Legitmate Ways to Help in Haiti

I continue to follow the news on Haiti and am praying for the hundreds of adoptive families who have children their, many who have watched these children grow for the last 1,2 or even 3 years as they complete the adoption process in Haiti. Praying for the many, many US citizens of Haitian descent who have family and friends in Haiti. Praying for the vulnerable in Haiti, the disabled, the medically fragile, the children that they may receive immediate assistance. And most of all I am hoping that the aide organizations in Haiti do the right thing. Unfortunately Haiti is a country filled with corruption and I am sure that there will be people who pray on the donations of others to their own benefit. I received two emails today from very legitimate organizations that we have supported in Rwanda and Ethiopia. These are not organizations that typically provided crisis intervention but organizations that are well known and very experienced in providing long term and sustainable assistance to third world countries. The second email from Charity Water includes links to their reccomended relief efforts. So I am reposting the emails here:
Dear Kari,

Heifer International is issuing an emergency appeal for funds to help families in Haiti recover and restore their lives following yesterday’s catastrophic 7.0 magnitude earthquake. “Heifer is by no means a traditional first responder,” said Steve Denne, Heifer’s chief operating officer, “but we have projects and partner families in Haiti who likely have lost everything, and now with this devastation, the need is even greater than before. This appeal will help us help our current families begin to rebuild their lives, and provide the chance to help even more families recover from this devastating blow.”

The massive 7.0 magnitude earthquake in Haiti was the strongest to hit the country in 200 years. Heifer has worked in Haiti for 10 years, currently supporting 16 projects with more than 16,000 families and several farmer associations. Our projects are scattered around the country and range from training in sustainable farming and crop diversity to gifts of livestock, seeds, trees and grains to training in nutrition, aquaculture and fish production.
Give today to help rebuild lives in Haiti. “It’s essential that we prepare to follow the important work of first responders,” said Denne. “While they provide emergency food, medical care and aid, we offer our hopes and prayers for the victims and the families, but at the same time, we must prepare for the next wave of help -- giving people the tools and the ongoing help to rebuild their lives and their livelihoods.”

Heifer International has seven employees in Haiti. At the time of this writing, there has been little contact with Heifer staff or partners in Haiti, though efforts continue. “Our thoughts are with them, and we are preparing to respond with the most appropriate and most needed help we can,” said Denne. “This is a country that even in the best of times faces hardships most of us cannot imagine.”“We, all of us, have an obligation -- a duty -- to help any way we can.”
Funds raised in this appeal will be used in the recovery and rebuilding effort in Haiti in the wake of the earthquake. Any funds that exceed the level needed to provide relief in this rebuilding effort will go toward the disaster relief fund and for the entire mission of Heifer International.

Link to Heifer website: https://secure.heifer.org/site/c.edJRKQNiFiG/b.5720617/apps/ka/sd/donorcustom.asp?msource=EB7A090001&auid=5806986&kntaw4132=CDB818A92A63486EBA406617B0A061ADSincerely, Ashley MichaelHeifer InternationalSincerely

From Charity Water: Two ways to help Haiti.
We've all heard the devastating news -- Haiti was struck yesterday by one of its worst natural disasters in the last 200 years.
A 7.0-magnitude earthquake shocked Port-au-Prince and surrounding areas on Tuesday just before 5 p.m., collapsing buildings and cutting water and electricity services. At least 3 million people have been affected.
charity: water is not a disaster relief organization. However, both of our implementing field partners in Haiti have immediately responded to the situation on the ground. We have full confidence in their work.
Today, we're asking that you contribute straight to their relief efforts, which include more than just water. A donation to Partners in Health and/or Concern Worldwide will provide emergency medical care, food, shelter, medicine, blankets and clean drinking water to those suffering from the quake's destruction.

Learn more and contribute to Concern Worldwide here >http://www.concernusa.org/Public/News.aspx?Id=790
Learn more and contribute to Partners in Health here >https://donate.pih.org/page/contribute/haiti_earthquake?source=charitywater