On Tuesday the 13th of January 2010, most of the world didn’t feel the tremors that brought Port au Prince to
its knees but we all understood the extent of the devastation that had occurred in Haiti. Within hours, pictures of dead bodies tangled in cement and wood filled our television screens, children crying for their parents and vice versa. If you woke up in Haiti you would believe the world had come to an end. On the other side of the world, I woke up in my cosy bed, took a shower and rushed to work. I opened the Sky News app on my Iphone and was saddened by the news. The first thing that came to my mind was “what can I do to help”!
It is really difficult giving money to a specific charity when you come from Africa, I regret saying this but more often than not, we hear of the vast amounts raised by these ‘charities’ and yet the there is little to show for it. Since I was born, the ’West’ has been raising billions for ‘Africa’ and probably still would when my grand children are born. However, it is time for the afflicted to rise up and act. Below you would find information on a Haitian Charity based in the UK. However, I diverge…by Saturday, I read that people in Britain had donated over £5 million and then I turn on my TV on Sunday and realise that all that money has been sitting on the runway for days. Haitians are a week into the disaster and yet the seed of hope seems ever so far away. Already signs of desperation can be seen, jungle justice rules the day in some slums, I saw a picture of a looter who was hanged, beaten and burnt and something inside me wanted to scream.
I do not understand why there is so much bureaucracy when it comes to aid. According to the BBC, “Medicins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) said its cargo plane with 12 tonnes of medical supplies had been turned away from the congested Port-au-Prince airport three times since Sunday. It said five patients died from lack of the supplies it carried”. The charities who can get food to the people risk getting mobbed because they do not have enough supplies and yet the UN and the US government are holding daily meetings…less talk more action lives are at stake!
Well, I do feel a little bit better now that I have let go of some of my frustration. Now back to my issue on finding a worthy charity to give donations; initially I thought of giving some money to the UN because I saw some of their vans on the news (so I know my money would be put to good use) but then again, if they keep most of the supplies on the tarmac, I might as well go out and give the money to a homeless man on the street who would probably spend it on a pint of lager.
Fortunately, on getting to work this morning, I received an email from my cousin about two charities; The UNITED HAITIANS in the UK SE17 1LB and ACTS WORLD RELIEF. Probably this would be a good place to start, for those of you who are dumbfounded by the amount of red tape the UN and US government is plagued with, perhaps you should check these organisations out http://www.actswr.org and http://www.uhuk.org I must add however, that I cannot vouch for their practices, but it seems to me that they would put the money to use and also offer Haitians a long-term means of rehabilitation.
Lastly, Haitian officials say the death toll from the quake was likely to be between 100,000 and 200,000, and that 75,000 bodies had already been buried in mass graves. My heart goes out to everyone who has lost a loved one and also to those who are in hospitals. There is not much I can do from here except say a prayer and also give what I can be it finances, advertisement or well wishes. I also want to use this opportunity to thank everyone who has contributed in any way to the Hatian relief effort. It is times like this that MY FAITH IN HUMANITY IS RESTORED, it is comforting to know that in everyone lies a good samaritan
For those of you reading this who reside in London, The United Haitians in the UK have provided venues for donations; items such as wind up torches, medications (first aid equipment), tents, sleeping bags, clothes, dry and canned foods, sterilising water tablets and MONEY. The drop off points are listed below (correct at the time of this post, please contact each venue individually), for enquiries call 07957 919 877.
NORTH LONDON:
Chestnut Community Centre, ST. Ann’s road (off Seven Sisters), Tottenham :
Mon- Fri, 9am – 9pm, Call 07852 937 981
Alternatively: The Hut 379 Seven Sister road N15 6SE (Off Plaistow High St) Plaistow E13 OBS
Mon- Wed, 10am to 4pm, (for two weeks only)
SOUTH LONDON
Unit 6 Farrell Court, Elephant Road, London
Mon-Sat, 10am-6pm
EAST LONDON:
@Voice Of Africa Radio 24 Swete Street
TEL: 0208 471 9111
WEST LONDON:
DJED Cultural Bookstore situated @ Adelaide Grove, Shepherds Bush (off Uxbridge Road)
10-8pm
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