Sunday, January 17, 2010

What can we do?

So, I guess the question is, what can we do? Here's some of my thoughts -

  • Pray!!! - Seriously, people, right now without God's intervention and miraculous hand, I don't see how the amount of hurt and damage there can even be dented. Read first hand reports and look at photos and you'll see what I mean.
  • Give - Pretty much any site that you click on will tell you that money is the most helpful thing (besides prayer) that you can do. Give $ to those who know what needs to get done and how to go about doing it. There are many reputable places; I personally recommend here. Maybe set up an auto-check to be sent over the next few months so that giving continues even when this is no longer all over the news and fresh in our minds?
  • Call and write - Everyone is looking for something to physically do, congressman included. So why not give them some ideas of how they can help? Contacting your congressmen is easy to do & can be done in a matter of minutes. Here's a website to get their info (if you call, you'll likely talk to an intern or secretary. Or you can drop a quick e-mail to their e-mail address or through a web contact form). Below are two requests to be made:
  • Hundreds of children are in orphanages who have already been placed with adoptive families, many already legally a part of those families according to Haitian law, and have just been waiting for paperwork processing. Well, that paperwork processing is going to be at a halt, perhaps indefinitely. Government buildings housing adoption papers have been destroyed, many workers killed or missing, and an adoption system which was already drawn out and complicated has now been completely crippled. There are many, many high priorities in Haiti right now, but getting these children with their adoptive families is not only good for these children, but also frees up food, resources, and orphanage space for other children. So contact your congressmen and ask them to have the department of state issue humanitarian parole to all children who had been referred to adoptive families prior to the earthquake. Update: So humanitarian parole has been issued (yea!!!), but the practicals of getting it working is a big mess. Orphanages have to get the kids there with all necessary paperwork (which they may or may not have) and find an escort to take the kids out. Sounds easy enough, but with the roads a mess, gas limited, and tons of people at the embassy - this is not a smooth process. So the US govt needs to get moving and help!!! Want to contact congressmen again? Ask them to make the Dept of State aware that practicals need to be set in place as well (such as having Americans ready to help escort rather than leaving that up to orphanages) and helping arrange for pick-up of children.
  • Beth at MTM, also urged us to contact our congressmen and urge them to have Craig Fugate at FEMA get involved to help Haiti.