanthropic capital can strengthen and replicate these models throughout the country. Education - In areas affected by the earthquake, the focus now is to move beyond basic child protection and emergency schooling to a more permanent education system. With an estimated 40 percent of the population lacking literacy skills prior to the earthquake and many schools destroyed in the last month, the education system needs not only physical rebuilding, but also investments to improve the quality and reach of schools. New teachers will need to be recruited to replace those who died. All teachers will need improved professional development and training to address the psychosocial needs of traumatized children. As in every country, a better educated society will be essential to effective economic development and a more accountable government. Two organizations that were first on the scene to address the needs of children are: Save the Children and the International Rescue Committee. They have already been planning for transitions to temporary and permanent schooling. Livelihood - Long-term poverty reduction in Haiti will depend on developing the human capacity, resource base, and environmentally sustainable opportunities for Haitians to earn a living and take care of themselves. This last issue is important as Haiti has one of the highest rates of deforestation in the world. Two models that philanthropists can support are cash-for-work programs and graduated micro-finance programs focusing on the marginalized poor, especially rural women. Cash-for-work programs address multiple levels: near-term, they’re a way to clear the rubble and get young men actively engaged in clean-up operations; mid-term, they get cash into the economy and build self-sufficiency; and long-term, they provide job skills and community bonds needed for lasting recovery. Mercy Corps’ cash-for-work program was instrumental in Aceh after the Tsunami. They now have a new program underway in Haiti. Graduated microfinance programs target the most marginalized by providing not only access to loans and financial services, but also access to basic literacy and business skills, start-up assets, like cows and chickens, and access to markets so that local enterprises can succeed. Fonkoze is Haiti’s largest micro-finance organization. Its mission is to build the economic foundation for democracy in Haiti by providing the rural poor - mostly women - with the tools they need to lift themselves out of poverty. They offer a full range of financial services to the rural-based poor, currently reaching more than 225,000 savers and borrowers. Every disaster is different. However, these models and agents have all been able to match their activities to the specific needs on the ground in Haiti. Equally important, they quickly involved Haitians in their own recovery and rebuilding. Research, experience from other disasters, and common sense all point to the latter as key to sustainable impact. And ultimately, that’s what most donors aspire to - a positive change that continues even after they’ve moved on. Attention is already moving on from Haiti. By supporting these models, donors can make sure their impact sticks. Katherina Rosqueta is Founding Executive Director and Carol McLaughlin is Director of Global Public Health at the Center for High Impact Philanthropy in the School of Social Policy & Practice at the University of Pennsylvania.
26 February 2010
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Thanks to @missphenom @PortlandPHLUSH @TaborSpace @AngeNK @OregonianAmyW @Metro_Parent @suerosenbloom @VibrantTable for the #FF and tweets!
26 February 2010
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After school students learn about Haiti
Kristin Shiller February 26, 2010 http://www.downtownexpress.com/de_357/afterschool.html Source Publication: Downtown Express Even as they munched on their after school snacks, about 20 students from P.S. 89 were attuned to the many New Yorkers that might be going without food at the very same moment. “Does hunger exist in New York City?” was the question posed to them by Sarah Bever, education officer at the Mercy Corps Action Center, to which the children did not hesitate to respond with a resounding “yes,” offering stories about some of their own encounters with homeless and hungry people throughout the city. The discussion was part of a new weekly after school program called “Hang Out For Change” run by Mercy Corps at its center on River Terrace in Battery Park City. Cassandra Nelson, a Mercy Corps field worker just back from Haiti, paid a visit Tuesday. The students had been learning about hunger in Haiti for the past few weeks in anticipation of her arrival. She showed pictures and told stories from her experience in the earthquake relief effort, focusing on the problems surrounding access to food and clean water. The students asked questions about the challenges that kids like them are currently facing in Haiti, such as if they were able to go to school. “Hang Out for Change” was developed in partnership with P.S. 89 , but it is open to all children in grades 3-6 and the suggested fee is $30 per month.
26 February 2010
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http://twitpic.com/15hudr - Did you purchase a Comfort for Kids kit? Take a look at a photo from the distribution.
26 February 2010