14 January 2010

Help Earthquake Victims in Haiti


The news and photos from Haiti and the Dominican Republic are almost too terrible to imagine. Those of us who are atheists know that there is no god who is going to provide relief for those who are suffering there. Prayer will do no good. We must act to help those in need.
According to moveon.com, "Three million people have been affected by Tuesday's earthquake, and the Red Cross estimates as many as 50,000 may be dead. Survivors are digging through the rubble with their hands in a desperate attempt to rescue those who are trapped. With water and medical supplies in short supply, and the Haitian government paralyzed, international aid efforts in the next few days will be critical to prevent more human suffering."
According to screencrave.com, MTV is working with George Clooney to host a telethon to raise funds for the victims of the earthquake. The event, which has a tentative air date of January 22nd, will air on all MTV affiliated networks including BET and VH1.

As usual, beware of individuals and unsolicited emails claiming to be collecting funds for the relief efforts. You can find an article HERE about disaster relief scams.

The American Institute of Philanthropy, a charity-watchdog group, has a list of top-rated Haiti relief organizations HERE. This organization gives charities grades of A+ to F and recommends donating to those that receive an A or B grade based on the portion of their budget actually going to the program and other factors.

I have listed below those non-religious charities recommended by the American Institute of Philanthropy with A grades. (I didn't have time to research them all, but these seem to be non-religious. Please let me know if I am wrong.) We know that many religious charities do a great deal of good, but many of them come with religious "baggage."

2 comments:

Netanias Alves de Lima said...

Padres e pastores estão conclamando fiéis para orarem pelo povo de Haiti. Orações a um 'Deus' que já sabia do terremoto e não fez nada para impedir o desastre! Pra que orações agora?

Os haitianos não precisam de orações, mas, sim, de mãos que ajudem a reconstruir o país.

C Woods said...

For those who don't speak Portuguese, here is a rough translation of Netanias's comment:
"Priests and ministers are clamoring for the faithful to pray for the people of Haiti ---prayers to 'God" who already knew about the earthquake and did nothing to stop the disaster. Why pray now? The Haitians don't need prayers, but, yes, they need hands that help to reconstruct the country."

Netanias,
Muita obrigada para suas comentas. Você provavelmente não soube que falo algum porttuguês porque morava em Brasil para vários anos. Mas isso era um tempo longo há, então m'esqueci muito. Espero que pode entender isto. Planejo visitar Brasil outra vez em aproximadamente seis meses.

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