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The tragedy in Haiti leaves little left to say; it has overwhelmed an already poor country, destroyed thousands of lives and futures - it also has rocked the rest of the world with grief. Many countries mourn the loss of peace-keeping troops, aid workers, of friends and family. The economic crisis has preoccupied us for the past year; the Haitian crisis shows how small our worries really are.

Many of you know that we have personal ties to Haiti. The orphanage, Hope for Haiti, has been spared from major destruction and everyone is well. Lecturer Kim Wilson who spoke at the Personal Philanthropy Summit in 2009, is currently in Port au Prince with a group of Fletcher students, all of whom appear to have survived. Our good Haitian friend Jean from Cambridge, MA has found out that his brother’s family who lives at the earthquake’s epicenter, also survived.

The tragedy’s extent has not yet been qualified in numbers; lives lost, injuries and economic loss. The impact on millions of personal lives will never be measured. We want to express our deepest sympathies for everyone who has been affected by the earthquake in Haiti.

"His loved ones are very precious to Him and He does not lightly let them die." - Psalms 116:15

Several of you have asked for advice on how to help. As a part of our commitment to help you Give Well, we offer the following recommendations. These are organizations we personally know and respect:

Short-term Disaster Relief: Partners In Health
PIH has been in Haiti since 1987 and has 120 doctors and 500 nurses (almost all Haitian) already mobilized and caring for the wounded. They are setting up a supply chain from the Dominican Republic for medical supplies and basic necessities and need money for the enormous task ahead of them. http://www.pih.org

Medium-term Reconstruction: AIDG
AIDG is a group of brilliant engineers from MIT who have been working in Cap-Haitian, Haiti to encourage sustainable infrastructure development. They are a young, agile organization who have committed to developing an effective reconstruction response. They do what they say they will do, so we highly recommend supporting their effort. http://www.aidg.org

Long-term Education and Child Care: Hope for Haiti
The Hope for Haiti orphanage (Danita’s Children) has been close to our hearts from the beginning. They are doing beautiful work in Ouanaminthe, Haiti, where they feed and educate 500 children a day, and house 75 full-time. They are educating Haiti’s next generation of leaders, and raising the prospects for a brighter future. It is very likely they will need to care for many children who have been orphaned by this disaster. http://www.danitaschildren.org

Thank you for your concern for Haiti. We appreciate the ways you are demonstrating love to our Neighbors there.