In the wake of Hurricane Matthew, which has left Haiti with as many as 1,000 people dead, many are turning to social media and asking, “Where can I donate?”
Some Twitter users are explicitly telling their followers where not to donate: the American Red Cross. They’re skeptical of donating to the organization, with some claiming that Haitian people are urging donors to avoid the Red Cross altogether. An investigation by ProPublica and NPR in 2015 claimed the agency built only six homes with the $500 million it received in donations after the 2010 earthquake which devastated the country. Amnesty International also published a report which said more than 60,000 people made homeless by the earthquake remain displaced.
Haitians have asked that we DO NOT DONATE TO THE RED CROSS. #HurricaneMatthew https://t.co/E73n145HwC
— Tennie Mae (@so_treu) October 7, 2016
Award-winning Haitian-American author Edwidge Danticat heard these concerns and posted her suggestions of where to donate on her Facebook page.
According to Danticat’s post, these organizations have been working in the most affected areas for years and are mostly Haitian-led. “A few of these organizations are schools or educational institutions,” she wrote. “When a school—however small—has been a trusted part of a community for a long time, families will look to that place for immediate and ongoing support in rebuilding after a disaster like this.”
The 10 organizations she suggests are below. Click on each organization’s name to donate.