Jessie's email, posted below, contains a link to Bill Quigley's list of 10 Things the U.S. Can and Should do for Haiti. Quigley is Legal Director at the Center for Constitutional Rights...he is also a Katrina survivor and has "been active in human rights in Haiti for years with the Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti."

They are all important, and so I've posted the list...I feel like i'm doing this with some desperate delusion in mind, as if the more times they're copy-and-pasted on the internet, the more people will begin to understand...and the less bad will come from this already fully devastating disaster in Haiti.

BUT I WANT TO BRING SPECIAL ATTENTION TO LIST ITEM NUMBER TWO. This cannot be repeated too many times:

Do not allow US military in Haiti to point their guns at Haitians. Hungry Haitians are not the enemy. Decisions have already been made which will militarize the humanitarian relief – but do not allow the victims to be cast as criminals. Do not demonize the people.

This is NOT that complicated. I may be naive about certain aspects of world politics or the intricacies of international economic affairs...but THE HAITIANS ARE THE VICTIMS.

Bill's List:

One. Allow all Haitians in the US to work. The number one source of money for poor people in Haiti is the money sent from family and workers in the US back home. Haitians will continue to help themselves if given a chance. Haitians in the US will continue to help when the world community moves on to other problems.

Two. Do not allow US military in Haiti to point their guns at Haitians. Hungry Haitians are not the enemy. Decisions have already been made which will militarize the humanitarian relief – but do not allow the victims to be cast as criminals. Do not demonize the people.

Three. Give Haiti grants as help, not loans. Haiti does not need any more debt. Make sure that the relief given helps Haiti rebuild its public sector so the country can provide its own citizens with basic public services.

Four Prioritize humanitarian aid to help women, children and the elderly. They are always moved to the back of the line. If they are moved to the back of the line, start at the back.

Five. President Obama can enact Temporary Protected Status for Haitians with the stroke of a pen. Do it. The US has already done it for El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Sudan and Somalia. President Obama should do it on Martin Luther King Day.

Six. Respect Human Rights from Day One. The UN has enacted Guiding Principles for Internally Displaced People. Make them required reading for every official and non-governmental person and organization. Non-governmental organizations like charities and international aid groups are extremely powerful in Haiti – they too must respect the human dignity and human rights of all people.

Seven. Apologize to the Haitian people everywhere for Pat Robertson and Rush Limbaugh.

Eight. Release all Haitians in US jails who are not accused of any crimes. Thirty thousand people are facing deportations. No one will be deported to Haiti for years to come. Release them on Martin Luther King day.

Nine. Require that all the non-governmental organizations which raise money in the US be transparent about what they raise, where the money goes, and insist that they be legally accountable to the people of Haiti.

Ten. Treat all Haitians as we ourselves would want to be treated.

-Bill Quigley

donate directly to a town at epicenter of earthquake

Today I received this email from my friend Olivia, and wanted to share in case anyone feels more comfortable donating on a more local level.


Dear Friends and Family,

As many of you are aware, I spent this past summer in Fondwa, Haiti. This is a town that has mobilized its citizens and taken matters into its own hands over the past twenty years to overcome many of the hardships facing the country. They established a local orphanage, an association of peasants that leads many activities including reforestation projects, a university that challenges students to implement their own development projects, a clinic (one of the only places to get any medical care for miles), a convent, a radio station and a bank. Over the summer they were working on building a road through the town, and even trying to establish a bakery in order to create a local business.

All of this was destroyed in the recent earthquake. Fondwa was at the epicenter of the quake, and each and every building and structure has been leveled, including the nun's guest house where I stayed this summer. Many people died, including a nun that I was very close to and an unbelievable 2 year old orphan who lived with us during my time there.

If you were planning on donating to Haiti, I ask that you consider donating directly to Fondwa. They are accepting donations for both the university and the peasants' association, which are the organizations most capable of funneling aid and furthering development in the area.

You can find donation information below, and can also contact me with any questions that you might have.

Many thanks for your support and all the best.

Much Love,

Olivia

If you are interested in assisting APF or UNIF at this time, it would be best to donate financial resources due to the many infrastructural and procedural obstacles that prevent aid from reaching Fondwa.

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DONATIONS TO THE UNIVERSITY OF FONDWA
If you are interested in donating to the University of Fondwa, checks can be made out to UNIF-USA and sent to Father Med Laz at the following address:

The University of Fondwa-USA
P.O. Box 480300
Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33348

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DONATIONS TO THE ASSOCIATION OF PEASANTS FONDWA
If you are interested in donating to APF, you can deposit donations directly into our account. You can contact Sabrina or Veronica (numbers below) for assistance or for the exact bank account and routing numbers.

The APF Account at City National Bank of New Jersey (CNB), in USA.

The Name of the account: APF (Asosyasyon Peyizan Fondwa)
Banks’ Name: CNB ( City National Bank of New Jersey )
Bank's Address:
382 West 125th. Street
New York, NY 10027
Tel. 212 865 47 63 ( Sabrina Brice or Veronica Gilbert at 866 551 58 88 ext. 645)
e-mail: sbrice@citynatbank.com

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Donations will be used to satisfy immediate needs such as food, water, medicine, and temporary shelter. If you are interested in offering long-term assistance for reconstruction of Fondwa, please let us know so that we can ensure that your donation is allocated towards this.