Everyone in Jamaica, the Caribbean and indeed the entire world desperately wants to help the people of Haiti, the outpouring of aid is amazing. But before you donate there are three very important things to bear in mind.

1) There are ALWAYS evil people wanting to take advantage of our sympathy and generosity; be very, very careful before you start donating. Go to the well established charities or special funds started by well known corporate entities. Above all, do not respond to random emails purporting to come from individuals in need. Be careful also when doing an online search for information, you may well click on what looks like a site with information and end up downloading spyware! Seek your information from the websites of  established media houses.

2) We see Haitians on Facebook, Twitter, etc. and watch regular news updates so we get a false sense that there is communication. Under normal conditions only a third of the people have cell phones/land lines and only 10% are on the Internet. It appears that most of the telephone service is down, one service appears to be functioning and two or three others (including Digicel) have partial service. We hear that one of nine Internet providers is functioning and four of sixty seven radio stations are broadcasting. The majority of people have no way of communicating and no way of knowing whether friends and family in other parts of the city or the country are alive.

3) The Port Facility at Port au Prince is completely destroyed, ships cannot dock. There are at least ten or twelve aid ships anchored with no way to get the supplies to shore. The airport is in total chaos. Many, many planes went in with relief supplies before any air traffic control was in place. These planes now fill the one-runway airport and tons and tons of supplies sit on the tarmac. The streets, difficult to navigate at the best of times, are blocked with rubble. In other words, there is a great deal of aid already there but the situation is so overwhelming that very little is getting to the people. The anticipated arrival of aircraft carriers with helicopters sometime today will greatly help with distribution of the supplies already on the ground.

That being said it makes sense for us to continue to collect donations but to hold off sending them until we hear through the media that things on the ground are getting more organised. Remember, in most disasters, either the government of the affected area or the UN will normally organise relief. In this case, the government appears to be as much in shock as the rest of the population and the UN representatives have themselves suffered damage and deaths.

This should not cause us to hesitate; for our neighbours, destitute to start with, will need a lot of help for a very long time.

Reach out a Helping Hand

How to Help

Communications

If you are aware of any Jamaicans in Haiti please pass along the information to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at (876) 926-4220. There is hope that two Air Jamaica planes will be able to land at Port au Prince today, depending on the general situation at that airport. These planes are carrying supplies and will bring back any Jamaican nationals who can be located.

Other countries have similar services in place.

The International Red Cross have a website FamilyLinks.ICRC.org where people can try to contact relatives and friends
CNN also has a similar facility at IReport.com

Collecting/Sending Aid

Many, many individuals and organisations are trying to help but there needs to be co-ordination. Our Government has asked that all supplies go through ODPEM,   2-4 Haining Road, Kingston 5 or (876) 906-9674-5, 754-9077-8 or toll free 1-888-991-4262. Donations made to the Jamaica Red Cross, etc. will also be channelled through ODPEM.

Remember what is urgently needed is water, food and medical supplies. The temperature is over 90°F there so blankets can wait!

It is also good to give cash as the relief organisations can direct it towards whatever is most urgent.

Money Donations

Digicel: Text “Help” to 162 to donate J$25. Other Caribbean countries: check your local Digicel office for the number in your country. Text donations take time to get there as they are not collected until you pay your bill then the phone company has to tabulate them and send on the money but it is a very easy way to donate.

NCB:
ODPEM                  a/c #2123873
Food for the Poor a/c #471043885
United Way          a/c #061048596

Scotiabank:
Scotia special fund: Cross Roads a/c #822317
Jamaica Red Cross: Cross Roads a/c #24499

VMBS:  Duke Street a/c #22772867

JNBS:   Duke Street a/c #10937814

International

American Red Cross: text “Haiti” to 90999 to donate US$10

Yele Relief Fund: Text “Yele” to 501501 to donate US$5 to Wyclef Jean’s charity

Food for the Poor

Food for the Poor Canada

Doctors without Borders

American Red Cross

Oxfam UK

International Red Cross

UNICEF

A friend with the Rotary Club has just sent me this link.

Whatever country you are in, contact your local established charities to find out how to help. Not every spontaneous charity is a scam, there are thousands of well intentioned people collecting for Haiti but they quite possibly have reacted, like all of us, to that “heart jerk” and will then have to work out how to get the supplies/money they have collected to Haiti. The established charities already have that system in place. Check out your charity at Charity Navigator.

An imaginable horror has overwhelmed our neighbours, just 250 miles north east of us. Let us hope that the outpouring of love and assistance directed towards Haiti will help to rebuild that country to such an extent that it will no longer be described as the “Poorest Country on the Western Hemisphere.”

This is our neighbour, just 250 miles north, which was devastated yesterday. That little tremor we felt here was just the outer band of the strongest earthquake to hit the region in roughly 200 years. We look with horror at images from CNN, BBC and other international media. In the poorest country of this hemisphere, they build their houses from concrete for there is little wood in Haiti; forests have long been decimated by charcoal burners trying to eke out a living.  But has anyone noticed, while looking at the scenes of devastation, that there is no steel? The poor quality blocks and concrete fell harder than bricks and mortar did in Jamaica 100 years ago. But we have all the wealth in the world compared to our destitute neighbour. There, it is estimated that the 7.0 earthquake did the sort of damage that might be caused by a 10.0 elsewhere!

Almost 24 hours after, aid is just starting to trickle in.  Roads, where they did exist, are blocked. We hear that there are more buildings fallen than standing. Even the UN and other foreign missions cannot account for many staff members. Thousands are dead including Port au Prince’s Archbishop. We see the Presidential Palace, built by rapacious rulers from the blood of their citizens, in ruin. Hospitals, barely functioning at the best of times, also lie in ruin. There are no relief centres as schools and churches, which would normally be designated as shelters, no longer exist. The general populace try to pull the wounded from the ruins, but being untrained, they too become victims.

Food for the Poor have an unbelievably network in this part of the world. When we have a hurricane or other disaster here or in South Florida, their trucks are always first on the scene. This amazing charity maintains a network in Haiti. Please go to their website and give what you can as soon as you can. ODPEM is also sending supplies, the first JDF vessel has already left. If you wish to help call ODPEM at 906-9674 or 754-907.

Our neighbours need our help.

Please remember that as difficult as Taxmas may be for you, there is always someone worse off, give what you can to those less fortunate.

Don’t let the Grinch steal Their Christmas!

Read more about Jamaica at Jamaica-Allspice.com

According to legend, laidback businessman, Danny Melville, was in Canada shopping for dune buggies for Chukka when he came across a weird contraption: a wheeled dogsled used for practice during the summer. The wheels of Danny’s mind started to turn,  he had a drink or two with Jimmy Buffet, and quicker than you could say “Bellevue” the Jamaican Dogsled Team was born!

Devon Anderson and then Newton Marshall were trained to use these contraptions, pulled by rescue dogs from the JSPCA. Neither man nor beast knew what hit them. Soon a professional trainer joined the team and they all bundled up and headed for the frozen north to start mushing.

A year or so later they were deemed ready and started to take part in serious races culminating in February’s Yukon Quest. Next year they have set their sights even higher as the Iditarod is longer and even more gruelling. We wait with bated breath for 6^th March 2010 when Newton and his sixty-six competitors will line up in Fairbanks, Alaska for the start of “The Last Great Race on Earth.”

The Jamaica Dogsled Team will be holding a Fundraiser in Toronto, Ontario in November.

Jamaica Dogsled Team Fundraiser

If you can’t be there then make a donation on their website. Let’s show the world that there is nothing our little Rock can’t accomplish!

Read more about Jamaica at Jamaica-Allspice.com

No events scheduled locally so join them on the Stand Up Website or on Facebook.

One can make a Difference!

We read about people in need, worthwhile causes, and we think: “I really should do something.” Most of the time we don’t.

Do you realise that there are many charities out there with a rather interesting arrangement: a click to donate. These charities work with large sponsors who actually give them donations when someone clicks a button on their website. It might be a cent; it might be a dollar, a spoonful of rice or an ounce of dog food.

Start a new habit. Every morning when you go to your computer, bring up your favourite cause and click; it costs you neither time nor money.

Here are a few popular causes with a click to donate feature:

Fund Mammograms	Stop HIV
Feed the Hungry	Feed Shelter Animals
Free Books for Children	Preserve the Rainforest

Why not have some fun while you’re at it?

And if you have your credit card handy: