Organizations in Haiti are on the front lines as the Caribbean country struggles to find its footing after the weekend’s 7.2-magnitude earthquake killed hundreds of people, injured thousands more and leveled homes and buildings. And a tropical depression packing heavy rain and wind is further complicating the earthquake response.
The devastation has revived anger over relief efforts after Haiti’s last massive earthquake, in 2010, which was estimated to have killed 200,000 people. Activists and others have urged the public to donate and provide resources to local organizations and groups directly connected to people in the country rather than give to large, disconnected organizations.
“It’s like we’re living this nightmare, reliving 2010, all over again, just in a different part of the country,” said Katiana Anglade, development and operations director for the Lambi Fund of Haiti, which provides resources to Haitian community groups.
“We all had concerns with the foreign aid that was coming in then. The money wasn’t disseminated in a way so people who actually needed it could get it. Do we know what happened to it? No one does,” Anglade said. “That’s why a lot of people now who want to help are making the necessary efforts to do the research and find grassroots organizations and Haitian-led organizations to donate to, where it will provide immediate relief to people who need it.”