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Thanks to the person on my f-list who shared this (in a locked post, so no names):
From a Red Cross blogger:
"Relieving suffering should be guided solely by need and not what people have to donate. Humanitarian aid should also ‘do no harm’. Quite a lot of harm is done when unwanted and unneeded fresh food items rot in piles at the airports and seaports, stopping medicines and blankets getting through."
This article talks about why it's not such a good idea to transport items from other countries: because it costs money to bring in items that may be less familiar than local/ nearby available items, and also because instructions and labels may be in other languages and cause problems.
So, something I'd like my friends to consider:
**Why not donate locally?**: As explained in the article, moving things a long distance costs more money, and donated items outside their usual market may not be fully used. If you believe that shopping locally helps the economy, why not donate locally, where even administrative costs might stay in the community?
We saw a lot of local/specific charities struggling in the months after 9/11, because people who are confronted with disaster news may dip deep into their pockets, but they usually do so at the expense of their usual charity donations. I'm afraid that this disaster may cause similar struggles in local charities.
If you do want to donate to the Haiti cause, please do donate-- but remember that there are a lot of causes that could use your help, not all of which make the news.
From a Red Cross blogger:
"Relieving suffering should be guided solely by need and not what people have to donate. Humanitarian aid should also ‘do no harm’. Quite a lot of harm is done when unwanted and unneeded fresh food items rot in piles at the airports and seaports, stopping medicines and blankets getting through."
This article talks about why it's not such a good idea to transport items from other countries: because it costs money to bring in items that may be less familiar than local/ nearby available items, and also because instructions and labels may be in other languages and cause problems.
So, something I'd like my friends to consider:
**Why not donate locally?**: As explained in the article, moving things a long distance costs more money, and donated items outside their usual market may not be fully used. If you believe that shopping locally helps the economy, why not donate locally, where even administrative costs might stay in the community?
We saw a lot of local/specific charities struggling in the months after 9/11, because people who are confronted with disaster news may dip deep into their pockets, but they usually do so at the expense of their usual charity donations. I'm afraid that this disaster may cause similar struggles in local charities.
If you do want to donate to the Haiti cause, please do donate-- but remember that there are a lot of causes that could use your help, not all of which make the news.
