Haiti’s political unrest and troubled historical past might sluggish assist to earthquake victims: NPR

Rice will be distributed to residents of Les Cayes, Haiti on Monday, two days after the earthquake. Joseph Odelyn / AP hide caption

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Joseph Odelyn / AP

Rice will be distributed to residents of Les Cayes, Haiti on Monday, two days after the earthquake.

Joseph Odelyn / AP

Humanitarian aid flows into Haiti following the deadly 7.2 magnitude earthquake on Saturday. However, the political unrest in the Caribbean country complicates efforts.

Nonprofit groups and philanthropy experts say the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moise last month, as well as allegations that funds raised after the 2010 Haiti earthquake never reached those in need, fundraising for the country has yet to be made will make it harder.

Art delaCruz, CEO of Team Rubicon, a nonprofit that employs emergency response teams to work with first responders in disaster areas, said his teams’ first briefing in Haiti and the Dominican Republic with support teams in the United States was about safety.

“The assassination of the president, the almost gang-like existence there, really increases the risk for organizations like ours who are involved in this situation,” said DelaCruz. However, Team Rubicon, founded in 2010 by Marines Jake Wood and William McNulty in response to the 2010 Haiti earthquake, has experience on the ground in the country and in similar situations around the world.

“It’s tricky for everyone because the information is incomplete and the situation is dynamic,” said delaCruz. “We have a competitive advantage here because we’re an organization where 70% of the volunteers are veterans. They’ve experienced that kind of environment.”

Nate Mook, CEO of World Central Kitchen, also mentioned the need for adaptability. He was in Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince on Monday, leading the nonprofit’s efforts to tackle food insecurity after the earthquake, but found the transportation system was needed to get injured people to hospital.

“We really didn’t just focus on the food, but also how we can support our local partners,” he said. “We spent a lot of time here. We know how to deal with complexity.”

Haiti inspired chef Jose Andres to create World Central Kitchen after the 2010 earthquake.

“People are hungry and desperate, and that creates instability and a lot of worry.

Skyler Badenoch, CEO of the nonprofit Hope for Haiti in Florida, says the response was also complicated because its employees were directly affected by the disaster. The organization is now preparing to distribute $ 60 million worth of first aid supplies and medical equipment to help those affected, he said.

Local residents wait for rice by a truck in Les Cayes, Haiti on Monday. Joseph Odelyn / AP hide caption

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Joseph Odelyn / AP

Local residents wait for rice by a truck in Les Cayes, Haiti on Monday.

Joseph Odelyn / AP

Aid to Haiti has been under investigation for years and stepped up in 2015 when an investigation by ProPublica and NPR questioned where $ 500 million was spent raised by the American Red Cross.

The American Red Cross said in a statement emailed that it is not currently seeking donations for aid in Haiti but will work with its partners – including the Haitian Red Cross and the Red Crescent – to advance the earthquake react. She also denied the ProPublica / NPR results. “Americans made generous donations to save lives after the 2010 Haiti earthquake – and that is exactly what their donations did,” a statement said.

Despite the criticism the Red Cross has received, Maryam Zarnegar Deloffre, a humanitarian aid expert and professor at George Washington University, believes that donors will continue to need the organization because of their reputation.

“It was resilient,” she said, also because the organization of donors is easily recognized for their work with blood drives and other things.

This time around, Marleine Bastien, executive director of the Family Action Network Movement, a social organization based in the Little Haiti neighborhood of Florida, says her organization will develop a plan to hold any group that raises funds for Haiti to account.

“We definitely don’t want another movie called ‘Where Did The Money Go’?” Bastien said referring to the 2012 documentary that looked at donations made to Haiti Aid after the 2010 earthquake.

The deadly earthquake struck Haiti, while a growing humanitarian crisis unfolds in Ethiopia and instability rattles Afghanistan. Deloffre of George Washington University said she believes the fundraising outlook for the country is bleak.

“Unfortunately, I am not expecting widespread global attention for the Haiti earthquake,” she said. “Or public donations of the same magnitude that we saw in response to the 2010 earthquake.”

A woman sleeps outside her home in Saint-Louis-du-Sud, Haiti, on Monday, two days after the earthquake. Matias Delacroix / AP Hide caption

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Matias Delacroix / AP

A woman sleeps outside her home in Saint-Louis-du-Sud, Haiti, on Monday, two days after the earthquake.

Matias Delacroix / AP

Previous allegations of missed donations have also fueled a degree of reluctance, said Badenoch of Hope for Haiti, although the need may be even greater after the recent earthquake.

“It is entirely possible that Haiti will need more help than ever before,” said Akim Kikonda, country representative for the Catholic Relief Service in Haiti.

Laura Whileton, Director of Annual Funding for Catholic Relief Services, said the group, who have worked there for 50 years, is doing all the help it can. She started distributing emergency supplies on Monday because they had previously stored tents and metal sheets there.

“Yes, there have been some bad actors, but not giving up because of that is shortsighted,” said Wahrton. “It’s really frustrating because every penny we were given for Haiti went to Haiti. There have been gradual positive changes.